KEITH Curle wants to replicate what he achieved at Northampton Town with Oldham Athletic.

When the former Carlisle boss took charge of The Cobblers in October 2018 they were third bottom of League Two.

Fast-forward to June 2020, and they were celebrating promotion to League One via the play-offs at the end of his first full - albeit Covid interrupted - season in charge.

Although the threat of relegation never really loomed over Latics, Curle was brought in with a similar remit to secure Football League safety. And having achieved that last season, he has set his sights high for the next.

"You've got to aim to be in the top seven. Every manager, every owner, will be saying their aspirations at the start of any season will be that they want to get promotion out of the division. We're no different," said Curle.

"We want to operate in the top half of the division, and if you get into the top half of the division anything can happen.

"Obviously you need that little bit of fortune to go your way at certain times.

"And it's not about wanting, it's about needing. You find if you need something you've got more chance of getting it than if you want it.

"This is my career path as well. I need to be successful, I want another promotion, I've got a hunger.

"I need to surround myself with people that need success."

There were other elements from his time at the Sixfields Stadium that Curle was proud to add to his CV as well.

"I enjoyed getting Northampton promoted a year earlier than what they should have done. They were third bottom when I went there and got promoted the next year," said the 57-year-old.

"I enjoyed the fact that within that I bought a player for 40 grand and sold him for over £1million.

"All those things are all part and parcel, like reducing the wage bill at Northampton by something like six grand a week."

Curle is determined to bring all of that experience and put it to similarly good use at Boundary Park.

But, amid calls for a boycott of home games in fans' protests towards the club's ownership, Curle has called for united front to help his bid to orchestrate a first promotion in 30 years.

"The club has been on a downwards spiral and I'm saying 'how do you start a wave, how do you start an upward spiral?'" he said, speaking to Radio Manchester.

"First and foremost it does start with the supporters, they've got to back the team but the team have likewise got to give them something to shout about.

"The supporters want to see that hunger, they want to see that passion, they want to see that energy level and they want to see ability, but ultimately they want to see a team that wins games.

"I'm here to start winning football matches and creating that winning environment."