Chris Beech hopes Carlisle United can make it EIGHTH time lucky tonight – and finally beat Morecambe at home in the league.

The Shrimps have been a bogey team for the Cumbrians, having never lost on a league visit to Brunton Park.

Whether in the Conference or League Two, it has been draws and defeats all the way for Carlisle against the Lancashire side on home soil.

The Blues’ only home victory against Morecambe came in the EFL Trophy in 2018.

Last season they had to come from behind to force a 2-2 draw against Derek Adams’ side.

So Beech hopes a long-awaited win tonight (kick-off 7pm) can boost seventh-placed Carlisle’s current unbeaten run, which stands at five games in League Two.

The head coach said: “It’s going to be a great fixture. It’s a shame our fans can’t come.

“We have tough games against Morecambe. There’s some daft stat that we struggle at home against them.

“Last year, they scored through [Aaron] Wildig’s volley, stuff like that out of nothing, before we got back in the game with Omari just before half time.

“I have no doubts it will be a tough match. Every game is an opportunity, so it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“I don’t mind the games coming thick and fast and the players have been playing so well it makes it hard to think about changing things too much.

“Players who aren’t playing have got to make me change my mind. That’s why those who are playing have got to keep standards high.”

Tonight’s game against 11th-placed Morecambe sees Carlisle continue a busy run of fixtures against a side whose own good start to the campaign has been checked in the last week.

Adams’ side – who could include ex-Blues winger John O’Sullivan – have taken one point from their last three games, while United are hoping to get back to winning ways after back-to-back draws.

Beech, whose side drew 1-1 at Grimsby on Saturday, added: “It’s good that we’ve got this little run of five games unbeaten.

“We’re ambitious in what we’re trying to achieve.

“We don’t know what we’ll achieve, but we won’t achieve too much if we don’t keep our standards high.

“We’ve been good in recent fixtures and we need to get back to that.”

Beech is continuing to weigh up new signing Micah Obiero’s claims for a place in the squad.

The Huddersfield loanee was with the squad at Grimsby but not included in the matchday 18.

Beech said: “He trained [last] Thursday and Friday, looked a lot better on Friday, but we’re keeping some good players out of the team at the moment with the players playing.

“So they’ve got to continue with those standards and he has to earn the right to play in this team.”