Again the Cumbrians created enough themselves to have got at least a point out of the game. But the defensive frailties which have dogged them for most of the season saw the demons surface again to gift a win to a struggling Shrewsbury side who hadn’t won in six.

Their benevolent defence have conceded two or more goals in each of their last ten games, making life difficult for a side who have only scored eight goals in the same period.

The club is due to come out of administration on Tuesday which should allow Roddy Collins to bring players in to bolster a young squad in urgent need of some on-field leadership.

Collins refuses to panic and said after the game: “It was like déjà vu from last week. I can’t understand it. We normally start really quick and get amongst it early but we didn’t touch the ball and it was in the back of the net. I felt the lads recovered well. They didn’t put their heads down, they played some great football but the final ball around the box wasn’t breaking for us.

“We got a break with the own goal after tenacious work on the left but then got caught with a big ball into the box. Something you should deal with at schoolboy level cost us the point that we had. That’s something we’ve got to sort out but we’re working really hard at that.

“It’s disappointing from the supporters point of view and we have a few frustrated people but I’m not going to lose any sleep over the situation.”

Carlisle’s clean sheet remained intact for only 46 seconds when a Jason Van Blerk cross from the left was deftly volleyed into the top corner by Karl Murray from the edge of the box.

The Shrews continued to dominate and Nigel Jemson almost stretched the lead but his volley flew narrowly wide with Peter Keen stranded.

Matt Redmile then side footed an Ian Woan corner the wrong side of the post before Carlisle slowly got to grips with the game.

Leon Osman forced Ian Dunbavin into a diving save and Craig Farrell should have done better than head straight at the keeper from a Brian Shelley cross.

The game was proving a very open affair with chances coming at both ends. Ryan Lowe shot straight at Keen and Ryan Baldacchino had a twenty yard effort tipped round the post by Dunbavin. From the corner Osman showed great control to pull the ball down before volleying narrowly over the bar.

On 35 minutes John Sutton should have put the Cumbrians level after latching onto a long clearance from Darren Kelley only to shoot weakly at Dunbavin when clear.

The Shrews came back with Jemson heading wide a Woan free kick and Keen did well to beat out a ferocious Lowe shot.

Eight minutes into the second half Osman got on the end of a headed clearance from Artell to shoot narrowly over the bar but the Cumbrians got their equaliser from an own goal three minutes later.

Mark Magennis showed great perseverance to dispossess Darren Moss on the left by-line and his hooked cross ricocheted off Redmile past a wrong-footed Dunbavin.

Sutton then headed a Baldacchino cross past the post and Dunbavin had to be at his best to keep out an Osman volley from a Murphy corner.

But that elusive winner would not come and the Cumbrians fell to another sucker goal with 12 minutes remaining.

Woan floated a deep free kick to the far post and Artell got above the Carlisle defenders to loop a header across Keen into the far corner.

Two minutes into stoppage time Darren Kelly had a great chance to save a point but could only head straight at Dunbavin from a Murphy free kick.

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