Carlisle fans feel despair
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Substitute Kayode Odejayi's late header condemned Carlisle to the Conference for the first time in their history.
Brendan McGill, who converted Andy Preece's miskicked shot, had given them hope of taking their survival fight to the final day of the season.
But Lee Andrews headed Damian Spencer's effort off the line and Odejayi scored off the bar from the following corner.
The goal was a hammer blow for the majority of the 9,500 fans - the biggest home attendance of the season.
Carlisle narrowly avoided relegation in four out of the last four years, and a dismal start to this campaign saw manager Roddy Collins lose his job.
Paul Simpson took charge at the end of August and, although he inspired an improvement in the second half of the season, it was not enough.
A win would have set up the possibility of another unlikely escape act on the final day of the season, but that will not happen now.
Carlisle: Glennon, Shelley, Andrews, Murphy, Cowan, McGill,
Boyd, Simpson, Farrell, Preece, Foran. Subs: Arnison, Duffield,
Rundle, McDonagh, Langmead.
Cheltenham: Higgs, Wilson, Michael Duff, Shane Duff, Victory,
Brayson, Finnigan, Bird, McCann, Fyfe, Spencer. Subs: Book,
Griffin, Forsyth, Odejayi, Connolly.
Referee: P Danson (Leicestershire).
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MMIX
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