KEITH Curle has urged Oldham Athletic to maintain a winning habit.

Latics secured back-to-back wins for the first time under his watch, and only third time this season, in an eventful 5-2 triumph over Colchester United at Boundary Park on Friday night.

You have to go back to the latter part of the 2018/19 season for the last time Oldham registered three wins on the spin.

But that is the challenge Curle has now laid down to his players as they aim to have a strong end to the campaign.

"When was the last time they won three on the spin? That's got to be the aim," said the head coach.

"I've been brought here to win games, and I enjoy winning."

Latics have hit goalscoring form in their last two games, with four at Crawley followed by the five at home to Colchester.

But Curle admitted that until Davis Keillor-Dunn's two stoppage time goals Friday night's game was not as comfortable as he would prefer after letting the struggling U's back into it in the second half.

"I was confident until it went 3-2!" he said.

"I want to play freeflowing, attacking, entertaining football whereby we score goals, but within that - and the formation dictates that we will be creative - but there's a down side of that that when we do commit people forward we've got to be reliable, consistent and dependable on the ball in the middle third.

"The first (Colchester) goal came from us not doing that and we paid the price, but you learn from it. And I've got to say, the resilience shown by the players, I thought (Carl) Piergianni was excellent at the back, and that gives you a foundation.

"I think the goals we scored, we scored at the right times as well, which was pleasing. I thought Dylan Bahamboula showed that he is fitting into the system and understanding the system not only in possession but out of possession and I thought he put a shift in.

"Davis (Keillor-Dunn) got his goals that his workrate has warranted.

"Overall, a very pleasing performance."

Curle added: "I was very pleased with the attacking element to the team because I thought we looked dangerous. We settled into the game well and moved the ball well and created goalscoring opportunities - a little bit far out, when we moved the ball a little bit closer, then we looked dangerous."