Carlisle United boss on Leyton Orient defeat and barren run

The Blues’ 1-0 defeat to leaders Leyton Orient saw them extend their goalless run to four games - six hours of football.

While United were unfortunate in the manner of Orient’s winner – a Jon Mellish own goal – Simpson conceded that his side were again short in the attacking third themselves.

Carlisle are still fourth in League Two, two points outside the automatic promotion places, but sides below them are now closing in.

It means they must rediscover form urgently in order to keep their top three hopes alive – with a big Easter double-header against Tranmere Rovers and Walsall up next.

Manager Simpson said: “We need to do something about it because this group of players are better than they’re showing at the moment.

“We’ve got to get back to it quickly because we are going to let the opportunity we’ve given ourselves go.

• Jon Colman's big match verdict on Carlisle United's defeat to Leyton Orient

“It’s a fantastic opportunity that we’ve created from the way we’ve done things in the first 33 or 34 games, and let’s say the last ones just haven’t been done properly.

“We’ve got to get back to it. We have to.”

United’s defeat in east London was compounded by hamstring injuries to Morgan Feeney and Fin Back – the latter on his first game back after a three-month lay-off with a similar problem.

They could have grabbed a late point but Mellish squandered a great chance after going around Os keeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

Simpson stressed that United had not made the most of many other situations in the game as they went on their longest goalless run since September-October last season, when they also went four on the spin in the league without scoring.

“There were moments where we could and should have got something more out of the game, but could and should counts for nothing, we have to go and do it, simple as that,” he said.

“There were times where I thought there was a hesitation, when it could have been just flashed across. We look like we’re waiting to try and score the perfect goal, and look at their goal…it’s a double deflection and goes in, from somebody taking a shot.

Jon Mellish holds his head at full-time (Image: Richard Parkes)

“We don’t take enough shots from the edge of the box that we affect deflections.

“We pressed really well, I thought we were organised and had a good shape about us, even after the disruption that came with the two substitutions we had to make for the first half.

“We’re not in a crisis, we are still in a really good position, but we’re making it very hard for ourselves.

• Leyton Orient v Carlisle United - as it happened

“One thing I would say is that nothing in this world comes easy to you, you’re going to have to dig in, you have to hurt for each other, we’re going to have to get ourselves over the line and make sure we keep working as hard as we have [at Orient], but make sure we get better quality.”

Simpson felt Carlisle’s decision-making and execution in the final third was lacking, while of Mellish’s big chance he said: “Jon did really well to get past the keeper, and to be fair the keeper got a touch on it which meant that Jon couldn’t get enough power on the strike to score.

“[Other than that] we’re getting free kicks in good areas and we’re hitting it over the bar, we’re missing the runners, we’re putting out of play and it just isn’t acceptable.

“That’s not what we are, it isn’t what’s got us to fourth in the table. We need to do something about it.”