Chris Beech says he wants more from Jon Mellish - after the Carlisle United man became the Blues’ highest scoring midfielder since the 1990s.

Top scorer Mellish got back on the goal trail at Colchester on Tuesday with his 13th of the season.

Not since the 1993/4 campaign has a United central midfielder scored as many goals in a single season.

Mellish equalled Simon Davey’s tally from that season as he ended a 12-game wait for a goal, but it proved a consolation as Colchester came back to inflict the Blues' fifth defeat in six games.

Head coach Beech was pleased to see the ex-Gateshead man hitting the target again but said he wants more from the 23-year-old’s overall game.

“If anything it wasn’t his best game at all,” Beech said.

“He’s not back to his best. But it was great to see him score.

“It was a great finish, if you could see through the fog – it was beautifully struck, and that’s what he can do.

News and Star: Mellish scores at Colchester (photo: Richard Parkes)Mellish scores at Colchester (photo: Richard Parkes)

“That’s what I saw [in him], however long ago it was. I’m glad he’s done that because that’s what midfield players have to do – they have to work hard, battle strong.

“Jon has to make sure he commits to all those factors – if he runs further, faster, harder, tackles more, wins more aerial ball, and has a goalscoring prowess, and has great value on set plays for and against, it means he’s got a great chance of having a very strong career.

“He has technical skills too. His emotion and decision-making will get better in time, and his passing will improve. It’s not something I would say [is] not good enough, it will just improve from the point where it is.”

Mellish’s goals tally has now surpassed the recent best by a Blues midfielder – Jamie Devitt’s 12 in 2018/19.

The former Sunderland trainee could now target the overhauling of other impressive midfield Carlisle goal returns, such as Phil Bonnyman’s 14 in 1979/80.

The best recent non-striker haul at Brunton Park, meanwhile, was defender Ian Harte’s 18 in 2009/10.

Mellish's haul is more notable for the fact that, unlike those mentioned above, none of his goals have been penalties.

Beech, whose side go to Morecambe on Saturday, added: “There’s no way I could afford to recruit a 13-goal central midfield player, we had to grow one out of nothing.

“That’s what we have to think about in all these conversations and excitements that go on [in response to United’s defeats].

“It’s intelligence behind it, with a pathway and thought process to it.”