Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson has admitted to a weekend of soul-searching after the 1-0 defeat at Gillingham on Saturday.
But Simpson is already focusing on the next test for his team at leaders Leyton Orient this coming weekend.
He says: “You’ve just got to go again haven’t you, We have some fantastic games coming up, we have Northampton to play, Stockport, Salford, Orient, and we’ve got to grab hold of this opportunity and not let it slip.
“It’s only one defeat in seven and it’s a little kick up the backside for us. I don’t actually think we needed a kick up the backside, but we have to treat it as that and make sure we come back better.
“You get judged over 46 games, not 37, certainly not after 38 either. I don’t suppose however many, 400-odd supporters enjoyed Saturday, I certainly didn’t, I just hope I enjoy more between now and the end of the season.”
Simpson had been pondering on whether he made the wrong team selection for the Gillingham game, but could not put his finger on why it went wrong and the side played so poorly.
He said: “There’s going to be loads of twists and turns, there’s eight games to go and there’s probably going to be eight twists and turns.
“Who knows, if we’re good enough to stay in there and get a play-off place then there might be two or three more twists and turns. We’ve just got to dig deep now, and address the fact it was our worst performance of the season.
“It’s still in our hands, because we have Northampton to play. What I keep saying is that if we do our own job properly then it takes care of itself. If you don’t do your own job, then you’re going to get caught out, as we saw at Gillingham.
“We have enough games, there’s eight to go. There’s going to be loads of twists and turns, and we have to try to make sure we do what we can to make them go in our favour.
“We can’t expect to get luck all the time. We have to address it and make sure we’re better for it. We haven’t become a bad side, we’re a good side, but we have to show it, not just say it.”
