The performance we all thought Carlisle had in them arrived on Saturday. It was the display we wanted – and they certainly delivered.

There has been a lot of talk about the quality of League Two, and many people suggesting the division isn’t the strongest this year.

John Sheridan hasn’t hidden his belief that Carlisle can be much higher than they are. I don’t think the division is anywhere near as strong as it has been in previous seasons either.

That isn’t being disrespectful to anyone. Sometimes it just levels out like that. Sometimes you find a division that is just very strong, like we did in 2007/8 when we nearly got out of League One.

Sometimes you find yourself wishing you had been at your strongest a year later. If we’d had that 2007/8 side in 2008/9, I’m sure we would have gone up.

So when the standard is lower, you have to take advantage. Apart from Lincoln this season, I think it’s fair game, and it’s one of the reasons why Carlisle are still in touch despite some poor results along the way.

Against Colchester on Saturday it looked like something had really clicked. Sheridan’s formation suited everyone and, crucially, he had the players back from injury that he needed in order to make that work.

Macaulay Gillesphey started in his favoured position, Jack Sowerby too. Sheridan will have always known that centre-half and central midfield were their best areas, but has had to play them elsewhere due to injuries.

Yes, there was a point in the game where it could have gone either way but Carlisle did what we’ve often been calling for – roll their sleeves up, win the midfield battle and go about a typical League Two contest in the most effective way.

You might get the odd team that passes their way up the division, but that is still rare at this level. Carlisle did pass well, but only once they had earned the right.

The way they competed meant Jamie Devitt didn’t have to worry much about chasing back and winning tackles. He knew those behind him were doing that job effectively, and he was receiving the ball in the areas he wanted.

As a result he was able to make the telling passes that we know he can provide.

Jerry Yates worked really well up front, Hallam Hope was back to better form, and, while Ashley Nadesan maybe wasn’t comfortable on the right at times, he still assisted two goals, which makes for a good day all round.

The second goal especially was pleasing. We have been desperate for a Carlisle team to attack on the break with serious pace, and that’s exactly what happened. They also started the game with real energy. A lot of times this season at Brunton Park it has been the visitors who have dictated the play, but here, United got tackles and interceptions in early and you could see the players grow in confidence.

For a side in the automatic promotion places, Colchester looked like they didn’t want to be there after half-an-hour, which is testament to how Carlisle played.

Results like this, similar to Newport last month, highlight the importance of keeping your best players fit. With Carlisle’s strongest team on the pitch, there isn’t anything to fear.

This is why Sheridan shouldn’t be dismissed when he says United are capable of doing something. Yes, it will depend on a number of things going in their favour, but they are certainly part of a group of...well, let’s be honest, 18 or so teams who can get in there.

It is so close, so tight, and watching on Saturday, you had to think that three significant signings could get a team like Carlisle well and truly in the race.

I wonder if Philip Day was watching, or paying close attention in any other way.

How positive would it be if people could be given that carrot; that promotion battle to aim for over the last few months?

How good would it be to sell Carlisle as a club that could go up? How much goodwill could that generate?

The club would get rewarded with crowds coming back, the players would get rewarded through win bonuses, players who come in to help the cause might get rewarded with extended contracts, and it’s a win-win for everyone.

This, to me, would be the ideal time to speculate to accumulate – as you surely would in any business when an opportunity comes along.

Surely that’s what United’s owners have to do. Run the business like a business, leave the football side to those on the football side, and do everything to make success possible.

When we won League Two in 2006, when asked what made him a good owner, Fred Story said that he didn’t pretend to know anything about football. He left Paul Simpson to run the football side, and Fred concentrated on making sure the business of the club was as good as it should be.

He said yes to some things, no to other things, but made those decisions from a business footing, not allowing emotions to come into play.

Philip Day isn’t a football fan but his business has been supporting the club for a while now, and as the January window gets closer, wouldn’t it send a great message to fans if Sheridan could get some of that backing that could make days like Saturday come along a bit more often.

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JACK Sowerby caught the eye on Saturday and I have to say I liked the look of him from minute one of his time at Carlisle.

He is a good build for a midfielder, has good skill and energy, and you could tell he was good on the ball.

Circumstances dictated that he hasn’t been in his preferred position for a lot of his loan spell but fair play to him for the way he has gone about it.

A loan player coming as a central midfielder but ending up at right wing-back - not many people would stick it out. Certain players look for excuses.

Sowerby, though, has kept going, kept going, and the moment he got back into the middle, he has been ready to produce a performance of real quality.

A lot of the attention has been on Ashley Nadesan’s future but I think we should also be looking seriously at Sowerby.

There isn’t a sign yet that he is in Fleetwood’s immediate plans and, from Carlisle’s point of view, I wonder if he is proving to be the player John Sheridan thought George Glendon would be, with no disrespect meant towards Glendon.

Looking at Sowerby’s demeanour and his body language, I would imagine he has had the necessary talks with Sheridan to say: Do me this job at right-back while you can, and then you’ll be back in the middle the moment the injured players come back.

When thinking about his next move from January, his alternatives are to go back to Fleetwood and risk kicking his heels until May, go somewhere else and have to start again, or extend at Carlisle, where he is a good part of things, doing well and getting plenty of football.

If the opportunity arose, I wouldn’t hesitate to take over his contract and extend it by another year.

Whether or not that is possible, there is definitely a player there and someone I’m looking forward to seeing more of.