Chris Beech insists the need for a better “focal point” in recent Carlisle United displays is not simply down to the need for a tall target man.

United have struggled to make attacking impact in the first half of their last three outings.

They will hope to put struggling Scunthorpe to the sword at Brunton Park tomorrow.

Yet recent performances have led some fans to question whether United’s style of play would be better suited to having a bigger line-leader in the forward line.

Beech said that can be an advantage at times – but not always.

“Brennan Dickenson, Lewis Alessandra and Tristan Abrahams started the game at Swindon [the 2-1 win in August], and there was focal point within that match,” he said.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t go like that on the day.

“At Crawley last weekend it didn’t quite click in the first half, and then it kind of goes backwards within your workforce, and you have good players making mistakes they wouldn’t normally make, and not so much the opposition beat you but you end up beating yourself.

“What we do, in our best ways of doing things, is to be on our front foot. We’ve had to look and contemplate how to beat everyone everywhere last season, and our away record wasn’t fantastic.

“What the players didn’t do on Saturday was be able to play quick when the ball’s in play and slow everything down out of it.

“But we’ve been ever so good at doing that at Swindon and Port Vale – hard places to get points. The first two away games were excellent and the latter two haven’t been as good as we’d all like.

“We’re learning a lot within that. In terms of personnel and someone who’s 6ft 7in…of course it can help. But sometimes you see games [when it doesn’t].

“I watched Cardiff play at Coventry this week. They’ve got some real big players, but Coventry’s speed, the interchange of ball, the movement, a much smaller team – they ended up dealing with Kieffer Moore and winning the game.

“Sometimes it can help, sometimes it can’t. It depends what you do, how you’re doing it and how the players go about it – attitude, intensity and energy are key things to anybody having a good day at work.”

Beech admitted he is considering changes tomorrow as United aim to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat in Sussex.

That could put players such as Jordan Gibson in the frame. The recent signing has produced two bright substitute displays against Salford and Crawley.

Beech admitted Carlisle need to start games better and not produce displays that are only positive for half a match.

“In terms of consistency, you know the time of your game is 90 to 95 minutes and I’m sure you can ask far more experienced managers than myself about how hard it can be to do it for the full game,” he said.

“Even on Wednesday night watching Liverpool [against AC Milan], you can ask Jurgen Klopp how he felt going into half-time. Of course he’s magnificent, but it happens to the best and we’ve got to be mindful of that as we look to make sure we look after ourselves.

“We obviously want to start better than the last two performances you’re talking about.”