New Carlisle United signing Nick Anderton came through his first game for three months unscathed – and was “terrific” according to coach Eric Kinder.

The left-back played an hour in yesterday’s 3-0 reserve win against his former club Blackpool.

It was Anderton’s first game since recovering from a leg injury which has kept him out since playing against Carlisle in the Leasing.com Trophy in October.

Yesterday’s game for the Blues, after joining the club on an 18-month deal last week, was another crucial step towards a first-team debut for the 23-year-old defender.

Academy boss Kinder, who took charge of the second-string side with head coach Chris Beech watching from the stand at Squires Gate, said it had always been the intention to give Anderton a certain amount of time on the pitch in his first United outing.

He also revealed Carlisle had tried to sign Anderton as a 15-year-old before the defender opted for his native Preston.

“He [Anderton] probably went about five minutes more than we planned,” Kinder said.

“He’s strong, powerful…he was always going to be like that from a kid when we tried to sign him all those years ago – you always knew he was going to grow into that type of person.

“He’s come here to succeed, you can see that, and he’s gone about his hour’s work here and he was terrific.

“Considering he hasn’t played since October, since he played against us in the Leasing.com Trophy, I thought he did very well.”

Jack Bridge and youth team players Tom Wilson and Jayden Major gave United a comfortable win against a young home side in the Central League Cup fixture.

Several other senior players figured for Carlisle, including the out-of-favour Canice Carroll, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Christie Elliott, Olufela Olomola and Mo Sagaf.

There was an injury concern late in the game when Sagaf limped off, but Kinder played down any fears the midfielder could be sidelined.

The coach said: “He got a rap on his ankle and it’s the same ankle he had an injury with before, so what’s the point of taking a risk? [After the game] he was in the dressing room and was fine.”

The game was a chance for those out of Beech’s favour to catch the eye, along with opportunities for youth players to impress.

Kinder said all the players went about the game in the right way.

He said: “We’ve had games this season where we’ve been justified going in and having a go at them, at reserve team level. Some of them have been awful. But you couldn’t say that here.

“The commitment from the senior players was excellent and the younger players backed that up – they are getting stronger and more used to playing at this level every time you see them, which is great to see. The overall performance was excellent.

“I enjoyed watching them play and I enjoyed watching the senior players put effort in. To be fair, that’s not been the case in some of the reserve team games this season; some of the senior players haven’t put the effort in, which doesn’t do the youth team players any good, because they think that’s the right thing to do.

“Here they’ve seen senior players put the effort in in a reserve game, on a poor surface. You can come in here as a senior player, look at the surface, and go, ‘I ain’t playing on this’, but to be fair to them they did it.”

Bridge scored with a 25th-minute strike after good work from Charlie Birch, before defender Wilson headed home a Carroll free-kick and Major, who replaced Sagaf, forcing in a late third.

Kinder added: “Charlie Birch’s first touch which allows him to put the cross in for Jack Bridge to score the first one is good on Charlie’s part.

“The second one was a great delivery from Canice, and Tom gets on the end of it – he hasn’t scored for the youth team this season in the league, he’s had three or four opportunities, but here he sneaks in and gets one.

“With Jayden, it didn’t look like he was coming on, but Mo picks up a little bit of an ankle [injury], and in the last five minutes he ends up coming on and gets a goal, which means we have to talk about him.”

United are now likely to qualify from their northern section group and progress to the quarter-finals, topping the table on goal difference with one game to play against Fleetwood. Wigan, on the same number of points as Carlisle, have played their four group stage fixtures.

Kinder said the competitive element was important. He added: “That’s what we’re in sport for – anybody who comes in and says it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, shouldn’t be doing it.

“Some people say it doesn’t matter in reserve football but they only say that when they’ve got beat.

“Of course it matters, you’ve got to win games. You enjoy your day – and it has been a really good day.”

Asked if any of the senior players had done enough to force their back into Beech’s thoughts, Kinder said: “That’s his decision.

“My concern is these [young] lads whether they’re making progress, and I think they are, that’s the main thing.

“The manager’s here to look at his players, he’ll have his own opinions on that and that’s fine.”