The Carlisle News and Star described Chris Lines' injury-time winner last week as "a cruel blow for valiant United."
Maybe their description was justified and the paper rather bitterly went on "rarely has a team been so appropriately nicknamed, because the victory Bristol Rovers snaffled here was undeniably the work of Pirates."
Greg Abbott insisted he was "delighted" with his Carlisle United players despite the Blues' four-match unbeaten run coming to the "cruellest possible end" at Rovers.
The News and Star added: "The sucker punch denied Abbott's side the chance to move into mid-table in League One, instead sending them down three places to 18th."
But the Blues' manager claimed it was important to see the bigger picture, claiming his team remained in good form despite Saturday's setback.
He said: "I am delighted with the players. They are still going in the right direction. I am desperately disappointed but still quite pleased with the progress we are making. We just have to make sure that when we get our chance to win games, we put people to bed. On Saturday we didn't do that."
Abbott told the News and Star: "It's time for me to be brave, shelve my disappointment and help the players.
"For more than 90 minutes they have given everything they have got, competed and played some smashing stuff, and the whole thing was just a result away from being a perfect trip."
Chris Lines is hoping his winning goal will be the morale-booster that helps to get their season back on track.
He told the Bristol Evening Post: "You go away with a real buzz knowing you've got the goal and, more importantly, three points. Now we have to make it two in a row against Gillingham."
The goal was Lines' fourth of the season and second in his last three outings - although he admits he didn't know too much about it at the time.
"Stuart Campbell's corner kick was swirling in the wind and their goalkeeper shouted for my marker to leave the ball - but then he missed it and I think it hit me on the chest and went in," said Lines.
Manager Paul Trollope has given Lines a licence to attack from midfield, and the Bristolian is hoping to keep adding to his tally.
"I'm really enjoying it," he said. "I've started to get forward a lot more, which Trolls has encouraged me to do.
"He wants me to run with the ball at defenders and sometimes at this level defenders back off when you do that because they are not expecting it."
Paul Trollope told the Post how he hailed the spirit of his side after they twice fought back from behind. And the manager is urging his players to ensure their dramatic 3-2 victory is a turning point in their season.
The Rovers boss said: "The finish of the game, and the way we won it, can hopefully change the mentality of the whole group."
Trollope praised the part the home fans played in sticking with the side.
"We knew this was a very important game for us and there was an expectation of a win after the run we have been on," said the manager.
"When you have lost six on the spin and you go 2-1 down at home, it is a difficult place to be.
"I have to give credit to the fans because despite those two factors they really got behind us and made a difference. The support they gave us when we were 2-1 down and trying to get back in it was fantastic - they played a big part in that final spurt we managed to put on."
Trollope acknowledged that he still have defensive problems that need sorting out.
He said: "I don't think it would have been possible to do more work on set-pieces than we did in the week, and to concede in the manner we did was down to individuals and not a collective thing. It must stop.
"We talk about transferring the training and the coaching we do into games, but sometimes when you are on a bad run it is difficult to do that.
"To concede from a set piece after all we had done was a real blow."
Rovers handed a first league start to youngster Ben Swallow and Trollope said: "Ben gave us a good width and produced one or two crosses in the first half. He tired a bit in the second period, which you would expect, but he can be satisfied with it."
On leaving St. Mary's Stadium recently after Andy William's great last-minute winner some disgruntled Saints fans were telling me how unhappy they were about having paid Rovers £1 million for Rickie Lambert who had only scored three goals by then.
I wonder how they feel now he has passed the 14-goal mark as they rise up the table, not to mention the FA Cup win against us.
After their recent 2-2 draw with Orient, the London club's boss, former Pirate Geraint Williams, told the Mail On Sunday that Lambert's two goals that day were "million-pound strikes. That's what you get if you pay a million for a striker."
