Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson has blamed their opening-day defeat to Gillingham on ‘individual mistakes’ as they were thrashed away from home.
It was the worst possible start to the season for Carlisle, as they were defeated 4-1 by Gillingham in a disastrous opening game of the League Two campaign.
The Gills ran riot at home, as Jon Mellish’s goal for the Cumbrians ended up being a mere consolation in what was a horrendous start to the season.
Manager Simpson was quick to acknowledge the reason for their defeat, with many errors made across the pitch which led to the Gillingham goals.
However, he did see some positives in the performance despite the result, as they look to move on and improve next time out.
Simpson Positive Despite Result
The Cumbrians’ manager said there were, ‘Good things’ about his side’s performance in Kent, and there are foundations to build on going forward despite their 4-1 loss, according to NewsAndStar.
“Every goal was a mistake, but I think we’ve really gifted them,” said Simpson in his post-match interview.
“The first one, I think it’s just a poor decision [By Lewis] to not come and punch it.
“But it’s individual mistakes. We got ourselves back into it at 2-1, and when you get yourself into that position, particularly away from home, you’ve got to make sure that you don’t give them another goal to lift them.”
The Cumbrians were only one goal down at halftime, but a mistake-ridden second half saw Gillingham take control and walk away with all three points.
Simpson was still adamant that without the mistakes made by their players, the game would have been a lot closer and the defeat may not have been as severe as it was.
Will Their Style Work?
Carlisle created a lot of chances in the game, having 18 shots and the majority of possession throughout the 90 minutes.
Despite this, they only had four shots on target and failed to take most of their big chances.
If they can improve their finishing in front of goal and make better use of their possession, they will see improvements across the season and they will look to prove this in their next league game against Barrow.