Blackpool 0 Carlisle United 3: Nick Anderton completed his first hour in a Carlisle United shirt as the Blues enjoyed a comfortable reserve win against a young Blackpool side.

New left-back Anderton played for 60 minutes against his former club before being replaced.

The game, at Squires Gate, saw Anderton build up his match fitness ahead of first-team involvement for United.

Goals from Jack Bridge, Tom Wilson and Jayden Major earned victory in the Central League Cup game, but there was an injury concern when midfielder Mo Sagaf limped off with eight minutes to go.

It was a much more experienced United team than that fielded by the League One outfit, with Carlisle including six of last summer’s first-team signings.

Bridge, Sagaf, Olufela Olomola, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Christie Elliott and Canice Carroll were involved, having all been out of first-XI favour recently.

Carlisle – their team taken by academy boss Eric Kinder, with head coach Chris Beech arriving to watch during the first half – had the better of the first half without creating many clear chances until Bridge fired them in front.

They lined up with Olomola as a central striker with Charlie Birch and Bridge wide left and right respectively, and Taylor Charters playing behind the frontman, Carroll and Sagaf deeper in midfield.

Charters sliced a shot well wide after 10 minutes with Olomola having a later effort blocked after bringing down a ball from Carroll.

United then went ahead when a Birch cross was only cleared as far as Bridge, and he sent a well-taken shot into the top corner of the net from the left.

Birch then sent a cross just over Olomola’s head at close range, the striker then drilling just wide and Charters going close with a deflected effort.

Blackpool’s young side struggled to test Blues keeper Louis Gray, with Birch at the other end failing to get a clean finish on Carroll chip.

After the break, Olomola somehow failed to convert a Birch cross from close range, before Anderton’s flick-on from a corner saw Knight-Percival fire straight at the keeper.

Anderton, who enjoyed a largely comfortable afternoon at left-back, then tried his luck from 25 yards, firing a shot wide of the target, before the former Barrow man was replaced on the hour mark by youth team player Liam Lightfoot.

Ten minutes later the Cumbrians doubled their lead when Olomola was fouled on the left, and youth defender Wilson timed his run well to meet Carroll’s inswinging free-kick and head past keeper Jack Sims.

Owen Watkinson came close to pulling one back for the hosts but sent a low shot across Gray and narrowly wide from the right.

Sagaf was then hurt in a challenge with a home defender and went off with eight minutes to go, his replacement Jayden Major making it 3-0 moments later, the youth forward arriving to finish after Carroll’s diagonal ball to Christie Elliott had seen another sub, Jamie Armstrong, try to force the ball home.

United: Gray, Elliott, Anderton (Lightfoot 60), Knight-Percival, Wilson, Bridge, Sagaf (Major 83), Carroll, Birch, Olomola, Charters (Armstrong 77). Not used: Robinson.