Under-fire boss Chris Beech was delighted to see his Carlisle side return to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Crawley.

The Cumbrians had won just one of 13 League Two games prior to this fixture at Brunton Park.

But goals from Joe Riley and Omari Patrick got the club back to winning ways after three defeats on the spin.

“I’m really pleased for the lads because their effort, commitment and desire to win games has never been in question,” admitted Beech.

“We’ve started the game well, in terms of passing and keeping the ball, and even though we got a slice of luck with the first goal from Joe Riley, we’ve earned that with the way things have gone recently.

“From there we dominated and we had two or three good chances to extend the lead, with everybody looking sharp and determined.

“What can you say about the second goal. Omari [Patrick] didn’t seem to be going anywhere but he’s seen the space and he’s backed himself.

“I think it caught the keeper by surprise because it was hit so well, and from a real distance. Omari has been critical of himself, because he wants more goals, but that’s a reminder of what he’s about.

“It has been a tough period in terms of results, but we have never lost sight of the fact that we’ve played well. I know it’s hard to keep saying that if you don’t back it up with three points, but it’s important to stick to the traits that you know will see you through.

“The players needed a good performance, as did the fans, and it’s even better that it was alongside a very good performance. With 10 games left to go we’ll be looking to do more of the same, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Crawley saw their own play-off push suffer a dent after their third defeat on the bounce.

And boss John Yems said: “We need to defend better if we are going to win games.

“It’s a tough place to come and unfortunately we’ve come off the wrong end of the result.

“It’s disappointing because we’re in the middle of a tough run when we could fight for something more.

“We need to stop giving away easy goals, it’s simple. We know we can perform better and that’s what we need to do.”