Crewe Alexandra boss Lee Bell admitted his side were below their best as they fought back for a point against Carlisle United.

Jack Lankester’s 81st-minute penalty earned the promotion-chasing Railwaymen a 1-1 draw at Brunton Park after Dominic Sadi’s second-minute opener.

It extended third-placed Crewe’s unbeaten league run to nine games.

But Bell said they did it the hard way after conceding so early to Mike Williamson’s men.

“It’s probably the most under-performed we’ve played since Newport [a 2-1 defeat on September 28],” said Bell.

“We’ve said to the players if you can’t get three, make sure you get one.

“We’re getting a bit greedy, I was desperate for the win, but we’re in a good position, third in the league after 17 games, plenty to work on – particularly stopping early goals going against you.

“It gives a team [Carlisle] fighting for their lives – and a good team, by the way, with good individuals – something to hang onto and can keep their shape a little bit more.

“[The opening goal] is something we look at, those deflections, how close you get out to people, your body lines, your body position when it happens, but I won’t go too overboard with the players in terms of that.

“We stuck at it, huffing and puffing in getting up the pitch. In the first half we had more control, which allowed them to sit back in.

Jack Lankester's penalty earned Crewe a point at Brunton ParkJack Lankester's penalty earned Crewe a point at Brunton Park (Image: Ben Holmes)

“I wanted us to be more aggressive, get the ball forward a bit more.

“Overall they’ll say they did enough to maybe win the game but we’ll take a point.”

Bell explained how he had tried to take advantage of United’s attempts to play out from the back, and how his cluster of second-half substitutions were also a key part of Crewe’s approach.

“We just wanted to freshen it up. They didn’t change at all in terms of how they were trying to play,” he said in a club interview.

“We just thought when they were looking to bounce it out to another centre-half we were able to pinch one.

“We came with a game plan to try and win, conceding early changes things, more for them than us in terms of how they might have been looking to play the game.

“But we’re in a healthy position. The players are giving everything and I’m delighted with them. And thank-you to the fans who travelled and got here for a half-twelve kick-off.”