Mark Hughes insisted “we’re not finished yet” after Carlisle United kept their slim survival hopes alive with a comeback victory over Newport County.
The Blues fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Brunton Park.
League Two’s bottom side are now eight points from safety with five games left.
Hughes issued a defiant message about their prospects of pulling off a remarkable escape even though the odds remain stacked against the Cumbrians.
“Somebody’s thrown the stat out that we haven’t come back from 2-0 down in a league game for ten years, so that tells you the level of the result,” he told the News & Star.
“We’ll take that, but it’s only three more points and we've still got to work exceptionally hard.
“That's what we'll endeavour to do, because this performance and this type of result just gives you a real resilience and an understanding that actually we can stick in and we can make it difficult for the teams above us.
“We've just got to keep them honest and we'll do our bit. We'll try our best to get out of this situation, which we have to admit is of our own making on occasions.
“So we've just got to try and do something special. Nobody anticipates that we will, apart from ourselves and within the football club.
United fans celebrate at full-time (Image: Ben Holmes)
“And the fans, given their reaction after the game… I think they still believe as well, which is massively important for us.
"We're not finished yet."
United were staring down the barrel after two Newport goals in successive first-half minutes, from Kieron Evans and Bobby Kamwa, left them adrift.
But Georgie Kelly’s first two goals in a Carlisle shirt wiped out the visitors’ lead before Aaron Hayden scored the winner late on.
Hughes insisted that, even at 2-0 down, he believed United could find a way back.
“Yes, we were 2-0 down, but we thought it was just things going against us, not because we were playing particularly poorly or we were a bad team,” the head coach said.
“We know we can play well and we stuck with that belief.
“It's the belief that we've seen and worked with all the time we've been in the building.
“I know it's there. And it came to the forefront here, which is what we needed at that time."
Kelly earned the man-of-the-match award after he ended a long and injury-hit spell at Carlisle by breaking his duck.
The Irish frontman had not scored for the Blues since his move on deadline day in February 2024, but responded to his first home start of the season with a double amid a strong 90-minute showing.
Georgie Kelly scored his first two goals for United against Newport (Image: Ben Holmes)
“You've got to be thankful for what he's given us,” added Hughes.
“It’s been a torrid time for the boy and he's remained positive. He's been able to get out there, we've looked after him, we've tried to bleed him into the team.
“I don't know when the last time he played 90 minutes was – two or three years ago, I think.
“So for him to have that level of performance and play the 90 minutes and still affect the game like he did, it's credit to him.”
Carlisle are now chasing third-bottom Accrington Stanley, who dropped in the table after a 4-0 defeat at Bromley, while Tranmere Rovers moved up to 21st after a 4-0 win over Chesterfield.
The Blues next head to second-bottom Morecambe next weekend.
