Beck scored on twenty minutes and again in the first minute of the second half before sub Reuben Reid pulled a goal back just after the hour. But Garner’s eighth goal in fifteen games five minutes later gave Greg Abbott’s men the win on a day more suited to ducks than quality football.

The result leaves Yeovil in twelfth place but the gap between Gary Johnson’s men and the top six stretches to six points after their fifth home league defeat of the season.

 

Yeovil made two changes to the side that won 1-0 at Crawley Town in the week. Jamie McAllister picked up his fifth booking of the season then so missed out through suspension so Joe Edwards moved to left back to cover and Ed Upson returned from his own ban. Paddy Madden was prevented from playing by his parent club, the visitors, so Gozie Ugwu came back in after recovering from injury.

 

The game began in heavy rain, ended in heavy rain and barely stopped throughout the afternoon, making for an opening quarter hour devoid of chances or goalmouth action. The visitors forced Town keeper Marek Stech into a save with his feet and then took the lead a minute later through Mark Beck, his first senior goal. Chris Chantler sent a ball down the left flank for Matt Robson to run on to and his low, driven cross found Beck sliding in at the back post to score.

 

Five minutes on, they almost made it 2-0 when David Symington’s free kick was slashed wide by Beck at the far post and Symington himself then tested Stech with a shot that the big Czech parried behind for a corner.

 

It wasn’t all one way though. Keanu Marsh-Brown was released by Sam Foley down the right wing but his cross eluded everyone; then after James Hayter, Upson and Ugwu combined, Foley couldn’t quite reach the cross and Marsh-Brown, after recycling the ball, shot over.

 

The second period couldn’t have begun in worse fashion for the Glovers. A long ball up to the front line was headed out but was met perfectly on the volley by Beck for his, and Carlisle’s, second of the match. Johnson then made an immediate change withdrawing Ugwu for Reuben Reid.

 

Garner, who extended his loan with the Cumbrians in midweek after seven goals for the side, then headed two corners from Symington just wide but it was the Yeovil boss’s change that worked when the home side fought back into the game on 63 minutes. Foley cut inside and hit a fierce shot from twenty yards that keeper Adam Collin found too hot to handle and Reuben Reid pounced to slam the rebound home. 

 

Hayter then curled an effort inches wide of the far post that looked all the way in and then the golden chance came minutes later when Marsh-Brown found himself with just Collin to beat but hit his shot at the keeper.

 

Just as it looked like the second goal would arrive, a third went in at the other end. Symington swung in another dangerous looking corner and Joe Garner stooped to head in his eighth of the season to make the score 3-1.

 

Marsh-Brown was then substituted for Gavin Williams but the spark failed to ignite and the last twenty minutes was a mixture of errors, misplaced passes, long ball clearances and little more. In fact, it could even have been a greater margin of victory had Garner, who found himself up against five defenders, still got in a shot that Stech pushed away for a corner.

 

Williams hit a left foot swerver that Collin saved at his near post and Hayter headed wide near the end but manager Johnson was left to rue what he called an “embarrassing performance” in his post match press conference.