Rampant United end season in style
Robin Hood and his Merry Men packed the away stands at Meadow Lane and they were rewarded with an excellent United performance which rounded the season off in style as the Blues dominated, took chances and defended as a unit to claim their victory.
A low cross from Snijders sparked an early County attack but he sent it too deep as Stead made a run for the near post. Adams flicked it back into the box but the unmarked Snijders, who had followed up on his initial run, could do nothing as he lost his balance with the ball at his feet. Ellis rushed in to cover and the ball was hooked away to safety.
Carlisle broke on the counter and an outswinging cross from Grainger found Hope with his back to goal. He took a touch, ignored the appeals for handball, and held play up as Gilliead arrived late. He wasted no time in drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.
The visitors looked comfortable and a lovely one-touch move involving Kennedy, Hope, Gillesphey and Grainger left Ibehre with a difficult bouncing ball to deal with. He stretched to get there but it came off his studs and dropped the wrong side of the upright.
An unexpected corner gave the Magpies the chance to get men forward on the quarter hour but Snijders hit it long and Stead struggled to get it under control. He spun to loft it into the six yard box but he could only pop the spinning ball onto the roof of the net.
It appeared that it wasn't going to be Ibehre's day when Grainger released Gilliead with a quickly taken free kick. A dipping cross took Carroll out of the equation but the big striker somehow dinked his header wide as he muscled his way in at the far post.
The home side went close when Jon Stead dropped a shoulder and shot from distance. Gillespie parried it but he had to react quickly as Atkinson pounced on the rebound. The stopper stayed big to make a fine block as the nippy midfielder skipped through to get something onto it.
Carlisle regrouped and they picked up the second goal their play had deserved with just 28 minutes on the clock. Ibehre did well, when he made his way through a challenge to cut the ball back, and captain Danny Grainger kept his head and picked his spot as he lined up a lovely first time shot which left Carroll with no chance.
County tried to find a way back into it and Gillespie went full stretch to tip a rasper away when Burke tried his luck from distance. But they only had themselves to blame for Carlisle's third as a poor clearance left Gilliead with options left and right. He fed it to Kennedy and a scream from Ibehre left him to pop his sixteenth goal of the season into the back of the net with the outside of his boot.
United almost stretched their lead again after the restart when Gilliead beat Carroll to a ball over the top. It was a tight angle but a toe end took the keeper out of it and left the goal net temporarily unguarded. Adams did well to recover and hook it away as it threatened to cross the line.
Carlisle stayed forward and Joyce found Grainger tight by the touchline with a host of blue shirts forward. Hope moved off his man to create an angle and his cross went through legs and was a whisker away from being touched in by Ibehre as it skipped off the surface.
The blue shirts came again and they extended their lead when Hope bent a run to get to the byline. His fizzed cross came off Kennedy, and Ibehre, and the latter claimed his seventeenth of the season as he pointed to his chest in the post-goal celebrations.
A long throw from Miller was then flicked just wide by Kennedy, and Miller couldn't quite get enough onto a Grainger free kick as a rampant United side literally queued up to add their names to the score sheet.
Substitute Derek Asamoah showed great skill and a lovely touch to beat his man as he took the ball out of the air on the edge of the box but Carroll spread himself to make a save as the striker set himself to celebrate.
Rampaging Carlisle made it five - Wyke's fifteenth of the season - when another howler left the striker with just Carroll to beat. Such was the ease with which he scored that he was able to start his celebrations long before he tapped the ball into the empty net.
Michael Raynes made an unbelievable block to stop Snijders from bagging a late consolation, and Stead blazed over from 19 yards as County tried to make a mark, but the defensive best was saved to last as Mark Gillespie somehow saved from McLeod at point blank range.
Derek Asamoah will never get closer to scoring than his added time effort which hit the post and rolled along the line, but it was a very good job well done as the away whistle was greeted by roars of appreciation from the 710-strong away support.
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Goals
United - Gilliead (4), Grainger (28), Ibehre (40, 49), Wyke (80)
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Bookings
Notts County - Audel (83), Hollis (87)
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Teams
Notts County - Carroll, Adams, Smith (McLeod 46), Hollis, Snijders, Hewitt, Valencic, Burke (Campbell 65), Atkinson, Stead, Edwards (Audel 46). Subs - Loach, Amevor, Boyce, Wildin.
Carlisle United - Gillespie, Miller, Raynes, Ellis, Gillesphey, Hope (Asamoah 64), Joyce, Kennedy, Grainger, Gilliead (Thompson 74), Ibehre (Wyke 64). Subs - Hanford, Atkinson, Comley, McQueen.
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Referee - Mr Fred Graham
Attendance - 5,405 (710 away fans)