United were at Frenchfield Park for their rearranged Fred Conway Cumberland Cup second round meeting with Bransty Rangers on Tuesday night.
The Blues were there courtesy of a 5-0 victory over Cleator Moor Celtic with goals from Nic Bollado (2), Dan Hill (2) and Taylor Charters.
First-team squad members Gabe Breeze, Jamie Devitt, Sonny Hilton, Duncan Idehen, Joel Senior and Tobi Sho-Silva were joined by youth second years Matt Bell, Ryan Carr and Mason Hardy, alongside first years Romeo Park and Robbie Swinburn in the starting eleven.
There was a minute of applause ahead of kick off in memory of Fred Conway, the chairman of the Cumberland FA who we sadly lost last month.
Carlisle had the early pressure and Hardy twice had shots blocked after he'd asked for a short corner from Hilton.
Devitt then stroked a 25-yard free kick high over the bar after Sho-Silva had been nudged in the back outside the box.
United continued to probe and a whipped pass from Park from out wide was expertly controlled by Devitt. He volleyed as the ball sat up off his touch but it was just a yard too high.
An overlap from Senior earned his side a corner midway through the half, but Bransty kept the back door closed from the run of deliveries that followed.
Carlisle took the lead on 22 minutes when Bell found space to deliver from tight by the corner flag. It was allowed to skip across the face of goal and Sho-Silva smashed it over the line as he bullied his way through yellow shirts to make the connection.
The same man was an inch away from doubling his tally when he moved up in support of Devitt. The cross on the spin was wicked but it was just too far in front of the big striker.
Chest control from Hilton created space on the edge of the area, and he calmly rolled it back for the unmarked Jamie Devitt to strike. Cromwell watched on with relief as it skimmed just past the angle of post and bar.
The lively Devitt was superb 10 minutes before the break as he burst from deep through two challenges. A pass to Sho-Silva was blocked, and Devitt smacked the post with an instinctive shot.
The ball was quickly recycled and it was Devitt who took charge once again. He slipped a lovely clipped touch through to Mason Hardy who finished it off from close range to double the advantage.
Sho-Silva nodded wide and Carr had one that was deflected past the upright as the home side kept the tempo high, and the third goal of the half came when Senior beat his man to centre the ball. Sho-Silva was in the six-yard box to clinically stab it away.
Carlisle could have extended their lead on the stroke of half time when Senior popped a beauty of a cross at the back stick. Park had the nets at his mercy but he miscued the volley and it arrowed away for McCann to clear.
Senior caused more problems at the start of the second period when he whisked a volley at the near post. Fisher did enough to lift it over his own bar.
Substitute Aidan Graham almost had his name in lights for Bransty with a wonderful lob as he latched onto a loose ball over by the left touchline. It looped over Breeze, bounced high off the surface and smacked the underside of the bar. Somehow it stayed out.
It was the Bransty goal that lived a charmed life on 55 minutes when Sho-Silva was put clear by a dinked pass. He tried to guide it into the bottom corner but it found the base of the post, and Hardy was tackled as he tried to finish it off.
Jamie Devitt was at his best midway through the half when he accepted a pass deep inside visiting territory. He had just one thing in mind and Cromwell had to dive high to make a two-handed save as his rocket dipped late on its way into the top corner.
Keeper Cromwell was athletic with another leap to tip a Sho-Silva header over when he got on the end of another Devitt inswinger.
The fourth United goal finally came on 78 minutes after a patient build up, with Swinburn heavily involved. Sho-Silva was tackled, as was Carr, but Mason Hardy got his brace with a precise toe poke.
And Sho-Silva got his hat-trick when he crunched a header past Cromwell after Bell had dropped a shoulder to rip it his way.
Jamie Devitt deserved a goal, and he duly obliged when he checked his run to bury it with his instep following good work out wide from Fitzpatrick.
Hardy was denied his third in time added on, when Cromwell got across to tip a sweetly struck curler beyond the post, and it was an appreciative round of applause for Bransty and their efforts when the final whistle was blown.
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Goals
Carlisle United - Sho-Silva (22, 39, 80), Hardy (37, 78), Devitt (84)
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Teams
Carlisle United - Breeze, M Bell (c), Idehen, Carr, Senior (Walsh 80), Hilton, Devitt, Swinburn (Hetherington 79), Park (Fitzpatrick 60), Sho-Silva, Hardy. Subs - Barry (gk).
Bransty Rangers - Cromwell, McCann, Fisher (Thursby 46), Relph, Garroway, Johnson (Taylor 62), Callan, S O'Pray, B O'Pray (Graham 46), L O'Pray, Smith. Subs - Frankland, Canavan.
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Match officials
