KEITH Curle knows a positive end to Latics’ season will help his own chances of staying at Boundary Park in the long term but insists that is not his primary focus.

The Oldham boss takes his side to Harrogate tonight looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 4-3 defeat at Morecambe and leapfrog their hosts in the League Two table.

Curle is closing in on the end of his initial short-term contract with just four games of the campaign remaining.

But it is improving on 17th and not what lies ahead beyond the end of the season that is on the agenda, according to the Latics boss.

“Every club I go to I want to win games and my personal situation is not at the forefront of my thinking,” Curle said.

“It’s a case of me winning the game for the football club I represent and the more games you win the more sought after and more desirable your appointment could be.

“I want to create a winning mentality which means I want to win every game I play.

“Where does an upward curve start? It’s usually the next game after a defeat.

“We want to finish the season on an upward curve and then maintain progression.”

As well as Curle’s deal, a significant number of the Latics squad are also nearing the end of their contracts with the club, top scorer Conor McAleny chief among them.

The head coach believes it is vital for those players in particular to make an impression between now and May 8, wherever their futures may be.

“The closing weeks of the season are the final opportunity for players to show what they’re about, either for staying here and being part of the progression and the upward curve the club are trying to create or giving a good spectacle of themselves for potential suitors if they’re out of contract and not able to get a contract here,” Curle said.

“It’s vitally important that when the players go out on the pitch they are representative of themselves.”