CARLISLE UNITED 0-4 COVENTRY CITY
City: Murphy, Christie, Adams, Webster, Thomas (Barton 88), Fleck, L Clarke, Moussa, Daniels (Willis 84), Wilson (Manset 75, J Clarke. Subs - Burge, Phillips, Garner, Haynes.
Carlisle: Gillespie, Potts, Feely, O'Hanlon, Black, Amoo, Noble, Berrett, Gillies (Symington 46, Guy (Campbell 46), Beck. Subs - Fleming, Livesey, Todd,Lynch, Brough.
HT CAFC 0-3 CCFC FT CAFC 0-4 CCFC ATT 4.072
Goals Leon Clarke 3 & 64, Franck Moussa 5, Billy Daniels 31
Referee Paul Tierney
Booked Black, Daniels, Moussa, Berrett
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Coventry City, for once made a very poor side pay with a 4-0 victory at Carlisle United.
At the end of a week where we learned that the Football League made an 'error in administration', which was followed by the totally despised owners of the Sky Blues, who seemed happy to misappropriate funds by having first class train tickets to Carlisle, issuing a "We're Coventry City, We Do What We Want" statement, it was the longest trek of the league season for Steven Pressley's side.
It was a rainy day in Cumbria as the 469 strong City support, which included supporters from Kent, Hampshire, Newcastle and Southampton, made the most of the local hostelries on offer.
Joe Murphy passed a fitness test and City, in their yellow away kit, were able to field an unchanged side at a ground where the visitors get the best stand.
Attacking the Warwick Road End, City were on the attack through Callum Wilson who was hacked for a free kick.
Wilson attacked again and in the third minute, a good move fell to Leon Clarke who superbly curled into the net from twenty yards.
The City support, who made it clear they had been let down by the Football League, which numbered around five hundred, were going mad and two minutes later, the away end was going ballistic when a great move saw Daniels and Clarke combine to pick out Franck Moussa who lifted the ball over Gillespie and into the net.
Murphy pushed over a 13th minute header from Beck for a corner and this led to a shove which gave the Cumbrians a penalty. James Berrett stepped up and went to Murphy's right. So did Joe Murphy and he saved, delighting the City support who then raged at the referee for not punishing a forearm smash on Blair Adams by Mark Beck.
Callum Wilson continued to be a massive threat. He fired wide and had one shot blocked before Cyrus Christie shot across the goal in the 22nd minute.
Just after the half hour mark and there was a third goal for City when Wilson played the ball back for Billy Daniels to score low past Gillespie.
Daniels was booked for a foul on Black as the City support announced it was just like watching Brazil. Brazil did not score three in their midweek game in Switzerland and certainly their forwards from what I saw on BT Sport did not pose the threat that Wilson did. The Coventry born forward, who had Carlisle's left back in his back pocket, was involved in two more good goes on goal from the Sky Blues in the 38th minute, two before Moussa slipped two balls agonisingly across the face of the goal waiting for a touch which did not come.
Coventry kid Greg Abbott made two changes at the break bringing on the pintsize loanee Campbell or the mascot as he was soon nicknamed by the City support.
In the 51st minute, a great ball from Daniels found Christie who rifled in a shot which Gillespie blocked with his feet for a corner.
Carlisle had a corner of their own before Mr Tierney started to lose the plot with some bizarre decisions.
Campbell curled wide on the hour mark and a minute later a highly dubious free kick was blasted high into the terrace at the Warwick Road End.
City, when they needed to, with Jordan Clarke putting in a quality performance alongside Andy Webster and Adams and Christie on the flanks, defended excellently, but some of the Carlisle defending was comical and in the 64th minute, a howler let in Leon Clarke to make it 4-0 and further delight the City support.
Carlisle did hit the post in the 68th minute through a Potts effort from deep inside his own half but it was a mere blip.
In the 74th minute, a great ball from Fleck who had a great game sent Wilson away for a shot which Gillespie pushed out for a corner.
Wilson left to great applause and was replaced by Mathieu Manset, appearing against his former club.
Manset blasted over in the 77th minute and was then involved in a move which saw him fire across the area.
Daniels on the turn fired over and with nine minutes left, "The Beast" as Manset was nicknamed at Carlisle, thumped the crossbar with a rasping drive.
The excellent Billy Daniels, was replaced by Jordan Willis and the equally adept Conor Thomas was switched for Adam Barton as the home fans headed for home with faces as miserable as the weather, leaving the City support to celebrate an excellent win.