Owen Moxon had two sets of boots with him at Hartlepool. “One was studs and one was moulds,” he said. “It was just a little bit slippy, so at half-time I changed them…”

The footwear he put on for the second half had just a little magic in them. The Carlisle United midfielder scored one, had a part in another and put in one of those emphatic performances that had 691 fans singing his name.

For a lad from Denton Holme, these are memorable times indeed. “It is special,” he said, “especially being local.

“Growing up, that is what you dream of as a young lad.

“I want a goal at Brunton Park personally, but I couldn’t think of a better away trip – all my mates there, and my family watching.

“Because I’ve not been able to get to games before, through playing [for Annan Athletic], I’ve really noticed the following this year, and the fans are brilliant. I would just ask them to keep sticking with us, keep coming back. It does give us a lift and it makes a massive difference.”

That seems a given the way things are going for Paul Simpson’s side, and for Moxon, who is developing into a star in the shirt of his home city. The 24-year-old is making good on his opportunity having joined the Blues from Annan in the summer.

Saturday was probably his best display yet: a dominant effort in midfield against Keith Curle’s side, capped with a supremely-taken equalising goal. Even before then the away end was singing “He’s one of our own”. When he later went over to take more corners in front of them, the chorus was louder.

How does that feel to a Carlisle boy? “It’s weird. I don’t even know how to explain it. You’re just buzzing when you hear it.

“You’re focused on the game, but as I went to take a corner and was looking to get my breath back, that singing started. You can’t help but smile a little bit even though you do try to hold that back. It’s brilliant…just a bit weird.”

Moxon opened his account for United at Grimsby last month. Then, with United trailing in the north east, he drove through the centre of the pitch and sent a low, measured shot into Hartlepool’s net.

“The pitch was a bit weird, so I took it and I was going to hit it first time,” he said. “The boy was coming across so I took another touch and…yeah, I just saw the corner of the goal and I thought I’d try to get it in there. Thankfully it went in and then it’s about running and celebrating with all the fans. It’s just brilliant.

News and Star: Moxon is mobbed by Callum Guy, top, and Jack Stretton, leftMoxon is mobbed by Callum Guy, top, and Jack Stretton, left (Image: Richard Parkes)

“The gaffer keeps telling me to put my foot through it and I didn’t listen to him that time thankfully! It was one where I could see the gap open up on the right hand side and I felt I could get it in there. It’s just a nice feeling to see it hit the back of the net.”

United went on to win 3-1 thanks to two Omari Patrick goals. The substitute’s first capped a patient dribble after Moxon had pinged the ball in his direction.

“I was saying to Corey that it was a goal and an assist [for me] when we were celebrating...but I didn’t even know where the ball went,” he smiles.

“The lad absolutely clattered me, it was a studs up tackle, but fair play to the ref, I thought he was good. Credit to him because we’ve had reason to be critical of refs over the last few weeks but he was good in the way he let that go on today.

“I’m buzzing for Omari to get his two goals. He’s deserved it. He’s had chances earlier on in the season that he’s been beating himself up about, but he’s a goalscorer.

“He showed that last year, I saw him all over the papers last season, so I’m delighted for him. Everyone who came on and everyone who started the game was brilliant. The whole squad is buzzing for each other, even the boys who didn’t play; it’s just a great dressing room. It’s great to be part of it.”

Moxon felt United showed “so much character” in coming from behind to extend their unbeaten run to eight league games. The team, he said, didn’t waver from their belief despite trailing to Alex Lacey’s opener.

“We know we can sit in and defend – we’ve got Corey, Mells [Jon Mellish] and Hunts [Paul Huntington] who will head and kick everything,” he added. “We’ve got the composure on the ball as well so we can keep hold of it, but we’re a good team and we don’t need to stop there. We don’t need to sit in.

“If we can go and make it a bit more comfortable for ourselves we’ll try to do it. Omari popped up to get the third and that was a great ball from Gibbo [Jordan Gibson]. He went out to right-back and put a right shift in for us. I’ve never seem him head so many balls, his head’ll be killing him later, but everyone did their bit.

“We’re a team that wants to score more goals than we have been and the gaffer keeps telling us that we’re threatening to be a good team. I think the performance shows that there is still more to come.”

How much more, exactly? Moxon is not shy about laying his ambition on the line.

“I’ve said from day one that we want to go and win the league,” he said. “If it’s not that, you want automatic or the play-offs and promotion that way. There’s no reason we can’t do that.

News and Star: Moxon drives forward against HartlepoolMoxon drives forward against Hartlepool (Image: Richard Parkes)

“With Omari and Edmo [Ryan Edmondson] coming back, the squad is strengthened again, and Ben Barclay is almost ready as well. It's really exciting to see how good the squad is and all we can do is take it week by week.

“If we work hard in training we can keep our eye on the goal we all want, and that’s what we’re all doing.”

Moxon was amused to learn that one of the hundreds of fans showing their delight at his goalscoring exploits on Saturday was Alex Potts from the Blues’ youth team. “He’s my boot boy!” he said. “I didn’t even see him. I was a bit oblivious as to who was there, it was just a mad one. I was just buzzing with it, but I’ll see him on Monday and ask him about it.”

There are many more folk in Carlisle who would be ready to toast Moxon if and when he next walks down Botchergate. That, he insisted, wasn’t on his agenda on Saturday night – “I don’t think the gaffer would be too happy…so I’ll be chilling at home” – and he stressed that he wants to keep setting and improving his own standards at this still early stage in his professional career.

“I’ve been coming away from games thinking that I could do more,” he said. “I’ve started well, but even when people have told me I’ve had a good game I’ve felt that I still haven’t been where I wanted to be.

“I want to keep getting better and I’ll only do that if I put the work in every week. Everyone is buzzing for me, so I just want to get out there and do well. I want to prove that I should be at this level, and I want to keep pushing on and doing well for the team.

“I know how much it would mean to all of the fans for us to go on and do really well and get into the play-offs or get promoted. I think we’re capable of that, so I’ll keep looking towards that.”