IT was like listening to a couple of politicians.

Lee Bradbury described this as “a good performance” by Cherries, while opposite number Greg Abbott hailed “a fantastic point” for the visitors.

In the grand scheme of things, both managers probably had every reason to be content with a share of the spoils following an uninspiring Seward Stadium contest.

Play-off chasing Carlisle had arrived in Dorset winless, pointless and goalless on the road since December and had shipped 10 goals in their past three away games.

Their drought soon came to an end when Lee Miller bagged his 14th goal of the season after just four minutes to leave Cherries staring down the barrel of another dispiriting defeat.

However, Miles Addison’s leveller seven minutes from time earned Cherries a draw their endeavours had deserved and also brought Bradbury some much-needed breathing space.

Addison’s equaliser also spared Bradbury the indignity of becoming only the fourth man in Cherries’ Football League history to preside over six successive league defeats.

There were strong cases for both the prosecution and defence as Bradbury’s men fought back valiantly to stem the tide following a disastrous run of league results.

Having garnered only five points from a possible 27 and slipped from the fringes of the play-offs, Cherries have been forced to re-focus their aims in recent weeks.

The fanciful notion of mounting a late bid for promotion has been replaced by the task of claiming enough points to ensure the campaign will not end in tears.

In mitigation for Cherries’ uncompromising approach against the Cumbrians, securing a positive result outweighed the need to entertain, a point not lost on Bradbury.

Confidence in the camp would have been low following a wretched run, while nerves would have been jangling, even before Miller had finished with accuracy to hand Carlisle an early lead.

The combination made for a disjointed and edgy display where Cherries were direct and briefly forceful but lacked cohesion and fluency while the paucity of their passing was another feature.

Bradbury’s summation of the performance being “good” was certainly open to debate, |especially as a few murmurings of discontent from home supporters had greeted the half-time whistle.

But, and after being enlivened by some inspired substitutions, the jeers turned to cheers as an improved second-half showing was rewarded with a point thanks to Addison’s late intervention.

On the flip side, however, there was little to enthral a crowd containing fewer than 5,000 home fol lowers with the floating fans appearing to have sunk without trace.

Considering the vast investment in player recruitment this season, it has come to something when a home draw against Carlisle is regarded as a good result, irrespective of the visitors’ lofty league position.

Following the upheaval in the summer and the dismantling of last season’s squad, five league defeats on the trot in August and September were perhaps excusable and not unexpected given the circumstances.

However, a dismal sequence of one win in nine, coupled with some unpalatable fare served up in February and March, has done little to fill supporters with encouragement.

Cherries’ inability to defend set-pieces has been a recurring theme and again proved their Achilles’ heel as they failed to deal with Jon-Paul McGovern’s corner in the lead up to Miller’s goal.

One goal in six previous matches had been testament to their lack of threat and this was highlighted when Charlie Daniels did well to fire wide when it looked easier to hit the target after 32 minutes.

Daniels’s wasted chance was sandwiched between two headers from Addison, one cleared off the line by Chris Chantler, another saved by Carlisle goalkeeper Adam Collin.

Wes Thomas, who was paired with Jayden Stockley in the second half, saw his touch desert him when he over-ran the ball and allowed Collin to clear following a Shaun MacDonald pass just after the break.

Tempers flared following a clash between Liam Noble and Harry Arter, with Abbott banished to the stand after appearing to manhandle fourth official Paul Rees.

Although Collin saved smartly from Marc Pugh’s free-kick, he was beaten when Addison arrived at the far post to head home a corner to end Cherries’ wait of more than eight hours for a goal.