Carlisle United 3 Southampton 2

Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Carlisle, far away from the security of St Mary’s, was one of a self-inflicted nature.

That it brought to an end a four-game winning streak made it all the more disappointing.

In truth, though, it was a day that had been threatening for a little while now.

Saints have picked up plenty of good results in the past few weeks.

And, under manager Nigel Adkins, they have started to really climb the League One table.

But Saints are a side still battling with themselves to some extent.

They certainly remain unconvincing as a potential top-two team in this division at the moment.

The biggest reason for that is their performances away from home.

At St Mary’s, there has been little cause for concern.

Six games, five wins and one draw since Adkins arrived tells its own story there.

But Saints don’t generate anywhere near as much confidence when they leave Southampton.

At times, they looked worryingly ragged against Carlisle.

In Saints’ previous away game, they had beaten Notts County 3-1 – but were lucky not to have been more than a goal down after the first hour.

And before that, they had been pretty badly exposed in a 2-0 defeat at Huddersfield.

The quality is there for Saints to be better than that, but they are still trying to fully find their feet.

At times last season, they looked imperious and there was a sense of almost being unbeatable on occasions.

Certainly, when they lined up against Carlisle in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final, no one even entertained the thought they might lose.

But they have yet to find that level of confidence this season and it certainly didn’t appear to be there at Brunton Park for the latest clash with the Cumbrians.

There is no reason to believe it won’t come, though.

Saints had been playing better and better under Adkins until Saturday’s slip-up.

And, while we are still in the relatively early stages of everyone coming to grips with each other, days like this will happen.

Positive results in the next two games, at home to Peterborough and leaders Brighton, would inject huge confidence into everyone ahead of the next away trip, another huge trek to Hartlepool.

But it is important that Saints start translating their performances and belief at St Mary’s into their away trips.

A lot will be made of Adkins switching from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 for Saturday’s defeat.

Changing what had been a winning formation will understandably seem strange to some.

But it is a system that Saints had success with plenty of times last season under Alan Pardew.

The decision to play one or two strikers isn’t one that directly causes your team to concede three terrible goals either.

And, against Carlisle, that was what Saints’ real problem was.

Had they taken the lead at Brunton Park, it could all have been a different story, though.

Adam Lallana had the best early opening, when he was found in space inside Carlisle’s area by Dean Hammond.

The winger cut onto his right foot and looked set to bend the ball past Adam Collin, only to hit his shot straight at the keeper.

A few half chances followed for each side, before the hosts broke the deadlock in the 21st minute.

After the ball fell to Gary Madine, he slipped a perfectly-weighted pass to his right for winger Ben Marshall to run on to.

The on-loan Stoke player made no mistake with his finish.

After Rickie Lambert headed over, Kelvin Davis had to get down to stop Marshall’s low shot on the turn from 20 yards, But he could do nothing about Carlisle’s second goal, which arrived in the 28th minute.

Mike Grella’s cross from the left was heading towards Marshall at the back post.

Dan Harding slid in to try and divert it to safety, but somehow instead managed to bounce the ball over Davis’ head for an own goal.

Harding, who was having a tough time against Marshall, went into the book shortly after for a rash tackle on his tormentor.

Jose Fonte followed him minutes later after he wiped out Grella.

Carlisle should have gone 3-0 up a minute before the break, when James Chester was left completely unmarked from James Berrett’s corner.

But the left-back somehow missed his header from eight yards out.

Saints came out on the front foot after the break, though, and were back in it four minutes after the restart.

Lallana tricked his way down the left, before standing a ball up to the far post, where Alex Chamberlain steamed in to head home.

Saints had plenty of the ball now and were probing away for an equaliser.

But the two-goal deficit was restored in the 58th minute to give Carlisle some breathing room.

After Davis had brilliantly kept out Berrett’s fierce effort, Chester was again unchallenged from the resulting corner.

Morgan Schneiderlin appeared to be the culprit, and this time the defender didn’t miss his header, planting it past Davis.

With 20 minutes to go, Collin brilliantly tipped Hammond’s low drive from the edge of the box wide.

Richard Chaplow should have scored two minutes later, when he was played in by Rickie Lambert’s clever pass, but the midfielder dragged his shot wide.

Adkins then threw on Lee Barnard in place of Schneiderlin, before Hammond did beat Collin in the 81st minute. His ferocious shot from 30 yards moved so much that it completely wrong-footed the keeper and flew in.

Barnard fired a shot just over a moment later, as Saints looked to complete a dramatic comeback.

But the home side held on for a deserved victory.