Penrith 0 Carlisle Utd 4: From here, the difficulty level for Carlisle United goes up again, and when all’s said and done this workout against Penrith was just as notable for who wasn’t on the pitch.

The absentees – Adam Collin, Byron Webster, Mike Jones, Christie Elliott, Jack Iredale, Stefan Scougall – were left out after the first hard weeks of pre-season. Some of these are Steven Pressley’s most experienced men; his “stabilisers”.

Many of them, one imagines, are already certs for Crawley on August 3. Part of Pressley’s plan for this friendly against the lowest-ranked of United’s pre-season opponents was to see who from the fringes would also look ready to come into contention.

Yes, there were still some seniors, such as Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Jack Bridge, Harry McKirdy and Jon Mellish. United’s squad is not yet big enough for wholesale change and the fact they remain so short of strikers perhaps explains why Hallam Hope got another airing – and another goal.

In other departments, though, the eye fell on trialists, a prospective new loanee in Lewis Brunt, and, in the second half, their next generation. The energy shown by United’s team from minutes 46-90, which was their youth side plus one first-year pro, was perhaps not what Penrith’s older players wished to confront as they put more minutes into their own legs this month.

It was, though, for Carlisle a refreshing sight, the likes of Josh Galloway catching the eye after a first half which had seen goals from Hope and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts but not too much in the way of other evidence about the road ahead.

That said, even a relatively low-key summer test is not entirely without intrigue when United are around. Before this one, the club saw fit to knock down a rumour that Collin, who also did not feature against Hibs last week, was about to leave. A tweet explaining that he was being held back for their last three friendlies, with Louis Gray used in the first three, was their attempt at calming speculation.

That may now fade; with Hope, not so much. Blackpool’s reported target scored a stunner against Hibs and was quickly back to prominence here, latching onto a loose defensive interception and deftly chipping home keeper Dan Staples after a minute.

Hope’s attributes are well-known, so there was more learning to be done about Buckley-Ricketts, Elliott Reeves and Tyrone Duffus – the trialists – and the tall Brunt, who had arrived from Aston Villa the previous day. In his 45 minutes the latter looked a little rusty in the pass and not at full tempo; the 18-year-old midfielder will hopefully sharpen up with a decent stretch of training.

Reeves, the Ilkeston striker, did not fully grab this opportunity, meanwhile. He could have scored on five minutes after showing persistence to keep a chance alive, but shot over the bar. Former Manchester City winger Buckley-Ricketts, who had been positioned  for a pass in that attack, was later released with his pace inside defenders once or twice but United awaited a decisive finish.

Duffus was generally in control at the back, save for one moment when Penrith’s ex-United striker Max Brown got in front of him to help set up a volleyed chance for Matty Moynan. Either side of that there were some clever flicks and darting runs from McKirdy, one of which was terminated in old-school fashion – but fairly – by the sliding veteran Kyle May.

The middle part of the half was rather uneventful, with players switching positions and Carlisle not especially fluent or dangerous, Bridge tidy on the ball but probably deeper in midfield than he would normally prefer. Mellish, at least, showed more of his potential when attacking from left-back, while it was an enterprising run on the other side from Jarrad Branthwaite that set up the second, as he got inside his man onto a diagonal Knight-Percival ball and unselfishly squared for Buckley-Ricketts to net.

Pressley will, no doubt, have taken enough from the 45-minute spectacle in the way of fitness and the continued striker void which will hopefully be filled soon. Beyond that, the learning was to be done where Carlisle’s youth team were concerned, with an entirely new XI coming on for the second half.

Keighran Kerr was the only professional in this teenage set and he made his mark just two minutes in. So did Galloway, dropping off to send the pass of the game through the Penrith defence for Kerr to finish confidently.

The involvement of so many of Carlisle’s kids had led a youth friendly with Liverpool to be cancelled. Instead they tackled Penrith’s men with good appetite. More goals could have come either side of the other one they managed, and this time it was Galloway who claimed it, showing good pace as United broke from a Penrith corner, touching the ball past the onrushing keeper and then slotting home.

It was encouraging stuff from one of those hoping to follow the path recently taken by Branthwaite, Kerr, Josh Dixon and Liam McCarron. Later, youth keeper Isaac Robinson did well to push away a Chris Wraight shot, while United survived a scramble from a corner before full-time.

Next, it is National League North opposition in Chester and the final game, one would imagine, for the possibles. After that it must be back to the probables – and a few more definites in the market with any luck too.

Penrith: Staples, Pilatos, Davidson, May, Faustino, Bell, Main, Wraight, Broadley, Moynan, Brown. Subs: Paul, Law, Forrester, Jackson, Lee, Walton, Chan.

United (first half): Gray, Branthwaite, Mellish, Duffus, Knight-Percival, Brunt, Bridge, Buckley-Ricketts, McKirdy, Reeves, Hope. (second half): Robinson, Steele, Barnes, Wilson, Lightfoot, Walton, Birch, Charters, Armstrong, Galloway, Kerr. Subs: Leslie, Swailes.

Goals: Hope 1, Buckley-Ricketts 37, Kerr 47, Galloway 64

Ref: Jim Halliday.