When Sam Cosgrove is asked whether it was a relief to be given a second half-season contract at Carlisle United, his response is reassuring. "A relief, yes, but also a challenge. It's what I want to do here. I want to play football. It's given me that belief, the target, something to really latch onto and grab hold of."

A refusal to settle for what he has, and instead push on: this is the quality the Blues will want from their young centre-forward, who has finally emerged into Keith Curle's first team after several months of trying.

Cosgrove's answer acknowledged that the last week-and-a-half must be just the beginning. He now has a full league debut and a first FA Cup start under his belt. Next: consistency, impact, goals.

To date, the 21-year-old has made eight senior appearances. After his seventh, a surprise promotion against Mansfield on New Year's Day, he was awarded a contract extension by Curle. Five days later, he was given his head against Sheffield Wednesday in the cup at Brunton Park.

The latter saw Cosgrove named man-of-the-match after a good display of target-man play. When he was substituted in the 78th minute, having had a goal disallowed, the reception from supporters was warm.

A crowd will always appreciate a young player stepping forward with quality and that applause is unlikely to be forgotten by the recipient.

"Football is a confidence game," Cosgrove says. "If you're down, you can be struggling, and if you're up it can really help you. I'm just thankful to the fans. They turned out in numbers and were really good. To get that ovation was very nice."

Was he nervous when selected for the biggest test of his career to date, against a Championship defence with established players like Glenn Loovens? Again, his answer encourages. "Every game of football comes with some sort of nerves, but it's what I'm here to do, it's what I enjoy.

"If I was nervous and I didn’t want to do it, there would be no point in me being here. I believe in myself."

Curle has credited assistant manager Colin West - a former striker of good standing - with helping Cosgrove learn his "craft". Before these recent starts, the young forward has also referred to the coach's advice by way of motivation.

"Me and Colin West have a thing," he says. "He said if you win your first header, it gives you massive confidence to go on and win the rest of your headers and also get yourself in the game. It's a target I tried to hit."

He did, against Wednesday, and of all United's players it was Cosgrove who came closest to becoming the hero. He was not blinkered enough to protest that the offside flag was wrongly raised in the 69th minute but the margins were still agonisingly small.

"In football, things happen so quickly or so slowly, and this was one of those moments that happened so slowly," he said. "I knew I'd pulled off [the defenders], got the space and directed that header into the far corner. There was that little bit of time just before the flag went up when I thought, 'this is it'. I was very close to running off and celebrating but I thought I'd better hold it."

With Wednesday having hit the woodwork twice, it was an education in how a game can often be decided by a matter of millimetres. "Football's a game of fine margins," Cosgrove says. "It happened at both ends of the field.

"Overall, though, I thought our back five and midfield had an absolutely fantastic game. If we'd been that solid all season we could have had countless more victories and points."

In the league, it has indeed been a season of too many ifs for United. Against Crewe on Saturday they will have another go at bringing some certainty to their campaign. Cosgrove surely has a fair chance of another start, having fought his way this far.

A summer trialist who made the cut, when Cosgrove talks about progressing at United one is again struck by the major difference between Under-23 football and the first-team scene lower down the leagues. Although he had loan spells in non-league, this is the forward's first full departure from life and "development" at Wigan Athletic.

"Since I've been at Carlisle," he says, "I've had to develop my game in different ways. Coming from a youth team background and development squads, it's a completely different style of football to playing League Two.

"Even [on Saturday], against a Championship team, the physicality…it can be brutal at times. But the manager's been really good with me. Before Mansfield, he took me to one side and said what he wanted from me, which was to be physical. Win my headers. That's what I've been trying to do."

Curle, speaking on Saturday night, said that too many emerging young players today want to emulate the tricks and flashier elements they see on Match of the Day before learning the less glamorous but necessary aspects of a career.

It may be that Cosgrove's attitude towards hard work has been rewarded now. Before the new year his only starts had come in the Checkatrade Trophy, along with four substitute appearances and a few reserve outings.

In the main, he has watched Hallam Hope, Shaun Miller and Richie Bennett lead Carlisle's attack, with Steven Rigg also in the wings.

"I've always shown glimpses of my potential in training and the few games I've had, but I know it's about consistency, putting performances day-in, day-out, in training and on weekends," Cosgrove says. "The gaffer's been really clear with me. I know what he wants from me and he knows what he wants from me. I'm just hoping I can do that for him.

"It's been tough, but it's what I want to be doing. It is living the dream. I enjoy training, and playing is what I'm here to do. Hopefully I can stay in the team."

Cosgrove admits he was in "limbo" regarding his future until Curle turned his thumb upwards after Mansfield. Yet now he has the opportunity of a full home league debut and then a trip to Hillsborough in next Tuesday's third round replay, where Carlisle will be fighting to earn a fourth-round home tie against Stevenage or Reading.

"Everyone knows what the FA Cup's about," he says. "It's where many players have made careers and people have lived their dreams. The whole atmosphere and everything about it brings a smile to your face.

"I'm just taking every day as it comes, not getting too far ahead of myself and just trying to knuckle down every day. If I can play at a place like Hillsborough in front of God knows how many people it will be an unreal experience."

There may be many targets and, hopefully, appearances ahead, but the most immediate hardly needs spelling out. "In the short term, I've hit the post [at Mansfield] and had one disallowed [on Saturday]," Cosgrove says. "So getting that first goal is massive. I'm sure once that first one goes in they'll start flying in."