NIGEL Adkins bemoaned his team’s defending after Saints suffered a 3-2 defeat at Carlisle today.

Adkins cut a frustrated figure following the loss at Brunton Park in a game he felt Saints should have won.

The manager was not happy with the way his players defended and felt all three goals they conceded were easily preventable.

“You can’t go away from home and give three poor goals away – end of story,” he said.

“We had numerous chances to score goals there.

“The shape was set-up nicely to counter-attack their presence of getting the ball forward, to make sure we could dominate the middle of the park, get the ball and pass it, and go and counter-attack.

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“Opportunities were there in abundance to go and do it and then you’ve got a lack of concentration.

“Top and bottom, you cannot concede the goals that we’ve gone and conceded.

“Two-nil down at half-time, okay you’ve got to go and deal with it for the second half.

“The game was there to go and totally dominate second-half.

“But you cannot go and concede the goal we’ve conceded from a set-play where one player hasn’t done his job.

“We should have got a victory from this game.

“There was perfect one-on-one duels to go and win, there was an opportunity to overload areas to get the ball and pass it.”