Carlisle 0 - Everton 3: Toffees breeze through with strikes from Kone, Lennon and Barkley

IN THE aftermath of Storm Desmond, when the water was still so high that only the tops of the goalposts remained visible at Brunton Park, Carlisle's executives wrote to all Premier League clubs requesting prizes for an auction.

 

Ross Barkley put Everton 3-0 ahead at Brunton Park

 

Everton were one of only two sides who replied and then went further with their own fans' forum raising £8,500 for the flood appeal by kick-off yesterday.

Their generosity clearly retains some bounds however. Less than a quarter of an hour into this tie and the outcome was beyond all doubt. Aaron Lennon carving out the breakthrough for Arouna Kone after 92 seconds before dispatching his first FA Cup goal for 3,301 days soon after.

By the time Ross Barkley's battered finish found the top corner via Mark Ellis' shoulder with 25 minutes remaining, events had been reduced to a procession.

 

There was no magic here. Instead, there was a warning over the Tannoy soon after the opening goal that any supporters guilty of racist abuse would be ejected from the stadium.

There were Portakabins which doubled as 'luxury' showers for the visitors and a pitch, relaid at a cost of £150,000, which looked immaculate and was not, therefore, the leveller it might have been in other circumstances.

It was not the afternoon Carlisle had hoped for - or perhaps even deserved - given the way in which the community has rallied round following the havoc caused on December.

 

Keith Curle the 'phenomenal effort' of Carlisle's ground staff after 17,000 packed into Brunton Park

 

"A lot of credit has to go to a lot of people behind the scenes," said manager Keith Curle, whose side only returned home last weekend having played at Preston, Blackburn and Blackpool in the interim.

"To have 17,000 inside was a phenomenal effort. It was only 57 days ago that the place was decimated because of the disaster of the flood, so to be hosting Everton here was excellent."

The waters have long since subsided and where before the images here needed no explaining so now appearances are deceptive. Look a little harder and the clues as to the devastation caused by the flooding, which came rushing through when the River Eden burst in the Greystone Road area half a mile from the ground, were clear.

Underneath the seats in the stand the water marks on the wall of the offices tell the tale. They will all need to be ripped out and replaced and John Nixon, Carlisle's managing director, said it will be June before order is restored. On the pitch, it was never threatened.

 

It's not that long since Brunton Park was underwater

 

From the moment Tom Cleverley sent Lennon haring behind Carlisle's three-man defence and his centre across the face of goal provided Kone with an easy tap in, a potentially raucous fourth-round contest was replaced with a routine work-out.

Everton's second arrived as Bryan Oviedo swapped passes with Barkley and when the cross was delivered from the left Lennon controlled with his right foot, swept beyond Michael Raynes in one smooth motion before burying a shot with his other foot. It was his first goal in the competition since scoring for Spurs against Cardiff in January 2007.

The speed of the strikes removed the prospect of an upset and in doing so lanced the tension that has engulfed Roberto Martinez following a sequence of results that has cast his side as underachievers.

Here he did not need to get the best from his players but simply ask them to move the ball quickly and keep their composure in order to out-manoeuvre opponents whose focus will return to more mundane matters and the visit of Accrington this Saturday.

 

Roberto Martinez still remains under pressure at Everton

 

Martinez will try and close a £13million deal for Lokomotiv Moscow striker Oumar Niasse, who interested Jose Mourinho when he was still at Chelsea, before the window closes on Monday night.

In the meantime, it was an existing favourite who added a flourish. The excellent Barkley taking advantage of the space he was afforded throughout by hammering a shot beyond Mark Gillespie from 20 yards.

"I have got to say he is a quality, quality player," said Curle. "Some of our players coming off the pitch tried to get his shirt and they still weren't quick enough!

"Everton gave a lesson our players can only learn from on the simplicity of how to play."

 

The choice of play-list from the DJ whose songs included "Hold Back The River" and "The Flood" showed that whatever else Carlisle lost, their humour is clearly intact. So, too, is Everton's season.

Carlisle (3-4-1-1): Gillespie: Atkinson, Ellis, Raynes; Miller, Kennedy, Dicker (Gilliead 45), Comley (Ibehre 62), Gillesphey (Hope 45); Sweeney, Asamoah. Booked: Kennedy. Next Up: Accrington (h), Sat, League Two.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Robles; Coleman (Galloway 83), Jagielka, Funes-Mori, Oviedo; McCarthy, Cleverley; Lennon, Barkley (Gibson 75), Pienaar (Osman 61); Kone. Booked: McCarthy. Goal: Kone 2, Lennon 14, Barkley 65. Next Up: Newcastle (h) Wed, PL.

Referee: L Mason (Greater Manchester).