Chris Beech says Carlisle United’s superb 3-0 win at Crawley could have been even BETTER – and challenged the Blues to keep their standards up.

The Cumbrians’ best away victory of the season took them up to fourth in League Two.

Rhys Bennett, Joshua Kayode and Aaron Hayden were all on target against a home side who had David Sesay sent off.

It was the first home defeat Crawley had suffered in the league for a year – and came as a result of a dominant Blues performance.

Beech was pleased with his side’s showing but said he will never stop looking for ways to improve.

“I’m actually pretty miffed at some of the things that have gone on during the game and I’m already thinking about how we can make those things better,” the head coach said.

“We should have scored more goals.

“I want us to enjoy the ride that we’re on but I also need to make sure we’re professional within it.

“I respect my job and the Carlisle fans, I don’t take my job for granted or the people I represent in doing it, so I wanted to make sure we preserved our 3-0 lead to make sure we took the three points and the clean sheet home with us, and thankfully we did.”

New signing Bennett scored his first goal for nearly two years on his full league debut, before striker Kayode hit his second United goal of the season and defender Hayden his third.

Beech was just as pleased with their efforts at the back.

He said: “I said to them before the game that it had been quite a while since we had a clean sheet. I think our last one was away at Port Vale so I challenged the team to make sure we got one here, which was pleasing.

“I think when we won at Port Vale they were a team who hadn’t been beaten at home since 2019, and Crawley were on a similar run of form before we got here.

“I’m not even sure if they’ve ever gone behind in a home game this season, but they definitely hadn’t lost one.

“So to get a 3-0 away victory is very good.”

Reflecting on United’s goals, Beech said: “I was pleased because there was a sequence of six or seven passes in the lead up to it.

“I’m always shouting on the sidelines for the attacking players to go past their man or ask a question of their opponent rather than checking out and passing backwards.

“Gime Toure is very good at that. We hit the target a lot in the first half but the shots were straight at the keeper. By Gime hitting the target quite well – it wasn’t a brilliant shot, but we got the benefit from it and Rhys Bennett [following in] did what he does. He’s very good at the back and he’s a very good option for us to have from set pieces.

“Hitting the target is something we need to get better at, Lewi [Alessandra] had a shot in the first half that went just past the post, but by missing the target you give away a goal kick. There’s more benefit in hitting the target even though Gime’s shot wasn’t as powerful.”

Beech said Kayode’s goal was a reward for a persistent attacking performance.

He said of the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international: “It was a great goal, a proper SAS goal – in and out, and he got across his man in the six yard box.

“I rang JJ after he’d scored in the week and said well done – his accent gets more Irish when he’s away with the national team – but I was ringing him to ask where my goals were? I told him I was debt collecting and he owed me a goal, and he obviously went and did that.

“Other than his goal, I thought he was excellent overall. He got tired towards the end and he’s still a young player with a lot to learn, but he deserves a big well done.

“He was playing against a very physical centre-half, and he’s learning from the Cambridge game [United’s opening-day defeat], when they roughed him up in the washing machine before he could do his thing.

“He’s learning to play around and beyond, not necessarily right against them, but go against them if it needs to be challenged. He’s doing well.”

Beech also hailed the “Brazilian full-back moment” from George Tanner, whose run set up Kayode, and said he was pleased with Nick Anderton’s efforts in a week when the left-back and captain became a dad.

“I thought there was a bit of stress in Nick’s performance last week against Cheltenham which was probably because the baby was on the way,” Beech said.

“The ladies do so well having the children, but for a young man it’s stressful in different ways.

“When he had me shouting at him about doing his job last week it was obviously stressful. I’m really happy the baby is healthy but I’m also really happy it came before the Crawley game because if it hadn’t he’d probably have wanted to play with his mobile phone in his pocket.”

Beech said the arrival of Bennett has had a positive effect on the rest of his defenders.

He said: “Aaron [Hayden] has sharpened up, and I thought Rod [McDonald] had one of his best games against Cheltenham last week, perhaps because Rhys is here, and Max [Hunt] is also playing better and has improved a lot.

“I’m really pleased with all four centre halves, but I can only play two.”