Charlie Austin needed just three minutes of his full debut to secure a 1-0 win for Swindon over Carlisle.
Swindon triumph 1-0 at Brunton Park
Charlie Austin needed just three minutes of his full debut to secure a 1-0 win for Swindon over Carlisle.
Carlisle's ground staff worked through the night pumping water off Brunton Park to get the game on, but the Cumbrians' ineffective performance was poor reward for their efforts.
It was a dream start for Austin, a prolific scorer in non-league football before he joined the Robins in October.
The Carlisle defence went to sleep as Billy Paynter crossed from the right and Austin reacted sharply to drive the ball past goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley from eight yards.
Joe Anyinsah wasted Carlisle's best opportunity in the 13th minute when Matty Robson's speculative ball left him with just goalkeeper David Lucas to beat, but the winger only succeeded in prodding the ball wide of the near post.
Substitute Alex Revell, who replaced Austin after 68 minutes, ballooned the ball high over the bar when presented with a simple chance to double Swindon's lead late on, but it mattered little as Danny Wilson's men secured a narrow win.
