Carlisle United's Paul Simpson on the Shrewsbury Town defeat

The Blues’ miserable form continued with a 12th defeat in 13 at the Croud Meadow.

Dan Udoh’s first-half goal was enough for the home side as Carlisle’s dismal slide towards relegation went on.

It left Simpson lamenting key moments in both boxes as the rock-bottom Cumbrians suffered a 25th defeat from 38 league games this campaign.

“It was a game of few big moments, but we were on the wrong side of the big moments,” said Simpson.

“We probably had three opportunities to do better for their goal, and a couple of real good chances that we weren’t able to finish.

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“I think it was a game which was there for us if we’d shown more quality in the final third, but we didn’t find the right passes or crosses.

“Sadly that’s been the story of our season. We’ve just got to pick ourselves up and go again, and make sure with the planning forward that we’re better in that final third, better in those moments.”

Carlisle’s desperate return of three points from the last available 39 leaves them 16 points adrift of safety with eight games to go, the prospect now of relegation being confirmed as early as Easter weekend.

It was a 12th defeat in 13 games for the relegation-bound Cumbrians (Image: Richard Parkes)

Simpson felt Blues keeper Harry Lewis could have dealt better with Udoh’s matchwinning strike but also said the United No1 kept Carlisle in the contest with other saves, whilst saying there were faults in other areas of the Shrewsbury goal.

“I thought he should have saved it. He admits he should have done,” said Simpson.

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“But I think we had an opportunity to retain the ball in the middle of midfield, we give it away, we have an opportunity to keep Udoh going away from goal but we allow him to turn when we should have been a bit stronger in terms of getting challenges in.

“We’ve got to get tighter for the initial bit on the right hand side as well. I think [Tom] Bayliss had three or four touches of the ball without anybody putting him under pressure.

“So we have to be better in all those situations, to stop it actually getting into a strike on goal.

“I know everybody will probably focus on that with Harry Lewis, but he's made some really good saves today that keeps kept us in the game. At the other end, we probably haven't worked their goalkeeper enough.”

Simpson, who made four changes to his side, admitted Carlisle produced little of note in the first half and, in a better second half showing, did not come up with enough in the final third.

On the poor first half effort, he said: “It’s a confidence thing, isn't it?

“When you're in a situation like we are, it's really difficult to for players to play with confidence [even though] we're saying for them to go and play with freedom and to just loosen themselves up.

“But it's easy to talk about it. There's a definite confidence issue that comes with the run of results that we're on.

“But the players are working, they're certainly putting a shift in for us. I thought they did it a bit better, particularly between the two 18-yard boxes, but it's the final bit that really matters.

“I thought in the second half, we actually showed some real control and passed the ball well, but we just didn't have enough in the final third.

“It is where we are. It's where we are as a group, unfortunately. And it's something that that we're looking to work to make sure we improve for the next time, for next season.

“We've got to make sure that we recruit better – better forward areas, better mentality – to be able to go and try and grind out better results, basically.”

Simpson said he “understood” those fans who are calling for change, but said he was as determined as ever to oversee improvement at United and added: “We’ve got to remember there are lots of positive things we’re trying to build towards as a club.

“We’re in a league we didn’t expect to be in, or I didn’t when I took over on a full time basis.

“We have to make sure we keep building, making the club better so when the next opportunity comes along, we grab it better than we have this season.”