Carlisle United boss 'raging' at performance in Gillingham defeat

And the manager didn’t spare himself from criticism following the 1-0 defeat that sent the Blues out of the automatic promotion places.

Carlisle were miles below their best at Priestfield as they fell victim to an injury-time Shaun Williams winner.

It left United without a win or goal in three games and in need of significant improvement on their latest showing.

“I’m raging with the performance from us, I’m disappointed with myself with some of the things I’ve done, and I know the players are disappointed,” Simpson said.

“It’s the worst we’ve played all season in my opinion. We had nothing from the start to the end.

“Credit to Gillingham, they kept going and got their reward. But you can’t come to any ground, perform like we did and expect to take anything. We got what we deserved.”

Carlisle created painfully little in the game, but were looking set to hold onto third place in League Two in the closing stages.

But Williams’ late strike consigned the Cumbrians to a first defeat in seven.

READ MORE: Jon Colman's big match verdict on Blues' defeat at Gillingham

Simpson said he could not deny Gillingham their moment given how poorly his own side had played.

“We didn’t win our duels, pass the ball properly in any area, or do anything in the final third barring Kristian Dennis’s shot late on,” he said.

“We weren’t good enough as a whole group. Maybe I picked the wrong team, maybe the team didn’t perform.

Jamie Devitt consoles a dejected Owen Moxon after the defeat (Image: Richard Parkes)

“We tried to change it, and get a different reaction with different personnel, but we weren’t good enough. If we’d got a draw it would have been nicking one.”

Simpson made three changes to his side and went with a three-man attack of Omari Patrick, JK Gordon and Joe Garner.

But they and their team-mates failed to offer a threat against Neil Harris’s side.

On a line-up that looked attack-minded on paper, United’s boss said: “That’s what I thought we needed to do – it just didn’t work.

“I just expect a bit more from everybody. It wasn’t just the attackers, it was everybody. They expect more from each other as well, and on the day it just didn’t happen,” he added.

“I said at half-time that it was the poorest we’d been this season. I was thankful to get in at 0-0.

“We talked about how we thought we could improve and change it, and unfortunately we didn’t.

“Even with the goal, there are so many little individual, basic things we haven’t done well enough.

“But maybe it was coming – the pressure they were putting us under, and we kept giving too many cheap free-kicks away.

“I don’t think the referee’s interpretation of those duels between Oli Hawkins and Morgan Feeney was correct at times, but that’s not the reason we’ve lost, because we have dealt with those free-kicks, throw-ins, and whatever else they put in the box, reasonably well.

READ MORE: Gillingham 1-0 Carlisle United - as it happened

“It was a second phase after the cross came in – we dealt with the first bit, but didn’t deal with the second bit.

“I’m really disappointed with it. I can’t say I’m disappointed with the result, it’s more with the level of performance we’ve shown.

“We weren’t good enough on the ball, simple as that. I think of opportunities where we’ve got into crossing positions and hit the first man, I think of opportunities where we’ve got the chance to roll the ball in front of somebody to run onto and we’re putting it out of play or behind them.

“We’re dumping the ball onto each other instead of taking care on it. I’m going around in circles but I don’t know the answer to why.”

Simpson says United must all reflect hard on the defeat as they now look to bounce back – with a trip to leaders Leyton Orient up next.

“Whatever you do for a living, be it a plumber, joiner, electrician, if you make mistakes you have to look at yourselves – and we have to look at ourselves.

“Thankfully in football you get another opportunity and we’ve got one coming next Saturday.”