The Cumbrians took that all in their stride though as they coasted to an excellent victory over a Latics side who have won the youth league title for the last two seasons. United started brightly and after Andrew Cook had been fouled on four minutes Simon Lakeland hit the free-kick right-footed from 25 yards out, his curler lacked a little bit of power though and the Oldham keeper was able to make a comfortable save.
Four minutes later Brown's long throw-in was flicked on by Madine into the path of Dalton 15 yards out, Dalton being unlucky to see his right-footed half-volley fly straight at the Latics glovesman. Shortly afterwards, following some good work by Dalton and Stephen Hindmarch, Cook's low 18-yard shot in the right-hand channel was pushed out for a corner by the Oldham keeper at his near-post. Hindmarch then heading Tinnion's resultant flag-kick over the top from eight yards out.
The deadlock was broken by the Cumbrians in the 16th minute when they took the lead from the penalty spot. Dalton turning well in the box to slide the ball in front of Cook only for the United striker to be sandwiched to the floor between two Oldham defenders. Madine stepped up to take the spot-kick and he coolly side-footed the ball home into the bottom corner of the net as the Latics glovesman dived the wrong way.
Gary Madine strokes home his first goal from the penalty spot
After 24 minutes Lakeland's corner was well taken down by Brown as he turned quickly and fired in a left-footed half-volley from just inside the penalty area that was blocked by a Latic. The ball broke to Madine but he could only fire his right-footed 20-yarder wide of the far-post. Oldham having their first real shot of the game, as they battled against the wind, in the 27th minute, with a low shot from the United 'D' pulling wide of Blues goalkeeper Alex Mitchell's far-post.
The visitors were starting to have a little spell of pressure in the game now and just after the half-hour mark Mitchell was forced into a good save as a left-footed curler flew across his goal from 15 yards out. Five minutes later the Oldham left-winger trying his luck from range but his shot was never on target as it sailed wide of Mitchell's far-post.
On 41 minutes a long Mitchell goal-kick bounced on the wind out to Connor Tinnion on the left-wing. Tinnion playing the ball across to Hindmarch who saw his 15-yard drive deflected out for a corner. Tinnion's flag-kick in hitting the leg of an Oldham defender at the back-post before the keeper dived on the ball on the goal-line. The last chance before the interval coming when a Latic fired a right-footed shot high, wide and not very handsome from 22 yards out.
The visitors made a change in their midfield ranks during the break and they were the first side to press forward when a 35-yard free-kick curled by their impressive left-back from the right somehaw evaded everyone and bounced straight into the arms of Mitchell. Four minutes later, as the Latics looked for an equaliser, a right-footed half-volley from the edge of the Carlisle box slicing away well wide of Mitchell's near-post.
At this point Oldham started to lose the plot a little, their first booking of the afternoon coming in the 56th minute when one of their centre-halves was booked for dissent. Some interesting coaching from the Latics sideline seeing their manager spend most of the game telling his players to stop moaning at the referee only to then do exactly the same thing himself. Do as I say, not as I do being the seeming mantra.
Three minutes later the vistors made another change in midfield, then just after the hour-mark, the Oldham keeper made a great save low down at his near-post after Brown's 12-yard header from a Tinnion flag-kick in seemed destined for the bottom corner. Another two minutes and another yellow card as this time the other Latics centre-half went into the referee's notebook for constant backchatting.
Carlisle effectively ended the match as a contest with two goals in three minutes around the midway point of the half. The first of those strikes came in the 65th minute when Jonny Blake sent a great low cross in from the right which reached Tinnion at the back-post. Tinnion then setting the ball back for Madine to thump home into the near-bottom corner from ten yards out with his right boot on the half-volley.
Madine thumps his second goal into the Oldham net
Just as the Latics were reeling from that blow the Blues scored one of the best team goals I've seen them score in a long time on 68 minutes. The move all coming down the right with Blake feeding Dalton and then Dalton feeding Madine, United's top scorer then sending a beautiful flick with his instep into the path of the onrushing Cook, the Blues striker then running on before firing a thumping 15-yard right-footed drive across the Oldham keeper and into the far bottom corner of the net - a picturebook goal.
Andrew Cook gets on the scoresheet as Connor Tinnion tracks any rebound
The Latics made their final substitution of the game with 70 minutes gone, but it was still United on top as sixty seconds later Hindmarch made a barnstorming run down the right with his shot from just inside the Oldham box slicing wide of the near-post at the end of it. A Latics 25-yard drive was pulled well wide two minutes later with Blues boss Eric Kinder choosing the break in play to replace Lakeland with Michael Dowson in the United engine room.
Oldham's left-back hit a rasper of a shot across goal from fully 25 yards out with 15 minutes to go, that effort forcing Mitchell into a full-length parried save at his far-post. Shortly aferwards the Cumbrians made their second change in personnel when right-sided midfielder John Seaton came on for Tinnion, that seeing Hindmarch swap over to the left flank.
Carlisle made it 4-0 with 77 minutes gone when Brown made a great interception in his left-back spot and charged forward against an Oldham midfield that had pushed up looking for goals. Brown running on 30 yards before sending a lovely ball through into the path of Madine down the middle with the outside of his right boot. Madine tapping the ball past the onrushing Latics keeper as he was then left with the simple task of knocking the ball home into an empty net.
Madine completes his hat-trick as Cook (left) and John Seaton (right) look on
Eric Kinder made a surprising change between the sticks on 82 minutes when Grant Carson came on in place of Mitchell. Poor old Carson's first job being to take the ball out of the back of the United net after one of the Oldham strikers hammered a right-footed 20-yard half-volley like an arrow into the bottom corner of the Carlisle goal. It broke any chance of a clean sheet for the Blues defenders but it was a shot Carson stood no chance of saving to be fair to him.
There was still time for the visitors to grab some more bookings though as they got two more yellow cards in the bag on 89 minutes. A frustrated Latics substitute being booked for a bad tackle from behind on Brown, with the left-back, who is also the Oldham captain, being yellow carded for dissent as he complained a bit too vehemently about the initial decision.
The last chance for either side to change the final 4-1 scoreline came as the clock ticked into injury time when Dowson and Madine exchanged passes before Dowson's 22-yard drive was easily saved by the Latics keeper. The final whistle came shortly afterwards but that wasn't the end of the Oldham bookings as their number nine was yellow carded, seemingly for refusing to shake hands with Brown after the game.
As the players left the field the Latics boss was muttering "not good enough at this level" to the referee but in all honesty none of his bookings or more intriguing decisions changed the way the match went. That's twelve goals in three games for Carlisle now though and they can go into their FA Youth Cup tie against Stockport on Wednesday night with real confidence of making a run in the competition.
United line-up :
Alex Mitchell (Grant Carson 82), Jonny Blake, Matthew Brown, Dan Wordsworth (c), Matt Duffy, Simon Lakeland (Michael Dowson 73), Stephen Hindmarch, Ged Dalton, Gary Madine, Andrew Cook, Connor Tinnion (John Seaton 76).
No unused substitutes.
Fixtures in the division this week :
Macclesfield 2-1 Shrewsbury (Wed, 12 noon)
Accrington Stanley 1-2 Bury (Fri, 2pm)
Carlisle 4-1 Oldham (Fri, 12noon)
Blackpool 3-2 Rochdale (Sat, 11am)
Burnley 2-1 Morecambe (Sat, 11am)
Chester 0-0 Walsall (Sat, 10.30am)
Port Vale 3-2 Preston North End (Sat, 11am)
Shrewsbury 0-2 Wrexham (Sat, 11am)
Tranmere 0-2 Macclesfield (Sat, 11am)
Wigan 2-1 Stockport (Sat, 10.30am)
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