Carlisle went top of the National League with a 2-0 home win over Halifax.
It was their 11th victory in 17 games – a big turnaround from the last two seasons.
It was a great follow-up from Saturday’s dramatic FA Cup win at Reading which earned them a second round tie at Blackpool.
Regan Linney, the hat-trick match-winner at the weekend turned provider this time.
He set up the opener on 15 minutes for Junior Luamba but wasn’t far away with a curler of his own which was just wide.
Jamie Cooke had previously shot wide from a good position for Halifax.
On the resumption Luamba was just over the top with a snap effort and then Halifax keeper Sam Johnson made a good save to deny Chris Conn-Clarke.
The points were secured when Luamba grabbed his second in the 68th minute when he was able to turn home a corner.
The Blues have another big game on Saturday when they travel to another former Football League rival in Southend United.
After the win over Halifax, Carlisle lead Southend by eight points but have played two more games than Saturday’s hosts.
But Southend play one of their games in hand tonight at Woking.
