Carlisle United boss Chris Beech says the stats prove his team is working harder than before – and is a sign they are ready to make more progress.

Beech, whose side go to Scunthorpe today (kick-off 3pm), cited evidence that his players are running further than United did in 2019/20.

He said Carlisle covered plenty of ground in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Southend and that is a positive sign.

“We were almost 10-11km more as a group on Saturday than last season’s team,” he said.

“So that’s every player, really, running 1km more each, within that performance.

“That’s a great platform to work off. We’ve got to recruit players that can repeat and surpass that because it makes us stronger.”

Beech, meanwhile, hopes Carlisle can have another error-free afternoon at the Sands Venue Stadium today after their thankfully tighter showing against Southend.

The shut-out came after the Blues had conceded three in a trio of consecutive games.

United’s boss said: “I think it was vital.

“We’ve got one now at Scunthorpe so we have to protect it. That’s what the ref’s give you. You have to protect and grow it into three [points].

“You’re gonna get turbulence, and have speed bumps on your journey. We will not get our own way at Scunthorpe. We don’t in terms of working here all week, it doesn’t happen like that. We’ve got to make sure we adapt to those differences and make sure we get what we want.

“I do think [the clean sheet] will give players some confidence. Paul [Farman, United’s keeper] has had to face a lot of goals going in without actually being asked a lot of questions.

“It was strange for him – I felt a bit sorry for him, he’s not had a bad game, and he’s not been outstanding either because he’s not been asked that question, and he wasn’t last Saturday; he had one sort of shot to save.”

Beech believes United’s attacking efforts have been clear recently and wants his side to be more ruthless in front of goal.

“I looked at the stats and we’ve had 40 shots in two League Two games,” he said.

“That’s enough to win six or seven matches. But what we need to do is convert chances and not give gifts away. Not giving them away last Saturday gave us a chance to grow.

“You always want to get better; that’s exactly what every coach, manager and player should want to do. They’re an ambitious group.”

Carlisle’s front three of Omari Patrick, Joshua Kayode and Gime Toure caught the eye against Southend and Beech said he has a range of attacking options at his disposal, with the likes of Gavin Reilly and Ethan Walker also in the mix.

“I did say, we were unfortunate not to have [all three] available for the initial couple of games. But they bring different attributes, which is why we’ve recruited them.

“If you took the front three out of Liverpool’s team, I doubt they would have done what they’ve done. It will be the same scenario for us.

“We’ve got five or six players now that can compete for those areas and have different attributes they can bring to the table.

“It’s how we utilise them to the best of their abilities and the shape we can put together if they’re not available. That will be our conundrum as we move through the season.”