A second half come back, after
twice being behind, enabled Curzon to maximum points against
their Yorkshire opponents and so maintain their unbeaten start
in the UniBond One North, and had they taken their chances the
margin would have been greater.
There was an early fright in the visitors 18 yard area when a
telling ball in by Dave Birch went to the boot of Rhodri Giggs
but there was too much on the ball which broke away from the
forward and his cross back into the was comfortably taken by
keeper Karl Spratt and the a cross by Alex Mortimer was headed
over the top by Mike Norton.
Garforth took the lead on 7 minutes when from their second
corner of the game poor marking inside the home 6 yard area
presented Richard Carrick with a free header to give them a lead
and they came close to a second when a run down the left by
Jason St Juste was drilled into the penalty area where Brett
Renshaw beat Birch, forcing David Carnell to save.
The scores were levelled on 18 minutes when a ball into the 18
yard area was controlled on the first touch by Giggs, and his
pass to debutant Douglas Pringle was blocked by the keeper but
Chris Curley drove the rebound home from 6 yards out.
The referee, Mr Wright, awarded a dubious free kick awarded to
Garforth on 25 minute on the edge of the 'd' which wasn't
cleared by the Blues defence and with the ball knocked back in,
St Juste made on mistake from 15 yards out.
Norton could only watch as another header on goal drifted wide
of the target and then Pringle, taking the ball on the run had a
shot on goal but straight into the arms of Spratt.
The second period became a procession towards the visiting goal
and it was the cultured right foot of Giggs that brought the
scores level on 65 minutes when his cross to the far post was
met by the incoming Mike Norton who steered the ball home,
leaving Spratt clutching at thin air.
Curzon's run with injuries took a backward step as Nick Allen
and Pringle had to be substituted after sustaining knocks to
their ankles, to be replaced by Ryan Moore and Josh Mitten, and
it was Moore who put his side into the lead for the first time
on 81 minutes when he was put through by Curley, and maintaining
his composure he slotted the ball past keeper Spratt as he came
off his line in an attempt to narrow the angle.
With two minutes of normal time remaining Curley added his
second of the game and it was all about timing the run through
the visiting defence as he latched onto a delicate pass from
Mitten, and like Moore before him, he composed himself by
sliding the ball into the net.
The winning margin should have been greater had Mitten converted
a cross from the left with just Spratt to beat and the
right-hand post hadn't prevented Norton from adding to his goal.