Browse Sections

• Local football
• Local cricket

A demolition derby?

Graham Shuttleworth
28/11/2007

A WET and wind-swept Tameside Stadium saw Curzon have an ideal start to this derby fixture with a goal after just 50 seconds.

The Mossley defence failed to adequately deal with Richard Tait’s long ball, and as it came back, Nick Allen challenged keeper Ashley Connor and Mike Norton picked up the loose ball and rolled it into the empty net.

Having played into the wind, it was Mossley who had most of the defending to do in the opening quarter-hour, but it was not only the weather that presented them with problems as Curzon knocked the ball around with confidence.

Allen just failed to make contact as Norton headed Eddie Stanford’s cross back across goal, but Curzon did double their lead in the 28th minute.

Having seen James Riordan clear his cross for a corner, Stanford rolled the subsequent dead ball to Alex Mortimer whose near post cross was met by the onrushing Norton who turned the ball home from four yards.

The Lilywhites’ best chance of the half came on the half-hour mark when Paul Quinn’s free kick was headed well over the top by Jamie Miller.

Five minutes before the interval, Norton completed his hat-trick and looked to have given Curzon an almost unassailable lead.

Tait’s free kick was cleared only as far as Mortimer whose cross to the far post saw Norton rise above the defence and head the ball over Connor’s outstretched hands.

Mossley started the second half in a positive mood, reducing their deficit in the 57th minute when Curzon could not lear their lines from a corner, Danny Toronczak steering the ball home from 10 yards.

Toronczak then shot straight at Carnell two minutes later before Curzon restored their three-goal advantage on 78 minutes, Chris Curley bringing the ball down on his chest and making no mistake from just inside the area.

Martin Allison was only a coat of paint away from making it 4-2 in the 88th minute when his effort struck Carnell’s top right-hand corner and bounced away to safety.

Douglas Pringle should have made it 5-1 in the dying seconds, but having virtually gone around Connor, he delayed his shot and allowed the keeper to knock the ball off his toes and out for a corner.

Attendance: 251

CURZON were able to welcome back injury absentee James Ogoo as he came on at half-time for the injured Adam Jones (ankle)

They travel to Ossett Albion on Saturday before hosting Nantwich Town 48 hours later in their one remaining cup competition of the season, the UniBond League Challenge Cup.