BUT for a breathtaking spell of first half finishing you'd to be hard pushed to argue with Alfreton manager Nicky Law when he said that his side had played the better football in this entertaining FA Cup encounter, despite the seemingly emphatic result.
“Hats off to Carlisle because they showed real quality in front of goal after they got their first,” he said. “We felt we were coping and taking the game to them, then they got one and the floodgates opened during a 20-minute spell which decided the tie.
“We could have buckled after that but we kept going and there were times in the second half when we had them pegged back. There are positives for us to take, but at the moment we’re just disappointed to be out.”
A nervy start from the League One favourites was calmed when Lee Miller made it eight for the season with a blistering finish after good work from McGovern. And strike partner Rory Loy grabbed the goal of the game shortly after with an overhead finish to make the game suddenly look very comfortable.
“They were always going to start brightly because it was a big game and they are on their own pitch,” Loy explained. “It was important for us to cope with that, and we started to play our game once Lee [Miller] got his goal.
“For mine, I had already made a run and I saw the ball going behind me. I thought to myself – just go for it – and fortunately it went over my shoulder and into the back of the net.”
Cumbrian tails were up and they turned the screw ahead of the break with a close range finish from James Berrett.
And the icing was placed on the first half cake when on-loan Sunderland midfielder Liam Noble was left completely unmarked to nod home a high delivery from close range to all-but seal progression to the next round. “We were ruthless in the first half and that’s how you have to be when you come to a ground like this,” said Carlisle boss Greg Abbott.
“Alfreton pushed and pushed, but we took control and did the job. The second half was about keeping going and not letting them get back into it, and we just about got there.”
