CARLISLE’S cracking home form might have put paid to Rob Page’s 100% record for the season.

But while he was “bitterly disappointed” by Tuesday’s 2-1 League I setback, Town’s no-nonsense centre-back believes there were still positives to bring back from Brunton Park.

With four clean sheets and four wins beforehand, to go with two clean sheets and two wins in his only appearances for Coventry this campaign, the 33-year-old former Wales international has made an impressive start to his Town career.

He couldn’t foil the Cumbrians as they chalked up a club-record 10th successive home league win.

However Page, who provided a glimmer of hope by scoring only his sixth career goal with three minutes plus stoppage time remaining, believes the fact that Carlisle were made to scrap so hard for their three-point haul bodes well for Town as they plot a push for the play-off positions.

After their FA Cup interlude at Chelsea, Andy Ritchie’s side, who were 15th before today’s 10 League I matches, resume normal duties at home to Millwall on Tuesday.

And Page says whatever the outcome against Avram Grant’s quadruple challengers at Stamford Bridge, Town will be tuned in for their clash with one of the capital’s less glamorous clubs.

“The FA Cup is a great competition to play in and it can bring great rewards, like our trip to Chelsea,” said Page, whose Town debut was in the 1-0 fourth-round win at Oldham and who played in Sheffield United’s semi-final clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2002-03.

“But League I is our bread and butter, and in terms of where we want to be as a club, which is back in the Championship, Millwall is a more important game than Chelsea.”

Page, who began his career at Watford and has played for Cardiff as well as Sheffield United and Coventry, dropped out of the Championship to sign a Town deal which runs until the end of this season.

But the man who had made 465 club appearances and played 42 times for Wales before his arrival at the Galpharm says the prospect of playing regular football again made the decision an easy one.

“It’s great to have my boots back on and I’m loving it at this club,” said the Sheffield-based father of three (he and wife Kerry have daughters Corey and Tyler and a son Zachary).

“I wasn’t really in the picture at Coventry, and having been captain there at one time, it was frustrating to be playing reserve matches at Nuneaton Borough’s ground in front of three men and a dog.

“Andy Ritchie came in and gave me an opportunity here at Huddersfield, and I’ve absolutely no regrets about coming here.

“It’s a friendly club, the rest of the boys have made it really easy for me to settle in, the supporters have backed me and I really believe we can go places.

“Okay, we had a blip at Carlisle, but the fact that we came away from such a tough place to visit feeling bitterly disappointed that we hadn’t got a point speaks volumes.

“They’re a good side, who I’m certain will be up there with the likes of Swansea and Doncaster at the end of the season.

“But we created plenty of chances during a spell at the start of the second half when we dominated, and the only problem was that we couldn’t force an equaliser at that stage.

“They ended up getting a corner, the ball fell kindly to Danny Graham, and he stuck it away to put them two up.

“The fact that we had already conceded at a set-piece (to Danny Livesey in the first half) made it doubly annoying, and we need to take the lessons on board.

“Before Carlisle, we had been defending pretty well as a team, and that was the case down at Brighton in the match before I came here.

“We need to draw a line under Tuesday’s game and get back to clean sheets and wins, starting against Millwall.”

Kenny Jackett’s fifth-bottom South London side were in action at Tranmere this afternoon.