Cheltenham Town slipped to a third defeat on the bounce at the hands of Carlisle United on a disappointing afternoon in Cumbria.
For the second week in succession the Robins were the architects of their own downfall, conceding two goals in 11 second half minutes to hand themselves a uphill task to salvage anything from Brunton Park.
This is not a happy hunting ground for the Robins, winning only once in 13 visits here and that was back in 1933.
Twelve matches have failed to yield a victory and in truth, that record never looked likely to be troubled against a confident side on the march in League Two.
Striker Jamie Devitt scored one and made one for Hallam Hope to hand the Cumbrians a seventh win in eight for their new manager Steven Pressley.
Cheltenham created a string of chances but they were unable to convert them into goals on the day and paid the price on the day.
Macclesfield Town, Cambridge United and Yeovil Town provide the opposition in the next three matches, all at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium, and those games could prove to be pivotal in the eventual outcome of the campaign.
Boss Michael Duff made three changes here.
In came debutant Charlie Raglan, Craig Alcock and Billy Waters while Cameron Pring, Jordon Forster and Jacob Maddox dropped to the bench.
Chris Hussey was restored to the role on the left of midfield while Ben Tozer was flanked by new boy Raglan (on the right) and Craig Alcock in the three-man defence.
Waters was pushed into attack alongside Luke Varney and Tyron Barnett but struggled to make an impression.
Raglan made assured debut following his move from Oxford United during the week, providing a crumb of comfort of Duff in the aftermath of this defeat.
Former Hearts, Celtic and Coventry City manager Pressley took charge of Carlisle United for the first time and his new side produced four wild efforts over the course of the opening 45 minutes.
Their best chance of the first half fell to Devitt but Scott Flinders flew to his left to deny the striker from one range.
Cheltenham's first opportunity of the game arrived in the ninth minute when Hussey's run down the left resulted in an angled effort that flew a foot over the bar.
Tyrone Barnett was presented with Cheltenham's best chance with the interval approaching when Hussey sent over a corner from the right, however the big striker glanced his header wide of the left upright.
Carlisle took full control of the match with two goals inside the opening 11 minutes of the second half.
The first of which came about four minutes after the break, Jamie Devitt with the goal for the Cumbrians.
It started out on the right where 17-year-old Liam McCarron found a cross which looked to evade Devitt, but the striker checked back to retrieve the ball and had plenty of time to spin and release a shot that found the back of the net via the inside of the right post.
Raglan almost posted an immediate response, latching onto a loose ball and forcing Adam Collin into a diving save from 20 yards.
But the home side doubled their advantage with 56 minutes on the clock after Chris Clements had surrendered possession in midfield, allowing Devitt to supply a ball into the path of Hope who cooly slotted home under Flinders.
They had chances to make it three but Danny Grainger's well struck volley skidded past the right post and Hope pulled an effort across goal and wide.
Duff made two changes, replacing Waters and Varney with Maddox and Alex Addai and his side went on to enjoy their best spell of the game.
Maddox immediately forced a decent stop from the edge of the box before Ryan Broom called Collin into a smart low save but it proved too little, too late.
Flinders dropped to block a George Glendon effort in the closing stages and Tozer blocked Regan Slater's effort on the stroke of full time.
The result sets up three huge tests of Duff's side against sides at the foot of League Two which could prove pivotal come May.
CARLISLE UNITED (4-3-3): Collin; Miller (Glendon 81), Gerrard, Parkes, Grainger (c); Slater, Etuhu, Sowerby; McCarron (Jones 75), Devitt (Simpson 83), Hope. Subs not used: Gray (Gk), Kennedy, Gillesphey, Egan.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (3-4-3): Flinders; Raglan, Tozer (c), Alcock (Dawson 86); Broom, Clements, Thomas, Hussey; Waters (Maddox 65), Varney (Addai 65), Barnett. Subs not used: Lovett (Gk), Mullins, Forster, Pring.
REFEREE: C Boyeson
ATTENDANCE: 4,458 (110 from Cheltenham)