Keith Curle says his former club Carlisle United “lack penetration” with their passing.

The Northampton boss was delighted to leave his old club with three points after Tuesday night’s 2-0 win.

Curle received a good reception from home fans and said his Cobblers side got a grip of the game in the second half.

On United he said: “I’ve watched their last four games and they can dominate possession of the ball and they can give you a chasing because they’ve got good technicians and they can handle the ball.

“They lack a bit of penetration with their passing so you need to have total concentration and total discipline to know when you can get it and when you can’t and when you need to retain your shape.”

Curle said a save by Northampton keeper David Cornell from Nathan Thomas late in the first half proved a decisive moment.

Sam Pollock and Sam Hoskins struck in the second half for his side.

Curle added: "The half-time team talk was very simple: they wanted to play football, we needed to win the game. And we found a way to do that."