Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell felt his side were “outstanding” both in defeating Carlisle United and coping with the Blues’ “long balls”.

The Grecians pulled six points clear of United in the League One relegation battle with a 2-1 win at St James Park.

It came after Reece Cole and Sonny Cox struck for the home side and Dan Butterworth hit a late Blues consolation.

The win was only Exeter’s second in 16 league outings and manager Caldlwell said: “I thought we were outstanding, right from the start – we took control of the game.

“We spoke about how we needed to dominate possession but the possession had to have a purpose to it, which it did.

“From the first minute, Luke Harris nearly scored with his first touch in a red and white shirt.

“They [Carlisle] are a threat all the time because of the long balls they play – they put you under pressure from set pieces and throw-ins and we had to defend those moments.

“But we totally dominated the first half, created chances, without scoring, which can be frustrating, but I thought we added some bits second half, and scored two brilliant goals.

“It could have been easier – that’s the next step, when 2-0 up we have to kill the game off – and they score a brilliant goal, in fairness, from the corner. Where he hits one from the edge of the box on the half volley, there’s not much you can do with that.

“We then had to dig in, defend and stand up to the onslaught that was gonna come. It’s a fantastic three points but more than that it’s a fantastic performance and a step forward.”

Caldwell questioned why there was so much added time at the end of the game – more than nine extra minutes were played – but was overall satisfied with the afternoon’s work from the Grecians.

“I can’t understand it,” he said of the added time, when speaking to his club’s official channels. “It seems like everything’s against us, but we’ll stand up to it and keep doing it because it keeps happening.”

On the nature of Exeter’s two goals, which saw Cole and Cox follow in to score rebounds against United, Caldwell added: “We spoke very clearly about what we needed to do as a team to win the game, and one aspect was attacking the scoring zone.

“If you put yourself in that area, between the posts, up the middle of the pitch, you’ll score goals.

“If you keep knocking on the door you’ll get your rewards. It’s the bravery and persistence.”

Caldwell, whose side now six fifth bottom and outside the relegation zone on goal difference, said he was hoping to add more players to his squad in the January transfer window.

“If we can do that the second half of the season can be really exciting,” he added.