At a post match press conference Collins said: “At this stage I don’t really care, I’m fed up with it. I’m looking at teams that are in the play-offs and with all due respect to them, I felt that if I had been allowed to bring in the players that I wanted we could have been there.

“You come to the end of the season with nothing to show for it but Football League survival and that’s not an achievement. It’s embarrassing for me to have people clapping me on the back just for surviving.

“We still have no new owner of the club. Time is running out and I am bitterly disappointed as I would have liked to have been here for the next five years. But if the deal for Carlisle is not done quickly we are going to meet a Second Division club on Wednesday and if the deal is right John Courtenay will buy the club.

“At the end of the day I just want to get a club into the First Division and I can achieve that if I can get the right tools at Carlisle. That’s what John wants. He wants to work with me, we are a partnership. But if not Carlisle, John will take his millions and I will take my background with me and we’ll just take on another club and get progress there.”

These comments resulted in a formal statement from the club which said: “The remarks made by Manager Roddy Collins today, following the match with Shrewsbury Town have astonished the Board of Directors and following several recent outbursts made by the Manager which have upset both John Courtenay and Michael Knighton, it is the considered view of the Board of Directors that it is in the best interest of Carlisle United Football Club that Roddy Collins be relieved of his duties forthwith.

A statement regarding the sale of CUFC to John Courtenay will be made by solicitors on Monday.”

On face value a one-nil scoreline would indicate a fairly tight game but that could not be further from the truth. But for man of the match heroics from Peter Keen, a couple of goal line clearances and intervention from the woodwork on two occasions the Cumbrians would have been on the receiving end of a cricket score.

It was very much a case of men against boys, particularly in midfield, where Carlisle teenagers Michael Jack and Will McDonagh were left chasing the shadows of a Shrewsbury side boasting the experience of ex Nottingham Forest star Ian Woan.

In a frantic opening five minutes Keen made outstanding saves from Lowe and Tolley and the Shrews spurned further chances as Lowe, Guinan and Heathcote went close.

The Cumbrians cause was not helped on 21 minutes when Peter Murphy was red carded for a high challenge on Andy Thompson.

After almost constant pressure Shrewsbury finally got their deserved breakthrough on 38 minutes. Former Sunderland player Micky Heathcote floated a free kick onto the head of Matt Redmile, with Ryan Lowe dropping onto the knock down to rifle a great shot across Keen into the bottom corner.

The second half saw goal line clearances from Andrews and Jack as well as Lowe and Woan hitting the woodwork.

Richie Foran had a great chance of salvaging a point for Carlisle late on, but headed over after good work by Jonny Allan. But Carlisle getting anything out of the game would have been an injustice.

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