Resurgent Portsmouth extend League One lead after comfortable Carlisle triumph

Paddy Lane broke into double figures for the season as he fired Pompey to success at Carlisle.

The talented winger seized on substitute Abu Kamara’s diagonal pass to calmly slot past Harry Lewis in the 62nd minute.

His 10th of the campaign represented the only goal of the game against League One’s bottom club amid a much-improved second half from John Mousinho’s men.

Pompey failed to maintain those excellent standards set against Northampton and it was Kamara, on for the disappointing, Myles Peart-Harris who was the inspiration.

Regardless, Tom Lowery hit the post and Conor Shaughnessy struck the bar in a comfortable win with Will Norris barely involved.

It was a fourth victory in five for the resurgent League One leaders, who are now six points clear at the top.

Kusini Yengi returned to Pompey’s squad after international duty with Australia at the Asian Cup.

Regardless, top-scorer Colby Bishop retained his place as the lone centre-forward in Mousinho’s playing system.

Elsewhere, Owen Moxon was named on the bench for his swift Carlisle reunion after arriving at Fratton Park on deadline day.

That meant one change to the side which played so impressively against the Cobblers, with Sean Raggett unsurprisingly earning a recall in place of the injured Tom McIntyre.

Christian Saydee dropped out of the squad to accommodate Yengi, while Ryley Towler stepped up to replace Raggett on the bench.

The Blues failed to pick up where they left off against Northampton, starting in sloppy fashion against the Cumbrians and struggling to impose themselves.

Although comfortable at the back, they were struggling to find their attacking threat, with too many players starting slowly.

Aside from a Paddy Lane shot past the far post, their only meaningful scoring opportunity in the opening 34 minutes was Tom Lowery’s shot from the edge of the area striking the left-hand post.

Moments later, a wicked cross from the left by Connor Ogilvie ricocheted off a Carlisle defender and safely to his keeper, although it could have gone anywhere.

Yet both teams went in at the break goalless, with Carlisle far the happier team with how matters were progressing.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Ogilvie superbly intercepted a pass, with Callum Lang threading a great pass through to Lane, but the winger couldn’t get his feet right and shot wide.

Yet the Blues broke the deadlock on 62 minutes through excellent work from substitute Abu Kamara.

The winger picked up the ball from the right and produced a magnificent angled pass into the path of Lane in the left channel and he calmly slotted a first-time shot into the net to make it 1-0.

Pompey were now in the ascendancy and, on 73 minutes, Bishop put in a cross from the right which keeper Harry Lewis fumbled, although both Lang and Lane were unable to convert from close range.

Then, on 79 minutes, Pack’s free-kick from the left was met by a Conor Shaughnessy header which smacked against the far post with the keeper beaten.

Regardless, Pompey had their 1-0 win to position themselves six points clear at the top of League One.