Jon Cullen conjured up one of the goals of the season as Town exploded with four second-half strikes on a simply amazing afternoon at the Meadow. For the second time in three games, Town turned a losing cause on its head in a dramatic turnaround following Adrian Clarke's 55th minute dismissal for handling on the line. And some of us thought we'd seen it all at Orient... No task looks beyond Jake King's men at the moment - and their present durability and unpredictability makes them a dangerous opponent. Only injuries or complacency look like stopping them - and you can bet King will be working them flat out to avoid the latter. He believes there is much more to come - even though the scoreline was pretty harsh on Carlisle. The Cumbrians took the lead at the end of a first half where either side could have forged a good advantage - and then missed two great chances to go further ahead before Clarke's exit handed Lee Steele the chance to equalise from the spot. But it's about time King and his players got a fair rub of the green. Even when leading, Town at times showed understandable anxiety in search of their first home win. But once Carlisle's brave resistance was finally cracked after the hour, Town were queuing up to score. Matching the first half at Cheltenham was always going to be difficult. But within two minutes, Jon Cullen had hit the bar with a 25-yard free-kick. And after that, chances flowed regularly in a there-for-the-taking first half. After Edwards had saved well from Richard Tracey and then blocked Clarke's follow-up, Jobling saw a 20-yarder deflected wide. Pete Wilding and Stuart Whitehead each made a last-gasp challenge to halt Black and Hanmer in full flow, before Steve Kerrigan headed inches wide. One of Cullen's various shots forced the impressive Luke Weaver to brilliantly tip around. But just as everyone was preparing for a half-time breather, up popped Clarke down the right to square for Soley, who in a quick sweeping move, stroked a low shot past Paul Edwards as Town's defence backped-alled. For Town, the timing was terrible and the low-key goal was met with near disbelief. But it was Carlisle who were equally fired up for the re-start, and within five minutes, the visitors had missed two great chances to put themselves in the driving seat. First Wilding stooped and missed a clearing header, allowing Paul Baker in behind for a one-on-one with Edwards. But he hesitated and from nowhere, Kevin Seabury came flying in with a monumental sliding covering tackle to save the day. Then Wilding misjudged Baker's cross, and Richard Tracey nipped in to loop a header over the stranded Edwards, only to see it bounce back off the bar. But one mad minute later, an astonishing change of script was beginning. When Winstanley's close-range shot through a packed area was handled on the line by Clarke, the crowd bayed for blood - and referee Steve Tomlin duly agreed. Off he went and amid the bedlam, up stepped Steele. It was a far from convincing strike - but it did just enough to reach the bottom right corner, with Weaver having gone the right way. That was the trigger for Town and within seconds, Billy Barr did brilliantly to head Brown's cross behind, with the lurking Kerrigan a dead cert to score. Three minutes after the penalty, Wilding stormed down the left and drilled across the box, with Kerrigan first there to stab home at the near post to open his account for the season. Yet Carlisle weren't quite dead and buried and Arsenal youngster Black thought he had equalised with a curling 20-yarder - his joy turning to anguish on spotting the offside flag. Moments later, Soley's cross had Edwards moving swiftly to grab in front of Black. But if ever a goal deserved to win a game, it was Cullen's majestic strike. Thirty yard out and with few obvious options, he spotted Weaver off his line and nonchalently chipped over him, the slow motion adding to the glory of the moment. The floodgates had opened and Kerrigan thought his header had crossed the line when Weaver scooped it out. Six minutes from time, even Winstanley got in on the act, heading Jobling's bobbling free-kick home from close range to send the Meadow into delirium. The stay-away fans really should give Town another chance now. Shrewsbury Fan
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