Paul Simpson has told Carlisle United not to waste the opportunity they have created for themselves with an excellent week on the road.

The Blues are back at Brunton Park this weekend against Crewe Alexandra after taking four points from trips to Newport County and Grimsby Town.

Another good outing for Simpson’s side can put them into the play-off places in the early League Two table.

And the manager is stressing the need to capitalise on their away-day efforts when they return to home soil.

“That’s what we have to do now,” he said. “It’s four points on the road, and now we have to make it seven points [in eight days].

“That’s the only focus. There’s no point doing all this [away from home], and throwing it away at home.

“We have to be right. Let’s hope we get good support with us this weekend and we give them something to shout about.”

Simpson is hoping to have Morgan Feeney and Omari Patrick back in the squad on Saturday.

Their return would offer some respite from the seemingly never-ending run of injuries at Brunton Park.

The latest saw Sonny Hilton ruled out for six to eight weeks with damaged ankle ligaments.

United have continued to string together good results despite the long injured list.

Simpson, though, wants more of his senior men to pick from.

“It was a bit of a kindergarten bench at Grimsby,” he said.

“They all deserve to be here – I’d rather take all 18, even if some of them are 17 and we fill the bench; it’s good experience for them to be involved here.

“But I’m looking and thinking when we’ve got these injured boys fit, we’ve got a really strong group to go and push on.

“It gives me some headaches about selection. I want headaches, I want to look around the bench and see senior players there who I think can come on and change the game.

“That’s not being disrespectful to the younger ones. It’s why you put a squad together.”

Simpson, despite United’s increasingly encouraging form, is refusing to look too far ahead.

“The sooner we can get to a safety point of 42 points, that’s our first target,” he added. “I don’t care what anybody else is saying.

“From where we were from the start when I came in [in February during a relegation battle], and the end of last season, and the start of this season with our rebuild, we’re in a really good position.

“We have to make it count on Saturday. I was disappointed last Saturday at Newport to only take one point.

“But deep down I thought if we could get a win at Grimsby, and do it properly at home against a tough side in Crewe, if we could take seven points – and I’m not getting ahead of myself – that’s a really good period.

“We have an opportunity to get ourselves into the top places, to get ourselves closer to that first target. The sooner we do it we can start thinking about other targets.”