It was another tough fixture for the Blues on Saturday afternoon as they faced high-flying Colchester United here at Brunton Park.

But a confident and free-flowing performance from the home side saw them cruise to their biggest home win of the season so far as they put their visitors to the sword with an excellent display.

The U's won the toss and made United kick towards the Warwick, which meant the hosts had the blustery wind at their backs.

Carlisle had Hope and Nadesan pushed wide to patrol the attacking flanks, with Jerry Yates in a much more central striking role than usual, with Sowerby backing him up.

The game took a while to get going but a smooth home move saw Sowerby feed Hope with a nice pass on the edge of the box. Grainger went on the overlap, and his drilled cross was blocked by Pell. The captain went down as he tried to get on to the loose pieces, but the officials ignored his appeals for a penalty.

A run from Nadesan brought a corner for the Blues, and that was only half cleared. Yates found Sowerby and he, in turn, picked out Hope. The wide man angled his run and forced a fingertip save from Barnes with a stinging dipper of a shot from close to 30-yards away.

Quick thinking from Nadesan saw him rob possession as Vincent-Young underhit a back pass, and he wasted no time in playing Yates into space. A first time shot from a tight angle had Barnes beaten, but it smashed harmlessly into the side netting.

Colchester responded with a ball into the channel for Nouble to chase. He got there and used his pace to skip into the box. Mandron called for it, 10 yards from the target, but his volley was wayward and Collin was happy to watch it go on its way.

Midfielder Jamie Devitt worked wonders to find space tight by the right hand corner flag, as the game started to tick along, and his unexpected delivery earned a corner for Grainger to send in. That was met on the full by Gillesphey, and Nadesan threw a boot at it to try to divert it past the waiting keeper when it came his way. His touch achieved that, but it also took it over the bar.

The U's caused problems at the other end when a deep free kick flew through bodies and ricocheted off Mandron. Collin reacted quickly to get to the bouncing ball before Nouble could finish it off.

An excellent run from Senior followed as he twice dropped his shoulder to leave defenders in his wake. His pull back was perfect for Szmodics and he kept his eye on the ball before sweeping it towards the bottom corner. Collin produced a fine fingertip save to send it over the angle of post and bar.

The deadlock was broken on 33 minutes when United flooded men into the box. Yates got a vital touch to put Nadesan clear, wide on the line of the six-yard box, and his low volley was thundered into the back of the net by Hallam Hope as he bagged his fourth of the season in emphatic style.

The remainder of the half saw the Blues manage the ball well, as the forecast wintry weather started to bite deep, with chances at a premium as both sides tightened things up at the back.

A shot from distance from Sowerby signalled more good intent from the Blues after the break but it was right at Barnes and easy for him to gather.

United stayed patient, and they gave themselves a two-goal cushion when Grainger sparked an attack with a pass out of defence to Sowerby. He used Devitt as a bounce board, and the pair led the charge with more home shirts in attendance. Devitt could easily have shot himself, but he chose to clip it back for Yates who made no mistake with a well taken finish.

The away side looked for a spark, but clearances from Grainger and Gerrard kept them at bay. And the afternoon was made even more comfortable when Carlisle ripped the Colchester defence to pieces courtesy of excellent movement from Yates.

His low cross was sent goalward by Nadesan, but Barnes got low to make an excellent save. He could do nothing about the finish from Devitt though as the midfielder stayed calm to place the rebound into the empty net.

A direct run from Hope took him into dangerous waters as the U's defence stood off him, and Barnes was relieved to see his curling shot breeze past the post as he dived full length without quite managing to get a touch.

Szmodics went close with a 25-yard free kick which went the wrong side of the post, as Colchester kept trying to register on the scoresheet, but it was Carlisle who continued to look the more likely as they attacked with confidence.

A deflected snapshot from Devitt threatened to creep in as Barnes found himself wrong-footed, but it spun away and hit the advertising boards just as the home crowd set themselves to celebrate once more.

A cross from Liddle caught on the wind late in the day, and he watched in hope as it dipped late, but he was ultimately disappointed as it nestled on the roof of the net. 

The closing stages became a lesson in game management for the Blues as they returned to winning ways in some style - even though there was a late chance for the visitors to bag a consolation as Hope lost control of the ball inside his own half. Collin was in top form once again to get down and palm it wide of the target.

And salt was rubbed into the wounds when Danny Grainger sent a free kick from distance past Barnes to bulge the back of the net, albeit with the help of a slight deflection.

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Goals

Carlisle United - Hope (33), Yates (51), Devitt (58), Grainger (90)

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Bookings

Carlisle United - Parkes (49), Sowerby (71)

Colchester United - Prosser (90)

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Teams

Carlisle United - Collin, Liddle, Gerrard, Gillesphey (Parkes 46), Grainger, Yates, Sowerby, Devitt, Etuhu (Slater 85), Hope, Nadesan (Campbell 69). Subs - Gray, Jones, Bennett, McCarron.

Colchester United - Barnes, Jackson, Lapslie, Prosser, Kent (Kensdale 68), Senior, Pell, Szmodics, Mandron (Norris 60), Vincent-Young (Dickenson 60), Nouble. Subs - Gilmartin, Comley, Gondoh, Collins.

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Referee - Mr Eddie Ilderton

Attendance - 3,547 (114 away fans)