Carlisle have appointed former Rochdale midfielder and assistant manager Chris Beech as their new head coach.

The 45-year-old has signed an 18-month contract to replace Steven Pressley, who was sacked a fortnight ago.

Carlisle are currently 21st in Sky Bet League Two with five wins from their 19 matches so far this season. They face Forest Green in the FA Cup this weekend.

Chairman Andrew Jenkins told the club website: "We have conducted a very thorough process and we would like to thank everybody who contacted us to show interest in this position.

"We are very pleased that we have a reached a successful conclusion with the appointment of a coach who has gained a lot of experience as assistant manager at Rochdale, where he worked closely with the first team and youth squads through what was a very long spell at Spotland.

"His enthusiasm when speaking to us was fantastic to see, and he was very clear in how he wants to approach the job, both in the short term and the long term.

"We're looking forward to seeing him put his plans into action and we are all looking forward to working with him."

Beech joined Rochdale from Huddersfield in 2002, first as a player and later as youth-team manager, assistant manager and caretaker manager before parting company with the club in March.