Boston United 0 Carlisle United 5

Last updated : 18 January 2006 By Footymad Previewer
Carlisle United cemented their place in the automatic promotion positions with a decisive 5-0 win at Boston United.

Victory, achieved on the strength of a hat-trick by Michael Bridges and two for Karl Hawley, was the Cumbrians' 10th success in their last 15 league outings - in the process leaving Boston to lick their wounds after sustaining their heaviest defeat in four years of League Two football.

The game was just five minutes old when Carlisle struck the first blow with the prolific Hawley firing past Conrad Logan from 12 yards after being set up by a raking crossfield pass by Bridges.

Boston hit back with a couple of purpossful attacks around the 15 minute mark. Each time the ball ended at the feet of James Keene, but both times he screwed shots inches wide.

The visitors weathered the storm and answered with off-target shots by Bridges and Chris Lumsdon. But Boston replied again midway through the half with more good build-up work culminating in Keene, Austin McCann and Simon Rusk all seeing shots fly too high.

Just before the break Boston pressed again, but in a goalmouth scramble Carlisle defender Danny Livesey somehow hacked the ball off his own line as Stewart Talbot slid in for what seemed a certain equaliser.

Boston opened the second half in bright fashion and went close when David Galbraith saw a 55th minute free-kick deflect away off the visitors' wall.

But Carlisle produced another breakaway flash and grabbed a second two minutes later when Derek Holmes put Bridges clear. Despite getting a hand to the former Leeds man's low drive, Logan was unable to prevent the ball bobbling over the line.

Seven minutes later the visitors put the game beyond doubt when Bridges doubled his tally with a crashing left-foot finish in off the post after being put clear by a long pass by Danny Livesey.

From that point Boston heads dropped and Carlisle cruised through the final stages.

But they still had enough tempo to add a fourth goal to their tally when Bridges completed his hat-trick with a 20-yard free-kick ten minutes from time.

In the 90th minute Hawley netted his second of the game with a shot threaded in from 12 yards.