A 2-0 defeat at Boreham Wood saw Carlisle United slip to fifth in the National League table, just days after missing the chance to go top.
It was a second successive League defeat for Mark Hughes men to emphasise the congestion, and competitiveness at the top end of the table.
The win saw Boreham Wood leapfrog the Cumbrians, collecting the points from two first-half goals but in truth they were better throughout the game with Carlisle showing very little that underlined their promotion ambitions.
The two goals came in the space of six minutes, starting with Zak Brunt drilling a well-placed effort home from the edge of the area after 31 minutes.
Six minutes later Abdul Abdulmalik was on hand to double the lead, latching onto the rebound after Carlisle keeper Gabriel Breeze had saved an initial shot from Matt Rush.
The visitors showed very little attacking threat in the second half but Regan Linney fired into the side-netting and Georgie Kelly headed wide from a decent position.
