Mark Birch admitted Carlisle United’s work in the final third cost them in their Fred Conway Cumberland Cup defeat to Carlisle City.

A young Blues XI went down to a 1-0 defeat at Gillford Park in the second round of the county senior cup.

Jordan Irving’s 61st-minute goal was the difference as Dan Kirkup’s side progressed on a freezing night.

United’s teenagers came close to an equaliser when Jonah Lowes hit the post, but under-18s boss Birch admitted they did otherwise not threaten the City goal enough.

“It was a tough game, and conditions were tough as well – but, and even if it's a cliché, it's the same for both sides,” said Birch.

“I think both teams handled the pitch and made a good game out of it.

“I thought at times we played some great football, we were building from the back really well, but the final bit and the final third…we've not made the keeper work hard enough.

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“I think we just struggled when we got into wide areas or in behind. Some players couldn't find their feet, or we just couldn't get that little bit of quality.

“At times the ball was running away [on the hard surface] but I think that was the same for both teams.

“To be honest, I'm really pleased with the way our lads went about it, their bravery on the ball on a tricky pitch.”

United’s side was comprised of under-18 players plus third-year scholars Sam Hetherington and Jake Allan, against Kirkup’s Northern League Division One outfit.

City included a number of experienced heads including captain Josh Simpson and Jake Simpson, the former United coach, among their first-team regulars.

Birch said it was a good learning experience for his young side against hardened Northern League players.

“When we were matching players up on the pitch we were thinking, for example, it would be a test for big Hayden Atkinson as a centre-half against a lad [Callum Birdsall] who’s played at a good non-league level for many years.

“I felt Hayden and Jack Porter came through it with flying colours so we have to take positives from the individual performances as well as how we've done as a team.”

On City’s winner, which came when Irving pounced on a ricochet following a free-kick, the United coach said: “It looked offside but we'll have to have a look at it back.

“These things happen in games like that and I think if there was a way that a goal was going to be scored in a game like that it was always going to be through a little bit of an untidy spell.

“But we kept going, we kept moving the ball, we kept trying to build from the back, we didn't get impatient and then we were unlucky with Jonah’s shot. It's fine margins.”

Birch admitted things had been touch and go as to whether the game would go ahead in the freezing temperatures. City’s pitch was passed fit at a midday inspection but further scrutiny was needed before things got under way in the evening.

“When we got here we looked at it and thought, ‘We could be in trouble here,’ but we always thought we'd leave it in the hands of the referee,” said Birch.

“That's what they're there for, we didn't want to influence the referee. If we thought it was way too dangerous for the players then we would have probably intervened a little bit more.

“But the referee looked at it this morning, looked at it again tonight, he thought it was playable and again, for young players, you've got to overcome these adverse conditions and these scenarios where [you aren’t sure if] the game’s going to be on or off.

“These are things the lads have got to learn to control. This is real football and it's proper football.

“I also think, for a cold night, the attendance [390] was fantastic.”