Carlisle were completely overrun by a rampant Hull side in the second half with Stuart Green, on loan from Newcastle, running the show in midfield for the Tigers.

Carlisle have now gone 545 minutes since their last League goal from open play, a worrying statistic in itself, but now they have conceded 10 goals in the last four games leaving manager Roddy Collins with headaches aplenty.

It is still early days and Collins has seen this situation before and eventually turned things round. But his early hype of guaranteeing promotion has raised expectation amongst the Carlisle fans, which makes results like this unacceptable.

Collins said after the game: “It was bitterly disappointing. We got a couple of half chances in the first fifteen minutes but we didn’t take them. We broke well and carried the ball but in the last third I thought the distribution was awful. The only chance we had was to try and grind it out and keep it one-nil as long as possible and maybe nick something because we weren’t playing well. But once you concede a free header like that so early in the second half it was game over as far as I was concerned.

“Stuart Green was outstanding and he was like that for us last season. It was no coincidence that when he came to the club we went on a good run. He is a top quality player and that’s why we offered Newcastle a hundred grand for him last week. Obviously we have had no reply. He’s Hull’s player unfortunately. Maybe if we had got the club earlier he would have stayed with us but there you go, that’s life.

“It’s not the end of the world. I know where we are at and why and I know how to sort it out.”

Carlisle had an early chance when a Mick Galloway through ball put Marc Nixon away but the teenager showed a lack of composure in hurriedly scuffing his shot wide.

On 19 minutes Green forced Peter Keen into a save but the keeper blundered a minute later to gift Hull their opening goal.

Ryan Williams broke down the left and Keen appeared to collect the cross comfortably only to loose the ball as Gary Alexander challenged, presenting Alexander with the easiest of headers.

An intelligent through ball from Summerbell presented another chance to Nixon but again a hurried shot went wide.

The influential Green then went close, firing just wide after latching on to a poor Darren Kelly clearance.

Brendan McGill had two half chances for the Cumbrians but disappointingly failed to hit the target, before Alexander thought he had scored Hull’s second after being put through by Green, only to be ruled marginally offside.

Things turned from bad to worse for the Cumbrians after the break as the Tigers tore them apart.

The second goal came on 49 minutes when a Williams cross was headed home unchallenged by Alexander.

Alexander’s hat-trick came courtesy of a stunning Green through ball on 73 minutes with Alexander drawing Keen before comfortably sliding the ball home.

Five minutes later the rout was complete when Williams’ corner was headed home by Lawrie Dudfield, as a statuesque Carlisle defence looked on.

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