At Brunton Park, Carlisle United delivered a commanding performance, securing a 5-0 victory over Braintree Town. The result, a testament to Carlisle’s clinical edge and Braintree’s defensive vulnerabilities, propelled Carlisle further up the National League table.
Carlisle established their dominance early, dictating the match’s tempo from the outset. Their early pressure paid off in the 15th minute when Regan Linney opened the scoring, assisted by Stephen Wearne. Braintree struggled to contain Carlisle’s attacking play, and their situation worsened in the 29th minute when George Langston scored an own goal, doubling Carlisle’s lead. Braintree, clearly struggling, made a tactical substitution in the 32nd minute, introducing Frankie Terry in place of Fletcher Hubbard in an attempt to stem the flow of goals, but the change had little impact.
The second half brought no respite for the visitors. In the 54th minute, Regan Linney converted a penalty, awarded after a clumsy challenge, extending Carlisle’s lead to 3-0. Shortly after, Aidan Francis-Clarke received a yellow card for a foul, reflecting Braintree’s growing frustration. Elliot Thorpe joined him in the referee’s notebook just two minutes later for a similar transgression. The game was effectively sealed in the 65th minute when Linney completed his hat-trick, assisted by Cameron Harper.
Following the third goal, Carlisle made a double substitution, bringing on Georgie Kelly and Josh Grant for Luke Armstrong and Stephen Wearne respectively. Braintree responded with their own changes, introducing Freddie Hockey and Alan Judge for James Vennings and John Akinde. However, Carlisle remained relentless. Regan Linney, having secured his hat-trick, was replaced by David Ajiboye in the 70th minute, and Morgan Feeney came on for Bevis Mugabi a minute later. Jack Ellis then added to Braintree’s woes in the 80th minute, assisted by substitute Morgan Feeney, making the score 5-0. Carlisle then brought on Ethan Robson for Junior Luamba in the 79th minute.
The final whistle confirmed Carlisle’s dominant performance. The result sees Carlisle United sitting comfortably in 3rd place in the upper reaches of the National League with 11 points, having won three and drawn two of their opening five games. Braintree Town, meanwhile, find themselves further down the standings in 16th place, with six points from their five matches. Braintree’s manager, Stephen Pitt, will undoubtedly be looking for a response from his team in their next fixture.
