Carlisle United are seriously up and running now after a last gasp 2-1 win at Oldham Athletic pushed them six points clear of the drop zone.
The Blues were next to bottom ten days ago when Paul Simpson arrived back at Brunton Park and he has now overseen three straight wins.
Over 1,200 fans had made the trip from Cumbria and they were rewarded when Morgan Feeney rose highest in the 94th minute to head the winning goal.
It was a deserved win for Simpson’s men, who had gone in at half-time trailing by a single goal, and having needed a penalty save from Mark Howard to keep it 0-0 earlier in the game.
Former Carlisle manager John Sheridan had seen his side put together an unbeaten run of seven games since he returned to Boundary Park, only to be outdone by his old club.
It was noted, too, that the last time Carlisle won at Oldham was on October 6, 2018 and Sheridan was in the United dugout. Hallam Hope had scored for Carlisle, and this time he was on the score-sheet for Oldham.
That goal came in first-half stoppage time after Jon Mellish directed a header against his own post before Jordan Clarke crossed through a clutter of bodies for Hope to stab home from close range.
The penalty had been given on 28 minutes when the referee adjudged Dynel Simeu to have handled inside the area. Davis Keillor-Dunn took the kick but Howard was able to parry and deny Oldham the lead.
It was Omari Patrick again who provided the goal which lifted Carlisle three minutes into the second-half.
He was put through by Kristian Dennis and kept his cool to finish clinically for his third goal in as many games, a scoring burst which has under-pinned Carlisle’s revival under Simpson.
He should have had a second when he got on the end of a cross from Jordan Gibson but from six yards headed wide.
Then it was Gibson’s turn with an outrageous piece of skillto flick the ball over two defenders but he pulled his shot wide.
The goal that settled it came in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Callum Guy lifted a free-kick into the area and Feeney’s glancing header grazed the underside of the bar before finding the net.
Oldham’s Shezurrection might be twitching but Carlisle’s Simmotion is very much alive – at the moment!
