But the three valuable points ground out against Southend may yet prove priceless, in a league season where a winning habit has proved as elusive as commission to a football agent.

This was a game the Cumbrians should have won comfortably. But a combination of indifferent finishing, bad luck and a man of the match performance from Shrimpers keeper Danny Gay combined to leave the already threadbare nerves of the home supporters to jangle a little more.

Manager Roddy Collins was pleased for his players, who have given their manager full commitment in recent weeks with little reward. “For me personally the three points were important.” he said. “But more important than the three points was to get a win for the lads because they’ve absolutely grafted their socks off for the whole of last eight games. They didn’t get the breaks they maybe deserved and have been punished for every mistake they made. I said to them that I feel as if they’ve climbed Mount Everest or swam the Irish Sea and when they arrived there was nobody there to greet them.

“I just felt so sorry for them but they have never lost their belief in themselves and the confidence in the dressing room has never wavered.”

Home debutant Jamie Burt almost broke the early deadlock when he turned on a Mark Hudson pass to force Gay into a save low to his right.

On 24 minutes Hudson went closer still when Burt headed down for him to rifle a thirty yard shot which was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Gay.

But the Cumbrians took a deserved lead with 32 minutes gone, when the impressive Adam Rundle skinned Mark Beard down the left and his cross took a deflection into the path of Jon McArthy, who smashed home from 12 yards.

Farrell then dragged a shot across goal before Southend were unlucky not to draw level on 38 minutes. Tony Scully’s corner was met by a Mark Rawle header which Brian Shelley cleared off the line. Rawle reacted quickest to the loose ball to crash a shot against the bar, which rebounded straight into the grateful arms of a prostrate Matty Glennon on the goal line.

Graeme Jones then broke through only to be denied by a last ditch Darren Kelly tackle, but that was virtually the last goalscoring opportunity Southend could muster as the Cumbrians went on to dominate the remainder of the game.

Two minutes into the second half Burt released Rundle but his dangerous cross from the left was deflected onto his own post by Phil Whelan.

Rundle was growing in confidence as the game wore on and he was unlucky not to get the goal his performance deserved on the hour. He cut in from the left to shoot across Gay only to see his effort rebound off the far post to safety.

Carlisle continued to push for a second goal, Burt heading wide a Byrne free kick and Hudson’s goalbound effort being deflected for a corner by Leon Cort.

With three minutes remaining a Paul Robinson flick on put Farrell clear but Gay made a great save at the forwards feet and then made another great block as Robinson smashed the loose ball goalwards.

In the last minute former Carlisle fullback Damon Searle then cleared a dangerous Farrell cross