They led at the break after Alistair Banks scored his seventh goal of the season as they sought to build on their victory at Crook the previous weekend. But they were unable to resist strong Carlisle pressure once they had been reduced to nine men.

Lee Hume and Josh Allen returned to the starting line-up with Jonny Haase and Harry Croft unavailable. Centre-back George Wilkinson, newly signed from Chester-le-Street Town, was named on the bench.

Town made a lively start, with wide men Kenzie Harker and Jack Stapley pressing forward dangerously, and they got their reward after 34 minutes. Harker’s strong shot was parried by Carlisle ‘keeper Tom Randall and Banks was on hand to convert from close range and put himself clear at the top of the home scoring charts.

Carlisle always looked a threat, however, and took clinical advantage of their numerical superiority. Things started to unravel for Northallerton after Harker was sent off for the second of two cheap yellow cards midway through the second half.

It got worse when skipper Lee Hume was directed towards the sin bin after what appeared to be a frank exchange of views with the referee. The visitors cashed in against their opponents’ depleted ranks in the 79th minute when Callum Birdsall produced a neat finish to equalise from the edge of the box.

Hume briefly returned to the field only to follow Harker down the tunnel after a further exchange with the referee. Town manager Deano Browne threw on all five substitutes in a frantic attempt to plug gaps and change formations.

Opposing boss Dan Kirkup pulled off a masterstroke of his own when he introduced himself as a substitute. The move paid off when he spooned in the winner nine minutes from the end.

Despite the result, Browne was able to find positives in a tough battle against the odds with a performance that on another day would surely have merited a point. But with a trip to second-placed Shildon next Saturday, he knows that hauling his side away from the danger zone will not be easy.

Northallerton Town: Calvert, Cullen, J Kitching (Nicholas 62), Sartini, Allen (Kirokiro 80),
Dale, Stapley (Wilkinson 68), Coatsworth (Martin 79), Banks (W Kitching 46), Hume, Harker.

Carlisle City: Randall, Kelly, Park (Walker 76), Olsen, Simpson, James (Kirkup 76), Buckmaster, Holt, Birdsall, Irving, Fitzpatrick.

Subs not used: Townsley, Palmer, Liam Lightfoot.

Man of the Match: Ben Dale.

Att: 141.