Blyth Spartans 0 Carlisle United 3: This was a tighter contest than the scoreline suggests, but when a well-contested friendly eventually opened up, Carlisle United's quality told, and three goals in five minutes saw them avoid a more awkward outcome at Croft Park.

It took the majority of the game for the Blues to find a way past Alun Armstrong's bright National League North side, but when they did, the gate stayed open. Hallam Hope, Gary Liddle and a trialist midfielder made it four victories from four against non-league opponents without conceding so far.

Blyth have been the scourge of many a Football League side in competitive games down the years. They had a fair crack at taking Carlisle down in this warm-up fixture too, especially in a first half where their counter-attacking pace and movement stood out.

But United improved from a sometimes awkward 45-minute display and, improved by Jamie Devitt's ball-playing and the frontrunning of Shaun Miller and Hallam Hope, eventually imposed themselves. There was also the bonus of a return to action for Mike Jones, who got through the second half unscathed on a day five trialists again tried to put forward their case.

Curle, watching from the stand, certainly saw this famous non-league club give his side their most serious pre-season workout yet. The Croft Park pitch, in good condition, was used to positive effect by Armstrong's men, who were creative with their passing range and eager to break until they appeared to tire, late on.

United, initially testing a 3-4-3 system, lacked polish in the final third, where their first young trialist striker put his considerable pace and strength up against the Spartans defence. In the fourth minute he turned well to escape the defence and reach Nicky Adams' pass, shooting wide via a touch from the keeper.

Similar routes were attempted again by United without success, while they also had things to deal with in the other direction, where Robbie Dale and Jarrett Rivers offered quality on the Blyth left and right respectively.

Rivers, once of Blackpool, sought to exploit Carlisle's shape with his step-overs and lively running. After nearly setting up Sean Reid, the Blyth number seven himself cut inside Kelvin Etuhu and put a deflected effort narrowly wide.

Some of Carlisle's attacks started at speed but lost momentum as they got nearer home territory. Adams roamed, trying to create, and was poleaxed at one stage by Jordan Watson, while the offside flag ruled out other moves when the final pass was almost precise.

At times their trialist striker's movement wasn't found, at others it wasn't good enough to make the most of Adams and Reggie Lambe's nudges and turns. There was hesitancy against a willing home back four.

In stages it was Blyth who looked to have a little more devil, turning at United and aiming for gaps in the channels. Reid and Dan Maguire almost profited from another Rivers cross, Reid then shot wide after linking with Maguire, while Shaun Brisley, Tom Parkes and Liddle - the back three - each had to step in to ease concerns.

Carlisle's trialist keeper seemed alert when required to receive the ball with his feet, but Etuhu was drawn into sluggish fouls in midfield. The hosts also spun back at Carlisle after Adams had a shot blocked, impressively raking the ball from right to left, where Dale put Liddle on the floor before his curling shot deflected wide.

Dale began the second half with similar intent, stepping inside and whipping a shot past the post. United, though, had made five substitutions, among them Shaun Miller, whose early pre-season form was evident in his sharpness as he linked up with another two replacements, Devitt and a different trialist centre-forward.

Within moments, Miller was combining with Devitt to get behind the Blyth defence to reach the best chance so far, yet he couldn't keep his finish down. Shortly after, he almost got to a smart backheel from his strike partner, who then lashed a shot into the side-netting.

Jones, meanwhile, was also on the pitch for his first outing of pre-season and he was next to try his luck, drilling a shot wide from the edge of the box. This was more persistent pressure at last against a Blyth defence that included, from the 46th minute, the former United pair of David Atkinson and Nathan Buddle.

At the other end, where Carlisle seemed more comfortable in a regulation 4-4-2, Mark Ellis stepped in to deny Reid when Blyth found another gap. It was a relief, though, to see United attacking with a little more quality, Devitt's ball-playing often a feature.

With two more trialists also on, along with Samir Nabi, Devitt provided the best creative moment on 64 minutes, picking out Miller behind the defensive line with a superb ball. The striker controlled it and tried to dink it home, denied by a fine backpedalling save from Blyth's trialist keeper.

The pair again almost unlocked the door shortly afterwards, when Devitt's inswinging free-kick was missed by Ellis but attacked at the back post by Miller, a near-post save again protecting Blyth.

That was the end of Miller's brief involvement, as Curle gave Hope another outing. Morgan Bacon was also sent on for 20 minutes in goal, and United's target came under threat twice from the wiry Rivers, who first sidefooted wide when found in space, then denied by Ellis' block.

Finally, though, things went the way United wanted. Devitt was the architect, feeding the trialist striker to the left of goal. The move had pulled Blyth's defence apart just enough and when the low cross was delivered, Hope had arrived into decisive space, and he fired it high into the net.

Moments later, there was another, Along with Nabi ,who showed some drive in his half-hour, Hope's fresh legs were again key, as he broke the offside line down the right. The cross aimed for the trialist striker broke back to the right, and Liddle, now playing at right-back, arrived for Carlisle to control and drill it across the keeper.

It was harsh on a tiring Blyth when a third then came, but again it was credit to Devitt's invention. He found the diminutive trialist substitute midfielder behind the defence, and the finish was tidy across the keeper. It was a second goal in successive appearances for the player, who must have given Curle something to think about.

A Blyth reply before the end would have been a fair reward but Rivers, found clean through, chipped wastefully at Bacon. The young keeper then got down to parry a cross which had fizzed through some bodies.

So far a small squad is showing promise in certain areas, but three more weeks until 2017/18 begins will need to see sharpening-up in some departments, plus further key additions.

It is Halifax next, and then Blackburn, before we will get the measure of what Curle and his players - not to say United's budget - could really achieve.

Blyth Spartans: Trialist, Cartwright (Trialist 65), Liddle (Trialist 65), Mullen, Hutchinson (Atkinson 46), J Watson (Buddle 46), Rivers, McTiernan (I Watson 76), Maguire (Trialist 76), Reid, Dale. Not used: Hooks

United: Trialist (Bacon 71), T Miller (Devitt 46), Grainger (Trialist 62), Liddle, Parkes, Brisley (Ellis 46), Joyce (Trialist 62), Etuhu (Jones 46), Lambe (Trialist 46), Adams (Nabi 62), Trialist (S Miller 46, Hope 67)). Not used: Salkeld, Holt, Egan

Ref: Dean Hulme