Manager Keith Curle labelled Cheltenham Town’s pitch “a dump” as Carlisle United lost 1-0 last night.

The only goal of the game was scored by Daniel Wright in the 85th minute.

Despite a second defeat in the space of four days, Carlisle remain third in League Two, but fourth-placed Portsmouth are now only two points behind them with a game in hand.

After the setback at Whaddon Road, Blues manager Curle laid into the heavy playing surface.

He said: “It is a dump of a pitch. They are more equipped for playing on a dump than what we are – it is dead simple.

“If you look at [Cheltenham manager] Gary Johnson and the career he has had and the philosophy he has had, very quickly, because of the state of the pitch, he has had to change that.

"If you look at the amount of players he has brought in and changed, he has had to bring in people who can hoy it, get after it, land on it, put it back in – and to totally be bereft of the footballing nature I know Gary Johnson likes to play.

“As a collective, they were more attuned to playing on a dump than what we were.”

The Blues boss did, though, concede that Cheltenham had made better use of the conditions than United.

Other than a long-range Mike Jones effort that hit the bar, United seldom came close to scoring.

The Blues boss added: “There weren’t a lot of chances in the game.

“Physically, I thought they dealt with us and everything we put forward.

“I don’t think we were aggressive enough.

“I don’t think we created opportunities or potential opportunities out of scraps.

“And that’s all it was going to be today – fighting and looking for a bit of quality as and when you earn the right.

“You couldn’t play football on it. It was just about returning and looking for a weakness.

“And I think goalmouth chances, opportunities to play, were bereft of any quality.

“It was purely attrition. Get it, land it, bang it, get it, land it, bang it – and hope that something breaks.”

Curle’s men are again in away action on Saturday afternoon as they visit Home Park to face second-placed Plymouth Argyle, who lost to Notts County last night.