County cruise past Carlisle
Rampant Notts County set a club record with a 13th successive away game without defeat as they hammered Carlisle 4-0 at Brunton Park.
First half goals from Jeff Hughes and Neal Bishop set them on their way and further efforts from Francois Zoko and Jamal Campbell-Ryce after the break made it look easy against a Carlisle side that has only won once at home all season.
Although Carlisle began brightly it was County who made the early breakthrough when Jeff Hughes ghosted into the box to get on the end of Alan Judge's cross from the left. There were questions over the home defence's marking, but Hughes made no mistake, glancing a header neatly past keeper Mark Gillespie from six yards.
Good work by Jordan Stewart, racing down the left flank, led to County's second goal in the 27th minute. The fullback whipped in a low cross which Neal Bishop was on hand to poke past the stranded Gillespie from close range.
The Magpies looked a threat every time they went forward against a stationary Carlisle rearguard although Danny Livesey, with a shot which scraped the bar and Joe Garner, denied at close quarters by Bartosz Bialkowski, tried to provide a much-needed spark for the Cumbrians.
Judge limped off in the 35th minute to be replaced by former Carlisle striker Francois Zoko and the Ivorian was on target nine minutes after the interval, breaking away from Bradley Potts before slipping the ball past Gillespie from 12 yards.
It got even worse for Carlisle in the 57th minute when Chris Chantler fouled Campbell-Ryce in the area and the County winger stepped up to send Gillespie the wrong way with the penalty
It was a canter for Magpies who made it six away matches without defeat this season and 13 stretching back to February.
Source: PA
Source: PA