Steven Pressley admits it is time for Carlisle United to sort out their away form.

The Blues go to bottom side Scunthorpe tomorrow seeking their first league win on the road since January.

They will do so without at least two key players, with United not fielding Olufela Olomola against his parent club, while Stefan Scougall is injured.

Carlisle are seeking their first win in five games and Pressley conceded it would be the perfect time to improve their results on the road.

“We need to do better away from home,” he said.

“Our league form away from home has not been good enough and we have to make sure we get that sorted out.

“It’s going to be a difficult game. Scunthorpe have some good players for the level, but also a new manager [Pau Hurst] who is still trying to find the right system and the right way.

“Any game at Scunthorpe is going to be a difficult game and we’re going to require another top performance to win.”

The Iron have taken just one point from their opening five league fixtures after last season’s relegation.

They could include new defensive loan signing Junior Brown, while Pressley has decisions to make in midfield and attack.

Canice Carroll, Harry McKirdy, Elias Sorensen and Ryan Loft are among those hoping for a call-up in United’s first visit to Glanford Park for six years.

Pressley, whose side are 21st, has again underlined his faith in his players and insists their desire to succeed will bear fruit soon.

“I’ve been a manager for quite a long time but this is the group I’ve had the best feeling about, in terms of their want to be successful as players and as a group,” he said.

“It is the most honest group I could possibly work with.

“It is just that in certain periods you go through moments in your career when things don’t go quite right, you make mistakes – these things happen.

“One thing they have got is the confidence of their manager right behind them.

“The group are really confident just now and feel good about themselves, but a result would make a huge improvement to that as well and give everybody a lift.

“Games can be decided by moments. You can play brilliantly in a game and lose. But if I see the performances, I believe the results will come. If we can get momentum we can be a really good team.”

Pressley also says that increasing the anxiety of Scunthorpe’s supporters after their team’s poor start must be an aim tomorrow.

“When you’re playing against a team going through an indifferent period, with an expectation of being high in this league, you want to get supporters on their backs – that’s an important part of it,” United’s boss said.

“You can only do that by starting aggressively and getting the upper hand in the game.”

Pressley, meanwhile, has again spoken of his frustration at the Blues being denied a second penalty in Tuesday’s 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Rochdale – particularly as Dale then got a third round trip to Manchester United.

“Especially when you saw the draw for the next round, we were really disappointed, because I was exceptionally proud and pleased with the performance on Tuesday,” Carlisle’s manager said. “Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.”

He said he discussed his concerns about the standard of officials with refereeing authorities. “It was quite ironic – the gentleman I presented the footage to was actually at our game. He told me immediately without looking at the footage it was a penalty.

“When you see the draw we could have had, and the amount of income it could potentially have brought us, it’s disappointing.”