Scarborough Athletic impress despite 2-1 defeat on the road at high-flyers Curzon Ashton
Unchanged for a third successive game, Boro played some wonderful passing football, but slipped to a 2-1 defeat in an entertaining, high quality match at play-off chasing Curzon Ashton, who became the second team, after Chester, to complete a league double over Boro this season.
Both sides passed the ball around, with great link-up play from Jack Waldron, Dom Tear and Harry Green on the right flank, while Luca Colville turned in another classy performance, writes Steve Adamson.
Curzon began brightly, Jordan Richards crossed from the right to Stefan Mols, who fired straight at Ryan Whitley, then captain Jimmy Spencer flicked a shot over.
For Boro, a Colville shot was blocked by Marcus Poscha, and a pin-point cross from the excellent Waldron was headed against the bar by Stephen Walker, who was penalised for a push.
Further Curzon attacks saw Spencer pass forward to Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, but Whitley raced out to claim, and Will Hayhurst passed to Isaac Sinclair, whose shot was pushed wide by Whitley.
On 25 minutes Boro winger Green went on a mazy dribble past two defenders before lifting his shot just over. Curzon then created three chances in quick succession.
Luke Griffiths teed up Alex Curran, who smashed the ball against the post, Sinclair laid off to Mols, who shot narrowly wide, and a Buckley-Ricketts cross was headed over by Sinclair.
Boro also had chances, a ball forward from Mackenzie Maltby sent Walker through, but he fired into the arms of home keeper Bobby Jones, and Alex Purver passed to Tear in the box, but Hayhurst kicked clear.
Early in the second half a Sam Reed cross was volleyed over by Tear, then Curzon’s Griffiths curled a free-kick round the wall, Whitley dived to save and the loose ball dropped to Poscha, who blazed over.
Boro took the lead with a fabulous goal on 57 minutes, when Green and Colville exchanged passes, the latter fed Tear and he squared to Alex Wiles, who had just come off the bench, to replace Richie Bennett, who limped off injured, and he drilled a right-foot shot into the bottom left corner.
Curzon responded, a Curran strike was blocked by Purver, Whitley saved a close-range Spencer shot, and Will Thornton tackled Mols as he prepared to shoot.
The hosts drew level on 66 minutes, when a Griffiths strike was blocked by Thornton, the rebound falling to Spencer, whose shot took a wicked deflection off the heel of Reed, and sped into the bottom right corner, and three minutes later they went ahead, as Boro pushed forward and were caught on the counter, as Curran burst past Maltby on the halfway line, his through-ball finding Buckley-Rickets, who fired against the left-hand post, with Mols tapping in the rebound.
Ben Darby passed across goal to Connor Falls who shot wide, then Boro tried to get back level. Green was tackled by Poscha as he ran clear, Walker burst forward but his shot was pushed onto the post by Jones, a Colville corner was headed over by Walker, and Colville fed Frank Mulhern in the box, but he was tackled by Timi Sobowale as Curzon held on to claim the win.
CURZON - Jones, Poscha, Hayhurst, Griffiths (Falls 73), Sobowale, Sinclair, Buckley-Ricketts (Afuye 71), Mols, Spencer (c) (Barton 73), Curran (Lacey 71), Richards (Darby 10).
BORO - Whitley, Waldron, Reed (Duckworth 77), Maltby, Thornton (c), Purver (Mulhern 77), Green, Tear, Bennett (Wiles 56), Walker, Colville, unused subs - Weledji, Marshall.
REFEREE - Emily Heaslip
CURZON GOALS - Jimmy Spencer 66, Stefan Mols 69; BORO GOAL - Alex Wiles 57.
GOAL ATTEMPTS - CURZON 15 (7 on target) BORO 7 (3 on target).
CORNERS - CURZON 2 BORO 2.
OFFSIDES - CURZON 3 BORO 1.
YELLOW CARDS - Ben Darby (Curzon), Sam Reed, Alex Purver, Will Thornton, Luca Colville (Boro).
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Luca Colville.
ATTENDANCE - 428 (164 away).