Keith Curle says the feel-good factor is returning to Brunton Park as Carlisle United step up their assault on the League Two play-offs.

The comfortable 3-1 victory over Crawley has enhanced the Blues’ status as promotion contenders.

And Curle said the vibrant displays of his free-scoring team, who are now sixth, are taking supporters’ minds away from off-field concerns.

The United boss said: “Make no mistake – the football club is a hub of this community and when there’s positivity here, it spreads.

“People are coming to the club now and they’re talking about football – not about ownership, not about takeovers, not about billionaires.

“It’s about ‘who’s going to score today? How many goals are we going to see?’

“People know they’re going to get a committed performance. And if you get this football club rocking, it’s a good place to play your football and be a manager and coach.”

Charlie Wyke’s first-half double, and Jabo Ibehre’s 12th goal of the season, clinched a second win in five days for the Cumbrians.

They have plundered nine goals in their last three games and are the top scorers in the fourth tier with 38 from 20 games.

Curle admitted United’s form would raise expectations for a successful season at Brunton Park.

But the manager said he was more than comfortable with that.

He added: “It would have been nice to win 3-0 with a clean-sheet, and we’ve still got a long, long way to go to be anywhere near the finished article – but as a football department and a club we’re taking big strides in the right direction.

“I want success. I’m a very demanding coach and manager. The more successful we are, the more demanding I’m going to be.”

United’s latest win came in front of a 4,641 crowd on a day the club slashed ticket prices.

It also capped a week in which Curle agreed a contract extension until 2018 with the Blues.

The United boss said the finer details of that agreement were now being finalised.

He said: “Suzanne [Kidd, finance director] has drawn up the contracts, from the notes myself, the chairman and John Nixon have made, and they’ve been sent to my representative at the LMA.”