COUNTY BOSS WANTS PLAYOFF PUSH
VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH COUNTY ............................ 3 CURZON ASHTON ........... 1
COUNTY returned to winning ways on Saturday by breezing past neighbours Curzon Ashton in a 3-1 derby win at Edgeley Park.
First half strikes fromback in form Danny Lloyd – after four without a goal for the Hatters’ leading scorer – were rounded off by a deft Jimmy Ball finish five minutes into the second half to see off Jon Flanagan’s mid-table men.
Jim Gannon’s side, still on the cusp of the National League North play-offs following the comfortable victory, continued in their variation on a 3-5-2 formation – with debutant Harry Winter going straight into midfield following his move last week from divisional rivals FC United of Manchester.
Ian Ormson was handed a start between the goalposts with first choice Ben Hinchliffe unavailable through personal commitments - but, in truth, the goalkeeping switch mattered very little with an almost non existent threat offered by the Tameside visitors.
After a mini run of two without a win in the league, despite a record of one loss in fifteen games for Gannon’s play-off hopefuls, County got off to the best possible start after just five minutes.
Young centre-back Oli Thornley proved a risky selection for Curzon up against the ever dangerous Lloyd, and the left winger made it twenty two goals for the campaign when he capitalised on Thornley’s undercooked header back to ‘keeper Hakan Burton to flick the ball past the onrushing stopper.
County went on to enjoy a spell of sustained pressure following their early breakthrough, but it was the visitors who should have drawn level just minutes later.
A mistake from captain Mark Ross at the back, taking a touch on an awkward long clearance, allowed diminutive Ryan Hall to steal and race through on goal.
Hall rounded Ormson, before a stupendous sliding challenge out of nowhere by Michael Clarke cleared the goalbound Hall to spare Ross’ blushes.
The almost miraculous Clarke clearance proved as good as a goal for the watching home faithful, who responded in full voice to the challenge before the hosts went on to put The Nash to the sword.
Danny Shaw had fired
‘The County chief will have been under no illusions that three points was the target’
against the underside of the crossbar in Curzon’s last real chance, before a flick on by Jimmy Ball who penned a contract extension at Edgeley Park last week - found Lloyd, who sprung the offside trap to fire past Burton.
The early stages of the second half favoured County in much the same way as those of the first had done - as, just over 10 minutes after the resumption, the Hatters had a three-goal lead.
Winter, enjoying an impressive debut alongside the consistent Lewis Montrose, found Lloyd on the left with an exquisitely lofted cross-field pass, and the leading scorer then turned provider skipping past the struggling Thornley and pulling back to Ball, who completed the reversal of roles by finishing off Lloyd’s assist.
Substitute Kaine Felix came close to adding a fourth for County with nine minutes left, after being played through by Ball and weaving in from
the right past Burton - only to see his shot cleared by Jamie Stott.
The visitors had barely tested Ormson all afternoon - but he did have to retrieve the ball from the back of his net after 89 minutes, after Matty Warburton had fired in a penalty, awarded following a clumsy trip by former Curzon man Connor Hampson on substitute Tyrell McKenzie.
Despite the comfortable win, Gannon was left “livid” with his side’s lack of a killer instinct to see off their lowly neighbours by a more convincing score line after racing into a three goal lead - but the County chief will be under no illusions that three points was the target however they came, with a tricky double header of away games coming up against second and first placed Salford City and AFC Fylde over the coming week.