Chris Beech says Carlisle United will do all they can to send some positivity to fans who are facing up to months without being able to go to games.

The Blues face Scunthorpe tomorrow behind-closed-doors at the end of a week when the return of supporters to grounds was postponed because of Covid-19.

The Government’s decision to halt pilot schemes that would have seen a gradual return of supporters has come as a blow to clubs across the game and raised fears for the future of many.

United have been dealing with the logistical consequences of that decision, having only recently sold about 1,800 season tickets yet. They have offered those fans refunds or free iFollow passes.

Beech said it is important Carlisle’s fanbase have things to cheer even though they can’t watch in person.

“We obviously want good noises coming out of the media,” the head coach said.

“The fans can watch on iFollow, the streaming service, which I know at points have sometimes been a bit disturbed and two or three minutes behind the action, but you’ve got to try to do what you can do to support the club.

“That means we’ve got to try to do what we can do to put us in a good place.

“So we need to work hard and represent our community to the best of our abilities and, like I have as a man, never take anything for granted.”

Beech has underlined Carlisle’s recent financial approach as something which will hopefully stand the club in good stead as they try to cope with the immediate reality of no matchday income for the foreseeable.

Chief executive Nigel Clibbens yesterday, though, said the club faced a £1.2m “hole” in their finances if fans are not allowed back for six months, and said emergency help for clubs was needed.

Beech, asked if the Government should step in to help, said: “The Dagenham chief executive was 100 per cent down that road when he spoke on telly the other night, but I don’t know enough of everybody’s finances around the footballing world.

“I do know that ours has been tight, and our budget has been used to the best of our ability to look after the club, and we made those decisions and tried to recruit from that point.

“It’s no good trying to buy a Mercedes you can’t afford. I remember being asked about players like Ian Henderson and Callum Camps – very good players but just too much money for us.

“If clubs have stretched themselves it might come back to put them in some sort of jeopardy, I just don’t know.”

On Government measures to try and limit a second wave of Covid-19, which came just days after Carlisle hosted what appeared to be a successful test event for 1,000 fans at the Southend game, Beech added: “The [infection] numbers are going up so we’ve got to do something.

"How we do it, there’s big arguments over that and about what should be open, what shouldn’t be open, what’s outside and what’s inside…and it seems that the contagious element to the virus is in houses. It spreads more when you’re inside and closed up together.

“All I can say is that our experiment on Saturday was excellent and it’s hard to say why can’t we do that again, and even extend the numbers more. It’s really disappointing but we’ve got to do the right things by the guidance we’re given.”