Hartlepool United boss Simon Grayson felt a 3-1 defeat was not a fair reflection of the game against Carlisle United.
The visiting boss felt his side “asked questions” of the Blues and played well between the two boxes.
But Grayson also conceded that his side did not take a particularly key chance – and then failed to limit Carlisle’s supply at the other end.
“It’s frustrating, because when you look at the game, I don’t think there was a lot in it,” said the Monkey Hangers’ manager.
“There were two teams looking to be attack-minded and I think big moments in the game…we didn’t take the opportunities from.
“The most notable one is in the first minute of the game [a great chance which saw Jermaine Sinclair denied by Gabe Breeze].
“You’ve got to take those chances in the first minute, because it sets the tempo in the ground, they’re gobsmacked, we’re buoyant by it, [as are] our supporters.
“Then we had another good opportunity just after that – and before you know it, their first attack and we’re one down when we started the game brightly.
“It’s those fine margins in games that we’ve not been able to capitalise on.
“I’m not saying Carlisle wouldn’t have come back into it [if we had scored in the first minute] but what it does is lay the foundations for us to be buoyant and give them a bit of a wake-up call that Hartlepool are a decent team.”
Cameron Harper gave United the lead with Sinclair levelling early in the second half, only for Georgie Kelly and Morgan Feeney to fire the Blues to victory.
“We responded well [to Carlisle’s opener], passed the ball well and I thought between the two boxes we played some good stuff,” added Grayson in a club interview.
“We didn’t defend our box well enough and stop crosses coming into our box. They had some good centre-forwards on the pitch and we didn’t deal with them well enough.
“And when we had the ball in the final third, we crossed it into the keeper’s hands too many times, or didn’t ask their defenders too many questions.”
Hartlepool conceded more than once in a game for the first time this season as Carlisle prevailed. The north east club dropped to 11th in the National League.
“That game tonight, for me, I don’t think that was a 3-1 defeat for us – between the boxes we played some good stuff and asked questions of them,” added Grayson, whose assistant is the former Carlisle manager Neil McDonald.
“We just didn’t defend our box well enough like we have done all season. When you give good players time to put a ball in the box, and allow opposition players a couple of free headers, at this level of quality that Carlisle have got, they’re going to take those opportunities.”
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