No chickens have been counted.
The champagne isn't anywhere near the ice bucket.
And the Fat Lady isn't in the dressing room, never mind warming up.
But after this performance Carlisle can dare to dream.

This could have been a banana skin. Third placed Birkenhead Park had only lost 2 matches this year, and our bonus point win on the Wirral earlier in the season was a lot closer than the 27-18 scoreline suggests.

Nerves if there were any, were settled early doors within 2 minutes, as a Carlisle scrum inside the visitors half allowed Carlisle the chance to go wide. Spurning a penalty opportunity, fullback Max Connon jinked down the left, laying off a pass to brother Grant. The flyhalf spotted space behind the defence and chipped a kick over into the end zone, winning the footrace to touch down for Carlisle's first try, which he converted himself.

Birkenhead were soon on the scoresheet as a penalty 30m out for holding on at the breakdown gave the visitors the chance to reduce the score to 7-3 after 5 minutes.

Carlisle quickly turned up the screw from the restart, centre Chris Auld making a piercing run through the Birkenhead defence to set up Player Coach Matt Shields to go under the posts for Carlisle's second try.

Carlisle were playing with a lot of intensity and pace, none more so than Grant Connon, who got on the end of a pass from the back of a lineout inside Carlisle's half. Beating three defenders he turned on the gas to head down the park, fending off the fullback to go under the posts for his second and Carlisle's third with just 12 minutes on the clock.

Birkenhead were no pushovers and gradually forced Carlisle back into their half, securing a try of their own from a lineout catch and drive after 15minutes. A penalty infringement 4 minutes later gave Birkenhead the opportunity to reduce the deficit further, but the kick was wide.

The visitors had much of the possession for the next 10 minutes, but Carlisle defended well and eventually a penalty infringement allowed Carlisle to clear their lines, with an added bonus of an extra 10m for backchat.
This gave Carlisle the momentum to go forward again and with a driving maul heading towards the tryline, Birkenhead lost their prop and Head Coach to the bin for dragging the maul down.
It was just a delay to the inevitable as the penalty was scrummed and Shields guided the ball across the line for Carlisle's fourth and bonus point try on 32minutes.
With no further scores in the half, Carlisle could feel well satisfied with a 28-8 lead at half-time.

The visitors were given no respite in the second half, as a scrum inside the Birkenhead 22 gave Carlisle the platform to test the Birkenhead defence. With a couple of pick and gos repulsed, the ball was fed left for flanker Angus Fulton to break through the defensive line, and go round and under the posts for Carlisle's fifth try on 47minutes.

Birkenhead pushed hard from the restart and only some desperate defending kept the visitors out. Too desperate for the referee who sin binned first Rory Parish and then Dan Holmes. Down to 13 men, Carlisle had to put in a shift in defence to keep Birkenhead out. Just as it looked as if the visitors would score down the left touchline, Carlisle turned the ball over and a thumping kick downfield relieved the pressure on the defence.

Carlisle turned this to their advantage as the Birkenhead fullback got himself isolated fielding the kick and Ben Purdham and Max Connon wrapped him up. With Carlisle arriving in numbers the home side turned the ball over before Birkenhead could get back to secure possession. As the visiting defence was struggling to get organised, a hitherto unknown side to Shields was unveiled as a deft kick through behind the defence, gave chasing flanker Kyle Lindsay the opportunity to dive on the ball in the left corner for Carlisle's sixth try.

It was Lindsay who set up Carlisle's seventh and last try three minutes from time, as he peeled away from the back of a scrum on half way, and set up a ruck 10m into the visitors half. Lock Rory Parish then spotted a gap and swatting the visitors hooker aside, rampaged up the park, slipping a pass inside to second row buddy James Brocket in close support, who had the strength to go over despite close attention from the last Birkenhead defender.
Birkenhead claimed a consolation try with the last play, bringing the game to an end, but it was Carlisle who finished well deserved victors 47-13.

This was another well assured performance by Carlisle, following up a similar performance at Stockport two weeks ago. The side have clearly found their mojo, after a shaky patch in February, and the renewed confidence in themselves and their game plan was self evident to the spectators today. Clearly the latest two week break has not disrupted the side much, and they now face a three game run in to the end of the season, starting next week at home to Manchester.

On today's performance they should have nothing to fear about the forthcoming opposition.

But no chickens have been counted.