Carlisle Utd 0 Crewe Alexandra 2: This period is going so badly for Carlisle United that events are now turning against them in other games, too. Example: Exeter score three goals in four minutes against Yeovil to send the Blues out of the play-off places.

That was the final punishment on another bruising day. The truth, though, is that the Grecians' turbo-charged comeback in Devon was irrelevant to United's plummeting season, whatever the table said.

Even had they clung onto seventh, the Blues would still have no right to be considered as contenders whilst this freefall continues. Seven games without a goal, and just the one point, is quite desperate form and what was most telling on Saturday was what you could hear through much of the second half.

Resignation, it felt like. There were a few boos, a handful of encouraging cheers, but also a pointed lack of rage against this latest scoreless defeat.

That is damning. It says United's slide has become the norm. Once they went behind to Crewe in the 34th minute another reasonable start became another dismal finish. Shaun Miller's dismissal, early in the second half, just topped it off.

"That gave us a hill to climb," said Keith Curle of Miller's dreadful challenge on Oliver Turton in front of the dugouts that brought the red card out of Nigel Miller's back pocket. No denying that going down to 10 men five minutes after the restart didn't exactly help.

But right now United look incapable of climbing any hill even with 11 men plus a squad of sherpas. The route to goal has eluded them for 686 minutes and the map to promotion, which they seemed to be treading confidently until Christmas, has been lost.

Can they get it back? It would be a brave punter who said yes. After the game Curle looked for hope with the imminent return of Jason Kennedy and Jabo Ibehre, but also had another damaging injury to chew over: this time Nicky Adams, whose hamstring went here.

It is undeniable that the recurring loss of key men has hurt United. Curle also cited the removal of Charlie Wyke's goals at the end of January. But these only explain part of the collapse. It should not have got this bad, this dramatically. What the Blues were doing in the autumn should not have been so precarious.

Yet it seems that it was, and naturally the spotlight needs to shine again on the strategy that put it all in motion. It is with good reason that some fans are comparing this to the Devon Loch season of 1989/90 yet this current tumble has actually been steeper, for it took Clive Middlemass's Blues until the final day to sink out of the play-offs - plus they never had quite the cushion Curle's men had built.

With seven games to go what United urgently need is a goal to fly in off somebody's behind, a friendly ref, favourable alignment of the planets - anything, just to drop some positivity back into a side that looked bereft of all confidence the longer this game went on.

It was stark to watch players who had been at the core of the better run trying without any good outcome. Stark to watch a fairly lively start flatline, once Crewe settled. United indeed began briskly in the sun, almost forcing a Jordan Bowery own-goal, and testing the visitors further through a Danny Grainger shot.

Next, Adams dashed past his man and nearly served Jamie Proctor. These opening forays were backed by hopeful noises from the stands. Bowery missed at the other end for Crewe but there seemed purpose about Carlisle's play, Jamie Proctor heading home an Adams free-kick but thwarted by an offside flag.

United also pressed David Artell's team well in this period, while there was spice between the technical areas, especially when Artell encroached into Carlisle's and was rebuked by Lee Dykes.

Yet on the pitch the fight then faded. Crewe's passing game began opening some spaces, and half-chances for James Jones and George Cooper. Then they cut a deft hole in United's defence as Callum Cooke's pass to Cooper was returned cutely over the static back line, Cooke running through to volley it past Mark Gillespie.

It was well executed but also found Carlisle exposed. It also put their goalless anxiety back under the spotlight. Miller, against his former club, forced a save from Ben Garratt, a few more long throws fell to earth, while Jones examined Gillespie with a free-kick before the break. An electrical fault then limited the normal half-time entertainment and the quietness in the stadium rather reflected things from here.

Early after the restart Jamie Devitt scrambled back possession but, as it broke between Miller and Turton, the striker's lunge was late and his dismissal no surprise. Another absentee for four games. "A centre-forward's challenge," Curle said, generously. There will be no appeal.

There then followed another period that felt darkly inevitable. After a Reggie Lambe shot was comfortably saved, Adams limped off (Junior Joachim came on) and Crewe knifed through for their second, Bowery tucking it home from close range after Cooper evaded Luke Joyce down United's left.

The collapse was now firmly in train, with no evidence of a fightback. As Curle further readjusted, Michael Raynes saw his number go up and fairly sprinted off, so urgent was the cause. Yet George Waring, his replacement, could do little to improve United's attacking threat, and it was for Joyce - one of the day's better players - to chance his arm, while Proctor was denied on the turn by Garratt.

These were the highlights of an otherwise tame spell when United lacked invention or poise. Some fans started leaving before the 80th minute and those who remained - including an admirable bunch of vocal kids - saw Gillespie prevent further dismay, the keeper saving from Cooke when the first Crewe scorer went clean through.

Again, at the end, there was a mixture of resigned applause and some booing as the men in blue came off. This is such a marked contrast to those October days, when Carlisle were rolling opponents over and Curle was merrily conducting the Paddock, one can barely believe it is all happening in the same season.

What happened in Exeter then said there are no more favours left for United to call in. "Now it's a seven-game season, our starting point is eighth, and we need to make the play-offs," said Curle, optimistically. It is going to be a mighty test of his ability as much as anyone's to bring that fading dream, and all that long-lost hope, back to any sort of life.