SIMPSON SEES WAY OUT OF TROUBLE
PAUL Simpson saluted the desire of his Carlisle United players as they came from behind to beat relegation rivals Oldham late on.
Morgan Feeney’s last-gasp header sealed a third win in three for Simpson since he returned to the club, leaving them six points clear of the drop zone.
Simpson said: “Obviously I couldn’t do anything about the first 31 games of the season, but I’ve seen plenty of character in the lads since I returned.
“I would have been quite satisfied with a draw here today I have to admit, because seven points from a possible nine would have been a really good return. But to now be looking at nine points from those three games is absolutely magnificent.
“The first half could have knocked the stuffing out of us, but in the second it was a different story.
“The players have shown real desire and great personality to come back and win this game in the manner that they did.”
The visitors went close early on when an unmarked Omari Patrick headed wastefully over from Jack Armer’s cross.
Keillor-Dunn then saw a 28th-minute penalty beaten back by keeper Mark Howard after Dynel Simeu had handled Nicky Adams’ cross. The rebound fell to Dylan Bahamboula, but his effort trickled just wide.
Oldham struck deep into first-half added time. After Carlisle’s Jon Mellish headed Adams’ cross against a post, Jordan Clarke crossed the loose ball in for Hallam Hope, who stabbed home from close range.
Carlisle levelled soon after the restart when Patrick confidently converted Kristian Dennis’s through-ball.
Keillor-Dunn headed wastefully over late on, before Feeney’s last-gasp strike. Feeney rose highest to head home skipper Callum Guy’s clipped free-kick to condemn Oldham to a first defeat in eight games since John Sheridan returned as boss. They remain in the bottom two.
Sheridan said: “It was a really tight affair, there wasn’t a lot between the teams in the first half. Our second half performance was really disappointing, though.
“It was the manner of the defeat that frustrates me, and the lack of knowhow sometimes.
“As a player you should have a bit more nouse about you. You should know what you’re doing better as a team, and know what your team-mates are doing.
“You’ve just got to do the basics. We just weren’t doing that when we were 1-0 up in the game.
“I suppose we just didn’t get going throughout the whole game really.
“We made silly errors, and got ourselves caught out, and certainly Carlisle looked a lot sharper than us in that second half.
“I could see something happening like that at the end, I really could.”