Depleted Scarborough Athletic slip to 2-0 home loss against high-flying Curzon Ashton

With four players (Colville, Maloney, Duckworth and Wiles) all missing through injury or illness, Boro slipped to a second home defeat in four days, going down 2-0 on Tuesday to Curzon Ashton, who climbed to third in the table, with their third win at Scarborough in successive seasons.

To make matters worse, winger Harry Green fell awkwardly on 65 minutes, and was stretchered off, adding further to the injury woes, writes Steve Adamson.

Scarborough Athletic winger Harry Green's injury compounded a miserable night as the hosts slumped to a 2-0 National League North loss against Curzon Ashton on Tuesday night. Photos by Zach Forster

placeholder image — Scarborough Athletic winger Harry Green's injury compounded a miserable night as the hosts slumped to a 2-0 National League North loss against Curzon Ashton on Tuesday night. Photos by Zach Forster

On four minutes, a long ball forward from Bailey Gooda sent Green racing down the right, and he passed inside to Frank Mulhern who teed up Cam Wilson on the six-yard line, but keeper Bobby Jones was down quickly to save.

Other early chances for Boro saw a long-range Mulhern shot easily saved, and Kieran Weledji fired narrowly wide.

Frank Mulhern fires a shot at the Curzon Ashton goal. Photos by Zach Forster

The visitors also created chances, Mike Afuye skipped past two challenges but Gooda blocked his shot, Luis Lacey glanced a header into the arms of Ryan Whitley, Afuye fired into the side-netting, and an Isaac Sinclair cross was fired goalwards by Devon Matthews, but Gooda was there with another block.

Both sides wracked up the goal attempts without really testing the keepers. Alex Purver and Dom Tear, in his 100th Boro game, battled hard in midfield, while Curzon’s centre-back pairing of Matthews and Marcus Poscha was strong and solid.

A 25-yarder from Green drifted wide, Weledji fired into the chest of keeper Jones, and Mulhern battled for possession and fed Wilson, whose low strike was pushed away by the keeper, then at the other end, Stefan Mols squared to Lacey, whose low drive flashed past the post as the interval was reached with the score still 0-0.

Early in the second half a Mols shot was deflected wide by Boro skipper Will Thornton, then the first really difficult save occurred on 48 minutes, when Boro’s Kieran Glynn blasted a 20-yard shot, but Jones dived to tip away.

Scarborough Athletic slumped to a 2-0 home National League North loss against Curzon Ashton on Tuesday night. Photos by Zach Forster

There was then a remarkable save at the other end, when a cross into the Boro box was deflected towards the top corner off the boot of Weledji, but Whitley and Gooda combined to somehow clear from under the bar.

Wilson, who looked lively for Boro, had a shot blocked by Will Hayhurst, before Curzon took the lead, when Jimmy Spencer laid off to Mols, who lashed a 25-yard shot into the bottom left corner.

The injury to winger Green deepened the gloom among home fans, and that was compounded as Curzon doubled their lead when Afuye’s ball into the box wasn’t cleared, and Mols slammed home from close range.

Boro were unlucky not to pull a goal back, as Richie Bennett passed to Mulhern, who fired a shot against the bar, then a Purver corner was headed straight at Jones by Bennett. Mulhern poked a shot narrowly wide and a Purver corner was headed wide by Thornton.

Mols thought he’d bagged a hat-trick, but he’d drifted offside before firing home, and late on, Weledji teed up Mulhern, who fired just over, as Curzon held on for a deserved win.

BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Glynn, Thornton (c), Gooda, Purver, Green (Bennett 65), Mulhern, Tear (Maltby 78), Wilson.

CURZON ASHTON - Jones, Poscha, Lacey (Sobowale 73), Matthews, Griffiths (Mahon 53), Sinclair, Spencer (c), Mols, Hayhurst, Afuye (Buckley-Ricketts 80), Richards

REFEREE - Gareth Thomas