Match referee Andy Hall saw something sinister in Jack’s attempt to win a 50-50 ball with Diamonds’ Andy Sambrook, with only 14 minutes on the clock. On this occasion there was little Christmas benevolence from the match official as Jack received his marching orders and with it Carlisle’s realistic chance of taking anything from the game.

The incident incensed Carlisle manager Roddy Collins who said after the game: “The referee robbed us, there’s no doubt about that. The lad Jack makes a challenge, sees the ball, puts his head in and nicks it and they clash heads and the referee sends him off. I have just had a chat with referee and he says it was violent conduct. That decision is an absolute disgrace. We’re away from home and we still go a goal up. You’re obviously going to be under pressure. We didn’t hold the lead until half time, which I would have liked. We said at half time we would battle and keep it as even as we can. They will come at us and we might catch them. They used their extra man wide and Paul Hall scored a brilliant goal and when you’re 2-1 down you become disjointed trying to change things around. I take full responsibility for the third goal because we were pushing on and only left two at the back. I was disappointed with Brian Talbot. I don’t know the man but he is an England international and a professional and he was a joke on the touchline. How he could condemn the kid for being sent off and his assistant spent the whole first half telling his players to wind up the referee. That’s what you’re dealing with. At the end of the day they got the three points and if that’s how they want to get it, that’s their own business.”

Ironically, after the early furore, it was Carlisle who took the lead on 26 minutes with a first goal for the club for Stuart Green, on loan from Newcastle United.

Sambrook gave away a free kick on the left hand side of the box and Green, quick to spot the lack of cover on the near post, whipped his free kick in to leave Diamonds keeper Billy Turley more than a little embarrassed.

The euphoria amongst the Cumbrians impressively noisy travelling support was shortlived however when the Diamonds drew level two minutes later.

Ritchie Hanlon’s diagonal ball found Paul Hall with the freedom of Nene Park down the right and his clinical cross to the far post found Onandi Lowe on hand to sweep home.

Five minutes into the second half Rushden took the lead with a strike of the highest quality. When Peter Murphy failed to cut out a speculative Andy Burgess cross to the far post, the impressive Hall ghosted in to majestically power a shot across the helpless Keen in the bottom corner.

A rare Carlisle attack should have brought an equaliser with eleven minutes remaining. A weak back header from Mark Peters fell short leaving Steve Halliday clear but he failed to get sufficient power on his shot to beat the advancing Turley.

With seven minutes remaining Rushden finally sealed the points with a farcical own goal. A defensive mix up between Mark Winstanley and Stuart Whitehead saw Winstanley’s attempted goal line clearance bouncing off Whitehead with both players and the ball ending up in the net.

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