Carlisle United 3 Cheltenham Town 0: There may be a hole in the roof, but there were none in Carlisle United's defence. The part of the team that needs to improve significantly from 2016/17's leakiness was watertight as Keith Curle's team put away a willing but limited Cheltenham team on this rainy afternoon.

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Stand was empty on Saturday, as it will remain until October when £30,000 worth of repairs are made. That will have a certain drain on the budget, so it is helpful that Curle's team does not yet look in need of a patch-up job.

A first clean-sheet of the campaign was topped off with three goals in as close to a routine Blues win as you see. Brunton Park is often a place you leave more stressed than when you arrived, but on Saturday things were reassuringly simple.

They may face umpteen better sides in League Two this campaign, for Gary Johnson's team were short on numbers and flair. But how often have the Blues failed to dispatch opponents like this in the past?

Here, they were ruthless, surging into an early lead and then easing home when Tom Miller scored the pick of the goals on the hour mark. At the back, meanwhile, man-of-the-match Miller and his colleagues completed what will hopefully be the first of many blanks.

"Confidence can grow from that clean-sheet," said Curle, who has been criticised for not organising enough shut-outs during his reign. "We accepted the challenge of what Cheltenham had to throw at us. It was basic defending, but needed good principles and habits, and players showed good attention to detail."

United's manager also revealed that he spent some time before kick-off reading "fan mail" from supporters who had written to point out where he had been going wrong. Three straight wins is a useful reply and, while the size of Carlisle's squad remains a long-term concern, it cannot be denied that they have quickly got onto the right track since that opening-day defeat to Swindon.

Miller, Tom Parkes, Danny Grainger and the back-in-favour Mark Ellis were responsible for building a firm base here against Johnson's attack, which consisted of the physical Danny Wright and the tricky Mohamed Eisa. Jack Bonham, too, can be content with his first shut-out between the posts.

Sunderland will no doubt examine this security more keenly tomorrow in the Carabao Cup. But United can attack that test in good spirits. Miller has found his old goal knack while Reggie Lambe, who nodded the second, is repeating last August's exploits.

"Don't get ahead of ourselves" was Curle's pre-match warning against a side he felt United took for granted last term. His team listened, and this time simply got ahead. After five minutes, a positive attack forced a corner, and Miller's header from Grainger's inswinger forced Harry Pell to turn it high into his own net.

It was Pell's second goal at the Waterworks End in two visits, this one less memorable for the midfielder. It launched United into a wind-assisted spell when their crosses and long throws further unsettled Johnson's defence, where Richie Bennett was an eager target.

The second might have come when Bennett dummied a Nicky Adams cross and it eventually found Lambe, but Jonathan Flatt dived to save. At the other end, Ellis and Miller dealt with some Cheltenham danger.

Then it was two. In this case, the visitors were again their worst enemies, giving the ball up cheaply in their own half. Adams was onto it, and when Grainger crossed again, Lambe had shown good anticipation to arrive from the right, and the Bermudan glanced his header across Flatt.

It is certainly unusual to see the Blues with breathing space after only 18 minutes. From here, they had to be watchful when Eisa got a sight of their penalty area, while ref Martin Coy seemed a touch on the generous side with some of his decisions Cheltenham's way.

But real, lasting threat was slow in coming from the away side. Nigel Atangana showed some strength in midfield, and sent a curling shot down Bonham's throat, but Carlisle ought to have increased their margin: Lambe going close, Miller heading over, and then a golden chance for Adams in the box which was stopped by a heroic Cheltenham block.

Bennett, in this spell, was winning more and more in the air; all the ex-Barrow man lacks now is a goal. Cheltenham's need was greater, yet their best efforts before the break saw Bonham dive to hold Pell's skimmer, and Parkes nod away a useful Jordan Cranston cross.

There was some bruising stuff for both sides to deal with before and after this, especially when the ball remained in the air after the break. There were a few cameos of quite unwatchable stuff as it came back and forth in the breeze.

Carlisle's quality, though, was sufficient to see them safe. Will Boyle headed a corner over for the guests but United were then bright with a neat attack, resulting in Flatt pushing away an Adams cross and Shaun Miller's shot deflected behind by a Cheltenham shin

With Mike Jones back on familiar form in midfield, Carlisle's foundations were strong. They then made things completely safe when Pell fouled Adams, the winger's free-kick was picked up by Parkes, and he showed composure to set up Miller for an attractive finish that flew high past Flatt.

Any supporter wondering how to feel at this point could be forgiven; United had not been three goals up since last November, when they beat Mansfield 5-2. They managed to see this one home without major concern, too. Atangana volleyed wide and new signing Kevin Dawson got on the end of a couple of things, but Cheltenham appeared to know they were beaten and did not have enough to challenge the fact.

The greater worries Carlisle had in the closing stages were physical, as goalscorer Miller limped through a few minutes after a knock, and sub Hallam Hope was caught by a challenge when hitting the bar from an offside position.

Both, though, made it to the end, and while there are many more months for the Blues to get through unscathed, they can be glad they have not run over many black cats so far in 2017/18. Tomorrow, though, they are free to try.