Steven Pressley says he wants to see a “90-minute” performance from his Carlisle United side – rather than them impressing only for parts of games.

United’s boss is preparing for Saturday’s trip to Newport where the Blues will be seeking a first win in five.

They are now in the chasing pack, in eighth place, after sliding out of the play-off places but Pressley says that will not affect his players’ mentality.

He believes, though, that after performing well in the first half against MK Dons and for an hour at Colchester, it is now time for a more substantial display.

“We just have to keep improving on certain things, keep working hard like we’re doing,” the manager said.

“If we do that then I believe we’ll get [to] the all-important promotional places, I really do.

“There’s nothing to panic about. We’re showing good signs, and we must continue.

“That, for me, is the important aspect - that I see improvement in certain things, and it’s about a 90-minute performance, not a 45 or 60-minute performance.”

Pressley believes that, despite their winless run, his side are steadily improving as his January signings continue to bed in.

He expects them to deliver their full potential during the remainder of the 12-game run-in.

He added: “I think I’ve seen us continue to get better at the way we play, continue to improve on aspects we work towards every week.

“I’m excited by that and the remaining games will show our worth.

“One of [the last four] games we played 70 minutes with 10 men [at Crewe], which was a real test for us and a game where we actually performed well, considering.

“But we have to win games and we will never hide from that.”