‘Complete performance’ at Salford delights Carlisle boss Paul Simpson

Paul Simpson says Carlisle have made a “big statement” with a 4-1 hammering of League Two promotion rivals Salford.

The visiting Cumbrians returned to the play-offs as they extended their unbeaten run to five games in all competitions.

Kristian Dennis opened the scoring inside three minutes and, despite Matt Smith’s leveller after the break, Carlisle took control of the deciding stages.

Callum Guy’s fierce strike re-established their lead before Corey Whelan prodded home and Dennis added his second of the afternoon late on.

Simpson said: “That’s a big statement that the players have just made out there.

“That’s our most complete performance since I came back in, and I’m absolutely delighted.

“Defensively we were outstanding, but it was a really, strong performance all-round.

“We talked about having a strong start; that was really important, and we knew that if we could get the first goal, we could cause problems.

“Salford have as strong a squad as there is in this league and we put in a big performance against them.”

Simpson lauded the travelling support’s impact, saying: “That was incredible, what they’ve brought to the atmosphere.

“In the majority of my time here, this second time around, we’ve given them something to shout about.

“But let’s be fair, they gave the players something to go for because of the atmosphere they created even before the game.

“I asked for the players to put on a performance that made sure our fans were still shouting at the end and they’ve certainly done that.”

Meanwhile, Salford slumped to a sixth game without victory, with their home support last seeing a victory at Moor Lane in August.

Smith’s second-half strike ended Salford’s five-game goal drought.

Boss Neil Wood said: “It was a poor start, and what’s cost us was a lack of concentration, poor marking, individual errors and it meant we conceded goals.

“It’s concerning, we were confident going into today. That’s the most disappointing thing – we lost 4-1 but at 1-1, I could only see us winning the game.

“We have to find out the problems behind conceding soft goals, lack of concentration and basic errors for simple goals that we’re not getting at the other end.

“My job’s been the same since I came here. It’s to get the team playing right and to do the work on and off the pitch and get the club in a better place.

“That takes time and I’ve been here five months. We’ve had a little blip over the last few weeks, but every team goes through it.

“At the start of the season, we were wiping the floor with teams, so we know we’ve got a run to come.”