Mike Williamson on Carlisle United's defeat to Notts County

But the head coach insisted he could take “pride” in how the Blues performed in the second half against the Magpies at Brunton Park.

The damage was done in the first half as Alassana Jatta and Scott Robertson struck for the visitors.

Carlisle improved after the break but could not find a way back, and the 2-0 defeat was their seventh loss from nine in League Two.

Williamson, though, offered a mixed assessment of the latest Blues setback.

“I thought we started well,” he said.

“There's a lot of anxiety around getting the result, [but] we can't focus on the outcome, we've got to focus on how we go about it in the process.

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“And I thought we started well, I thought we made some good openings, opportunities. We came close, we entered their box three or four times. I thought we were the most likely in the first 15 minutes to break the deadlock.

“And then, as [can happen against] a team with such quality, one lapse in concentration and the ball's in the back of our net. And that really took the wind out of our sails and made it difficult for us.

“Playing against such good players that are well into their process and journey, it made it hard for us.

“The lads showed real willingness to fight and get back into it. But again, we get cut open, by a good move, and when you're playing against a good team, good players, you've got to hold your hands up.

“And you're 2-0 down at half-time and, from the start of the season, I suppose there's a bit of a familiar feeling with that.

United, despite plenty of second half pressure, could not find a way back (Image: Ben Holmes)

“But what I do take is a lot of hope and pride with what we saw in the second half. The determination to turn it round was evident.

“That's not tactical, that's just emotional. It just shows you what the boys are made of and how much they want to turn it.

“I can't believe we didn't hit the back of the net, but that's life, I thought. Good defending, a few good saves by the goalkeeper. And it wasn't meant to be, but the actual persistence and relentlessness and the output of the boys was phenomenal.”

Carlisle were undone by a long goal kick from Notts keeper Alex Bass, as the recalled Terell Thomas failed to deal with the delivery and Jatta went through to score.

Asked further about the “concentration” lapse he had observed, Williamson said: “But that's the level of detail that we're going to get to, that there's many ways of scoring goals and hurting teams.

“I just think when the level of anxiety is high when you start, you get caught cold in certain respects. But that's for us to work on.

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“We know we've got plenty of areas that we need to improve. At the minute, the amount of time we've had with the boys, all we can install in them is that courage and bravery.

“And I think we've seen that in every game, in different aspects and different ways. We've just got to make sure we pack it all together.

“We're going to have disappointments along this journey, and that's evident. We've just got to make sure that we respond to them instantly and it doesn't affect us for as long as it did.”

United now have the worst defensive record in their entire EFL having shipped 19 goals from their first nine games.

They remain third bottom ahead of Saturday’s trip to Colchester United.

On how the Blues can be made harder to beat, the new head coach said: “Working hard. And that's the only way. And the bottom line, the fact is, we know we're in a bad period.

“And when you are, things go against you, and ricochets, and decisions. It does seem to mount up.

“But I've got to say, in the two home games [this one and Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Grimsby Town], I feel like there's big areas and big chunks of the performance that were far better than Swindon [where United won 2-0].

“We obviously went down there and got three points at a very difficult place.

“Yes, the points return is disappointing and frustrating. But for me, there's a lot of ingredients there that gives us a lot of hope, and a lot of lads in there that showed a lot of quality.

“That, and their personality makes me know that we're not going to be far off.”