Carlisle City moved up to third in the Northern League Division One with a 3-1 home win last night against West Allotment Celtic.
It was an assured performance from the Cumbrians, while the experimental switch to a Friday night increased the attendance to 208.
City controlled the game virtually from the first kick and took a 2-0 lead into the half-time break.
Jordan Palmer gave them a 25th minute advantage when he rounded-off a slick City move.
Six minutes later Sam Smith powered home a header to double the City lead.
Celtic had offered little but they were given a helping hand back into the game on the hour when Josh Cairns took advantage of a defensive mistake.
It hardly deserved to be game on but City found their rhythm again and a third goal on 78 minutes settled the contest.
Callum Birdsall, who played with a broken nose, knocked home the clincher and Celtic never looked like responding.
City now face two tough away games, at Easington Colliery on Wednesday and at North Shields next Saturday.
To hear manager Dan Kirkup’s views on the game you can listen to below…
