Four penalties, all in the first half, six goals, the woodwork struck three times, a home player dismissed, to be followed quickly by his manager, this game had everything!
These two teams met only four weeks ago at the Queensgate ground in Bridlington, with this encounter being the second of three meetings this season, and the home team showed six changes in the squad from that particular game, and with it a new determination to improve on their early season start, but it looked as though it would be all over before it started.
A flick-on by Mike Norton had Douglas Pringle opened the scoring for the visitors on three minutes when he got ahead of Peter Naylor. With keeper Michael Price coming off his line Pringle casually lifted the ball over the head of the advancing keeper and with one bounce watched the ball go into the net to open his Curzon gaolscoring account.
Five minutes later the lead should have been doubled when Norton took possession of the ball, rounded Price, but from the angle could do no better than to strike the keepers right-hand upright, and maintaining the pressure, it was the turn of Ryan Moore to agonisingly watch as his shot from 20 yards out struck the face of the crossbar and rebound to safety.
Bridlington were allowed back into the game when Chris Curley upended Neil Towler inside the 18 yard area on 17 minutes, and from the spot kick Luke Smith drove the ball high into the net, with a repeat nine minutes later after Richard Tait had tripped Ash Dexter in the same area, giving the home side the lead, but it wasn't long before Curzon restored their lead with two penalties, both coming in rapid time.
It was Norton who earned both kicks, the first one coming on 35 minutes as he tried to force his way through a ruck of home defenders, and although referee Mr Peart looked to play the advantage, he finally found in favour of the visitors and pointed to the spot. Norton drove the kick to the right of Marshall, and although he guessed the right way, there was too much on the shot to keep it out of goal.
Three minutes later and it was the fourth spot kick of the game and it was Norton again just inside the 18 yard area and heading nowhere when he was brought down from behind.
Mr Peart waved play on, presumably not having seen the incident, but his assistant placed his flag across his chest and the referee then awarded the spot kick. Bridlington's Smith remonstrated quite forcibly with the assistant referee, earning himself a yellow card which was to prove costly.
Norton chose the same corner, Price chose not to go the same way, and Curzon went into the lead.
Pringle forced a good save from Price on 40 minutes as his shot looked destined for the bottom left hand corner, but the home keeper at full length turned the ball wide for a corner.
The second period was one very much of Curzon making most of the forward play with Bridlington always looking to hit their opponents on the break but it was almost a set-piece from a corner that brought the scores level when Wayne Harratt got his head to the ball and it took a combination of defenders to clear the danger with Carnell struggling to get near to the ball.
Just after the hour mark Norton had the chance to complete his hat-trick when he got his head to a Rhodri Giggs free kick only to knock the ball over from 6 yards.
Dexter brought his side on level terms fifteen minutes from the end of normal time as Joe Brown fought hard to retain possession on the right, and with the assistant waving his flag for a foul, referee Peart once again opted to allow play to continue, and the eventual cross into the box was met by the head of Dexter who was able to steer it beyond Carnell.
Five minutes before the end and chaos reigned after a Curzon attack down the right ended, the assistant referee called over Mr Peart and after a brief discussion, Smith was shown his second yellow card of the day, quickly followed by a red. The player then elected, at some length, to vent his feelings once again to an assistant, and moments later Bridlington's manager Ash Berry was ordered out of the dugout by Mr Peart, a decision which he too took objection to, before marching across the field of play to the dressing rooms.
This was a game where neither team asked for, nor were given, any quarter.