Boro halt losing run with 2-1 success at Curzon Ashton
Boro ended their four-game losing spell with a battling 2-1 win at ‘bogey’ team Curzon Ashton, who were reduced to 10 men 18 minutes before half-time, the visitors also having a man sent off late in the game.
It was a hard-fought match, with Boro on top for long periods due to their numerical advantage, but solid defending kept Curzon in the game, and it took two well-taken goals to seal the points for Jono Greening’s side.
The hosts began brightly, a Ben Darby strike was blocked by Alex Brown, and Marcus Poscha and Darby combined to send Tony Weston racing down the wing, with Alex Purver clearing his ball into the box, then Jordan Richards curled a 20-yard free-kick into the arms of Ryan Whitley.
The superb Brown made some surging runs down the left flank and Purver and Luca Colville dictated play in midfield as Boro began to get on top.
Colville dinked a shot into the arms of keeper Callum Hawkins, then Colville jinked past a defender and fired narrowly wide, and a forceful run from Zane Myers was halted by an Adam Barton tackle.
The game turned on 27 minutes when Dom Tear, who had a terrific game, headed forward to Allan, who raced clear, but was hauled back by Barton who was shown a straight red.
From the resultant free kick, Allan fired into the four-man wall, with Jack Waldron striking the rebound, but Darby was there to block.
It was all Boro now, Colville passed to Myers, who squared to Allan in the area, and he forced a terrific diving save from keeper Hawkins, then Michael Duckworth’s long ball found Waldron on the right, he laid off to Colville, who flicked on to Allan, who blazed over. A Purver corner was headed goalwards by Tear, with Hawkins diving to tip wide.
Curzon twice went close just after the break, Crispin McLean crossed to fellow newly-introduced sub Bradley Holmes who headed over, then a fierce Darby shot deflected off Purver, and crashed against the base of the right-hand post.
Boro then regained control, Duckworth passed to Allan, who cut inside and fired at the keeper, a 25-yard strike from Waldron cannoned off Charlie Weston into the chest of Hawkins, and Colville twice had shots held by Hawkins.
The pressure finally paid off on 68 minutes, when Colville passed to Brown wide left, he got to the byeline and his low ball into the goalmouth was slammed past the keeper by Allan.
Three minutes later the lead was doubled, when Colville’s fabulous through-ball sent Kieran Weledji charging forward, and he shrugged off a defender and fired past Hawkins.
Boro then had Tear harshly dismissed, when he received a second yellow for what looked a good tackle.
Curzon pressed forward late on, and reduced the deficit when Joe Rodwell-Grant’s low ball from the right was fired home by Darby, then Brown blocked a Charlie Weston shot, as Boro held on for the three points.
CURZON - Hawkins, Poscha, Amado, Curran (McLean 46), Spencer (c) (Holmes 35), T.Weston (Rodwell-Grant 46), C.Weston, Darby, Richards (Sobowale 46), Barton, Ezennolim, unused subs - Stokes, Stubbs, Ollerenshaw (GK).
BORO - Whitley, Duckworth (Hull 62), Brown, Weledji, Thornton (c), Purver, Waldron, Tear, Allan, Myers (Chapman 76), Colville, unused subs - Marshall, Green.
REFEREE - Scott Simpson.
CURZON GOAL - Ben Darby 90; BORO GOALS - Rio Allan 68, Kieran Weledji 71.
GOAL ATTEMPTS - CURZON 6 (3 on target) BORO 13 (6 on target).
CORNERS - CURZON 2 BORO 5.
OFFSIDES - CURZON 0 BORO 0.
RED CARDS - Adam Barton (Curzon) 27, Dom Tear (Boro) 2nd yellow, 85.
YELLOW CARDS - Joe Rodwell-Grant (Curzon), Michael Duckworth, Luca Colville (Boro).
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Luca Colville.
ATTENDANCE - 442 (126 away).