SWINDON Town head coach Jody Morris was at a loss to explain why his players attempted to build from the back instead of firing a long ball forward moments before Carlisle United’s last-second winner on Saturday.

With the score at 1-1 inside five minutes of stoppage time – thanks to goals from Carlisle’s Jack Armer and Town’s Tyrese Shade – Tom Clayton decided to pass back to goalkeeper Sol Brynn who then scuffed his clearance forward.

Carlisle went on to win a corner from the mistake before securing all three points as Owen Moxon’s delivery was headed home by ex-Port Vale striker Ryan Edmondson at the far post.

It was the first time Town had conceded a crucial added-time goal all season, and post-match, Morris was asked about the brutal lessons League Two can hand out.

MATCH REPORT: Edmondson heads stoppage-time winner for Cumbrians.

He said: “It’s not so much League Two, it’s just football.

“If you’re going to gift opposition teams an opportunity from nowhere to sling the ball in the box with big lads in the team, you’re going to give yourself a problem.

“We never really had a problem before that. Both goals, we don’t need to concede the first corner. And we can defend it better anyway.”

Following a lifeless first half at the County Ground, Carlisle scored early on in the second before sitting back and handing Town the initiative.

Swindon took advantage of their superior pressure 10 minutes before the end through Shade, but failed to turn the game on its head when the opportunity presented itself.

Morris continued his perplexed post-match interview by saying: “It was even more frustrating given we were in the ascendancy and there was only one team looking like they were going to win the game.

“The fact we then try and play out when there’s 30 seconds to go, why we were trying to play out, I don’t know.

“We had some players pointing up the pitch saying: “get the ball forward.” On the bench, we wanted them to get the ball forward because we wanted to win the game.

“They then get a corner from nothing. I’m caught between really wanting to have a pop at the lads and saying they didn’t deserve that because we played some good stuff.”