Chris Beech says Carlisle United players “earned respect” with their efforts against Cardiff and must use it as a platform.

The Blues went down to a dramatic 4-3 defeat in the FA Cup Third Round replay at Brunton Park.

The high-scoring encounter saw United push their Championship visitors all the way, two-goal Harry McKirdy keeping them in the tie in the second half.

The game saw a much better display from the Cumbrians than in their previous home outing, the 3-0 league defeat to Plymouth.

Beech said he had sent his players away with a positive message last night, saying: “You’ve earned respect, well done for your hard work, now recover well, deal with your disappointment, but move forwards.”

The head coach said United had displayed the qualities he wants to see regularly from his side.

They opened the scoring through Nathan Thomas before Cardiff hit back through Aden Flint, Josh Murphy and Flint again.

McKirdy then scored either side of a Danny Ward goal with Carlisle narrowly failing to take the game into extra-time.

Beech said the crowd responded to his team’s showing, and of his players he added: “I’m very proud of their efforts, their honest hard work.

“I did say before the game that’s what I’m looking for – I’m looking for the response to setbacks.

“In any working day, in any business that you have, or whatever you get up to, whether you’re a working man or woman, you do have setbacks, and how you respond to those setbacks generally determines the outcome of the day you have.

"Congratulations to everybody involved with the football club. Ultimately…we’ve scored five goals [including two in the first meeting] against a Championship team, an ex-Premier League team, a multi-million pound company with great players.

"We’ve done very well to score five goals in two games against them, but it’s so disappointing not to be heading to Reading [in the Fourth Round]."

Top scorer McKirdy took his tally to 11 for the season, with the ex-Aston Villa man having scored four in his last five games.

Beech admitted the 22-year-old was catching the eye.

He added: “I’ve been really pleased since the chat I had with Harry.

“He’s very close with Byron [Webster], and we sat down and talked about traits, and winning traits, and what can help him.

“He’s an excellent football player and he’s responded very well to me. Long may it continue and get stronger and better.”

Beech admitted Cardiff had been “ruthless” in punishing the “slight mistakes” Carlisle made at the back, and said his side had to try and emulate those qualities shown by Harris’s team.

Another Blues player who impressed was Elliot Watt, the Wolves loanee putting in a strong midfield performance on his third United outing.

Beech said the 19-year-old was quickly learning the demands of first-team football with United.

The head coach said: “I had a frank discussion with Elliot at half-time on Saturday against Plymouth.

“He has come out of academy football and he was bogged down with trying to get on the ball as a number four, with two centre-halves splitting, etc.

“I explained that you can affect these games better by playing higher, with forward passes, less touches.

“[Against Cardiff] he was excellent.”