Lewis Alessandra insists Carlisle United will not rest on their laurels as they bid to keep up their impressive recent form tonight.

The forward says the Blues will not settle for any dip in standards as they attempt to make it four league wins in a row against Oldham (kick-off 7pm).

Experienced Alessandra, who will face his former club at Boundary Park, believes United are starting to gel after a poor start to the campaign which included a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat against tonight’s opponents.

But he said their improvement since then cannot be taken for granted.

“It does feel like something has clicked for us after a slow start to the season,” Alessandra said.

“We had a good pre-season but with a lot of new faces there was some adjusting to do.

“It does feel like it’s starting to click and we’re getting the results.

“But the gaffer won’t allow us to accept that we’ve won [three] on the bounce and relax.

“We’re a club and a squad that looks to improve on a daily basis.

“We had a really disappointing result at Oldham in the cup so we’ll be looking to go there and be a very different Carlisle side to the one who was disappointing that day.”

Beech is unlikely to tinker much with the side that impressed in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Colchester, when Alessandra got United’s first goal.

They are aiming to win four in a row for the first time since December 2018/January 2019, while midfield man Jon Mellish is out to become the first Blues player to score in five consecutive games since Jabo Ibehre in 2017.

Alessandra’s value to United’s forward line was underlined with his own performance which earned him a place in the EFL’s team of the week.

The 31-year-old’s importance has increased at a time United are hindered by injuries in attack.

New loanee Micah Obiero is set to link up with the squad ahead of tonight’s game but Alessandra remains a likely starter against the club where he started his professional career, making 86 appearances and scoring eight goals from 2007-11 after coming through Oldham's youth ranks.

News and Star: Alessandra, right, started his professional career with tonight's opponents Oldham (photo: PA)Alessandra, right, started his professional career with tonight's opponents Oldham (photo: PA)

The forward believes Carlisle were good value for their most recent victory.

“Colchester are a good side but we dominated 80-90 per cent of the game,” he said.

“If we’d come away with nothing it would have been bitterly disappointing.

“We were massively on top until probably the 43rd minute of the first half. I think they only got into our final third once from a set-piece so we were disappointed to go in only 2-1 ahead.

“We reacted well to the set-back of conceding the equaliser from the penalty so we were happy to come away with the three points, but it felt like we deserve it.”

Alessandra added to his account for 2020/21 – which he opened with a penalty at Sunderland in the EFL Trophy – when a cross from the left evaded Mellish and Colchester’s defenders and curled into the net after just four minutes.

He said: “I just tried to put it in a good area so I was just waiting for Jon to come over and tell me whether he’d got a touch on it with that brillo pad head of his!

“It wouldn’t have surprised me if he had because everything he’s touching at the minute seems to go in, but he told me he didn’t get a touch and I was delighted…

“He has to get credit for his run, because if he hadn’t made that then the keeper would have just caught it easily.”

Alessandra says he is feeling sharper after a hip problem earlier in the campaign.

“It felt like it was going to hinder me for a while but it seemed to disappear after a few weeks which myself and Ross [Goodwin, United’s physio] didn’t really understand,” he added.

“Since that issue has gone, I feel a lot sharper and it’s not there in my mind holding me back.”

United are just a point from the top of League Two going into tonight’s game against Harry Kewell’s Latics.

Alessandra believes they can build on their positive efforts and added: “We’ve got a good squad even with the injuries we’ve got which we’ve been unfortunate with.

“Lads have had to step into the team and everyone has done really well, and that comes from having a good squad.

“It’s going to be a tough period with a lot of games coming up, so squads will be tested.

“We’ll pick up little knocks and niggles along the way because that’s football, but the whole squad is raring to go and pulling in the right direction.”