CARLISLE United manager Paul Simpson has issued his final verdict on the Blues' mid-week EFL Trophy defeat against Accrington.

Corey Whelan's last own goal was all that separated the two sides at the Wham Stadium as Carlisle faltered on the opening night of their 23/24 EFL Trophy campaign.

The Blues side that faced John Coleman's Stanley was a much-changed outfit with nine alterations to the starting eleven that defeated Shrewsbury Town days earlier.

Despite returning from Lancashire off the back of the cup defeat, Simpson detailed the aspects of the clash that gave him encouragement.

He said: "It was about the whole team, I thought we did a lot of good things.

"I thought we defended well, I thought the goalkeeper came and took crosses well, dealt with everything he had to in terms of any shots, although saying that there were quite a few that went over the bar but he was in good areas.

"The back three defended well and I thought our wing-backs in Fin [Back] and Jack Robinson got forward well, the midfielders were good in terms of the way they kept the ball and got forward, and we created some good opportunities.

"It wasn't just about the two strikers, it was about the whole team."

However, Simpson also detailed the aspects of the Carlisle performance at the Wham Stadium that are still in need of improvement and pledged to continue working off the field to implement these changes.

He said: "Unfortunately we did not make the most of the chances we created and second half was a total different game because we didn't continue to do those things well.

"We didn't keep the ball well enough, we lost too many duels.

"I felt that on the night and after watching the game back and reviewing it I feel exactly the same way about it.

"There are definitely areas we need to improve on and that is something we will continue to work to do."