Doncaster Rovers 3 Carlisle United 0: Hosts warm up for Walsall by hammering another nail in Cumbrians' EFL coffin with ease in end

Two divisions could well separate Doncaster Rovers and Carlisle United come season’s end.

There wasn’t that much between them for three quarters of this contest. But there was in the final one. A lot.

Needing a victory at the start of a key home double-header - promotion rivals Walsall are the visitors on Tuesday - Rovers warmed up in fitting fashion, eventually, as a nail, perhaps the final one, was banged into the Cumbrians’ EFL coffin. And a statement by the final whistle.

A goal from impressive captain Owen Bailey saw Rovers lead at the mid-way point of the second half.

Ex-Cumbrians player Jordan Gibson went solo to kill proceedings and a strike from substitute Harry Clifton, moments after coming in, applied the salt for United.

Rovers had the advantage at the interval, courtesy of their best player in the opening half in Bailey, but Carlisle had given them something to think about in fairness.

Grant McCann alluded beforehand to their improvement under Mark Hughes and it was showcased in spells, with some tidy passing and vestiges of confidence in possession.

Both Teddy Sharman-Lowe, fresh from his England under-21 bow and highly-rated Cumbrians counterpart showed their aptitude on a couple of occasions, but a misjudgement from the latter was the important development in the opening period.

Gibson, given the bird by a healthy Cumbrian travelling contingent, twisted and turned down the left and his low centre found Bailey, with his low shot seeming to catch out Breeze, who got his body weight and positioning wrong and it crept over the line on 36 minutes.

After storming out of the blocks with a goal inside the first 20 seconds in their previous home game, Rovers - who recalled Jamie Sterry and Joe Sbarra, with Tom Nixon and Harry Clifton dropping to the bench - produced another brisk opening and went close when Bailey’s header was beaten away following good work from Luke Molyneux.

Rovers’ star winger looked like he fancied it against marker Cameron Harper, but in fairness, United soon found their feet. They had come to play in fairness and didn’t look like a side in the bottom two.

A barometer of that came when a fine sweeping pass from Corey Whelan found ex-Sheffield Wednesday man Kadeem Harris, who cut inside Jack Senior before seeing his low shot parried low down from Sharman-Lowe, showing sharp reactions.

Gibson almost silenced the Carlisle jeers when he got on the end of a polished move and saw his slightly deflected low shot yield more dexterity from Breeze before Harris announced himself at the other end, dropping his shoulder to find half a yard, only for his fierce low strike to be saved, impressively, by legs of Sharman-Lowe.

The breakthrough when it came was a Rovers one.

On the restart, Carlisle laid the first marker with Archie Davies finding Joe Bevan in space on the left, with his angled low shot flying a whisker wide.

The action was low-key going the other way, although the visitors, aside from that aforesaid moment, did not look overly threatening on the sort of a bobbly, worn surface you invariably get at this time of the season.

The next significant development settled the game and quite possibly cooked Carlisle’s goose for the campaign in the process.

Molyneux’s pass found Gibson on the left.

He cut inside Davies and his arching run ended in a cool low finish against his former club in another wound for the Cumbrians and it got worse.

Substitutes Billy Sharp and Bailey worked it well and a chance on a platter in front of goal was served up for Clifton, who finished neatly.

McCann further rang the changes, with the game over. The season is over for chastened Carlisle.

Doncaster Rovers: Sharman-Lowe; Sterry (Nixon 82), Wood (Kelly 77), Anderson, Senior; Bailey, Broadbent (Westbrooke 88); Molyneux (Ennis 77), Sbarra (Clifton 72), Gibson; Street (Sharp 72). Substitutes unused: Lawlor.

Carlisle United: Breeze; Davies, Lavelle, Thomas, Harper (McArthur 88); Vela (Embleton 74), Whelan; Harris, Wearne (Fusire 63), Bevan (Hugill 80); Dennis (Kelly 63). Substitutes unused: Lewis, Guy, Embleton.

Referee: S Oldham (Lancs).

Attendance: 8,299.