Carlisle United never looked like spoiling AFC Wimbledon’s homecoming and a 4-0 defeat sent the Cumbrians slipping to the bottom of the table.
They have lost eight of their 11 games and have conceded 23 goals giving new manager Mike Williamson a mountain to climb.
After the game he said: “We were miles off it from the start, which was disappointing.
“I thought in the second half we showed glimpses of a bit of personality but it’s far too late and we were dead and buried by then, so we know that’s completely unacceptable.”
The Dons were playing their first home game since the Plough Lane pitch was badly damaged by flooding last month and they were desperate to make a winning return.
Carlisle, frankly, offered only feeble resistance and after conceding three first-half goals it was over as a contest and United were in the realms of damage limitation.
The Blues have now been unable to score a goal in four consecutive matches and they also have problems at the other end of the pitch.
Matty Stevens finished with a hat-trick and it took only eight minutes for him to open the scoring with a header which seemed to find the net much too easily.
Stevens doubled the lead with a simple knock in.
James Tilley was outstanding for the Dons, causing problems all the time and it was no surprise when the hosts added a third just before half-time courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Cameron Harpr.
When Stevens headed in his hat-trick goal from a Tilley cross five minutes into the second-half it looked as though Carlisle were heading for a really embarrassing scoreline.
But they did earn a bit of credit with the way they finished the game and the sight of Callum Guy refreshing the midfield will have pleased the travelling United fans.
But it’s going to take more than Guy, returning after 11 months out through injury, to spark a serious Carlisle revival.
