Burnett baffled by dismissals

Dagenham manager Wayne Burnett could not understand why a player from each side was sent off in their 1-0 defeat to Carlisle.

Carlisle just held on for a vital three points which carried them six points clear of the relegation places and up into fifth bottom after the day's other results went their way. But their win over Dagenham ended with a controversial double sending off for Daggers' defender Ayo Obileye and Carlisle's Troy Archibald-Henville after an 18-man bundle in the home penalty area. But Bennett was none the wiser as to why they were shown reds. "I don't know why they were sent off," he explained. "They were just hugging each other. No punches were thrown and it was just a case of players with lots of testosterone having a bit of a cuddle." Burnett refused to blame referee Graham Salisbury for another incident late in the game when Joss Labadie was booked after having penalty claims turned down. However he said: "I thought it was a penalty. Officials have a hard enough job and the referee decided it was not a penalty, but he was six yards out so why would he go down?" Burnett admitted he was disappointed with his side's performance although Matt Partridge nearly snatched an added time goal with a fierce shot which hit the underside of the bar and somehow bounced out. The Daggers' manager added: "We knew it would be tough in the second half with the wind. Conditions weren't great and there was no penetration in our play and we caused our own problems at times. It's okay having the ball, but you have got to do something with it. "We had a good spell in the final 15-20 minutes when we changed the shape and we almost scored at the end." Carlisle's winner came in the 55th minute from on-loan Bradford midfield man Jason Kennedy who bundled the ball home from six yards after Patrick Brough had the first effort from Charlie Wyke's pull back. Apart from Sean O'Hanlon's early effort against the post, there were few clear cut chances as both teams struggled for control in a swirling wind. Carlisle assistant manager Colin West admitted:"It was a massive game for us and a massive result. We can't think it's all done, but it's a better situation to be in." The Carlisle players gave a good response to manager Keith Curle's blast after their previous defeat against Accrington when he accused some of his players as being "weak." West said: "It was never going to be pretty. There has been a lot of talk about the attitude of the players and the things the manager has said and everyone was looking to see what the response would be. The lads have got on with it and got a good, hard fought result." The Carlisle assistant had a special word for the experienced members of the side. "They came to the fore and did amazingly well for us." Carlisle will be trying to extend the loan of the goalscorer Kennedy which, West revealed, expired after this game. "He's been a breath of fresh air since coming here," he said. On the sending offs, West said: "There looked like their might be fisticuffs. Everyone else started to get involved and made it look worse than it was. Troy will be a big miss because he's a massive player."