Carlisle boss Paul Simpson hailed his players and the club’s fans after his winning start back at Brunton Park continued with a last-gasp 2-1 League Two victory.

Jordan Gibson’s late penalty stunned promotion-seeking Northampton after Tobi Sho-Silva’s opener was cancelled out by Paul Lewis, before Fraser Horsfall handled the ball in the box in stoppage-time.

And Simpson, who has steered the sinking Cumbrian ship nine points clear of danger after four wins on the bounce, said: “The supporters have been brilliant haven’t they?

“They have come out of hiding and come and supported us.

“The players have stepped up and taken the shackles off and they’re playing well.

“It’s a two-fold thing because people expect the fans to come into stadiums and lift the players, but players have to lift the fans as well and I think the way we went about it today lifted them.

“It really opened up in the second half and was really loud. It must have been the half-time pies, Bovril and beer which did it.

“It was brilliant, what an incredible atmosphere. Then to get a last-minute winner just sends everyone home happy.

“I’d have taken a point. I was thinking that we didn’t want to lose. We wanted to keep that momentum.

“We’ve done it a couple of times now, we need to keep that going – let’s go as long as we can.”

The second-placed Cobblers missed the chance to take advantage of league-leaders Forest Green’s latest slip up.

But boss Jon Brady was more interested in the decision which led to Horsfall’s game-defining handball.

He said: “First and foremost, it shouldn’t be a foul on that side.

“It’s not a free-kick in the first place and then Fraser unfortunately handles it. It’s not a foul.

“I cannot for the life of me comprehend what the linesman has seen there.

“By the stats, you can see we dominated all over the pitch.

“We got in really good areas today and just haven’t quite put the ball in the back of the net.

“We fought our way back into the game so to lose it like that is really tough.

“We pushed to try and get the next one but then the linesman gives a foul that isn’t a foul.

“We changed to a back three to try and see it out.

“I’m just really frustrated with that decision. That linesman, it’s right in front of him. He’s two metres away from it.”