A powerful Curzon Ashton display, in possibly the worst weather conditions of the season, ensured that maximum points returned across the Pennines to keep the dream of automatic promotion very much alive.
With the wind at their backs, the rain lashing down and the playing surface heavy, it was the visitors who took the game forward and a cross by Eddie Stanford in the opening minutes of the game was brought under control by Jorge Gazapo, and his pass to Mike Norton struck a defender before being hastily cleared for a corner by Garry Tyson, but it was Harrogate, with their first attempt on goal on ten minutes, who went into the lead.
Having been awarded a free kick on the right Chris Rosindale swung the ball to the far post where Ben Jones got his head to the ball to steer it back across the goal and well beyond the reach of David Carnell.
It was almost an unlucky thirteen minutes for Harrogate when an Alex Mortimer cross had the home keeper Tom Morgan failing to get his hands cleanly onto the ball with Carl Fox managing to come to the aid of his keeper to clear.
A free kick on the right after a foul on Gazapo was taken by Stanford, which ended up this time being comfortably taken by Morgan but on 17 minutes the scores should have been levelled.
A free kick to the visitors, just outside their own 18 yard area, was driven forward by Carnell. With the wind assisting the ball forward, James Riley failed to cut the ball out, which went to the feet of Norton. With Morgan coming off his line the Curzon forward put boot to ball but drove it wide of the net.
Morgan denied Norton a chance on 21 minutes after a neat build-up by Curzon down the right, with Gazapo putting his strike partner through, but the keeper was quick to react, getting down to take the ball of his toes.
Rosindale must have thought he was in with a chance of doubling his sides lead on the half-hour mark as he beat David Birch down the left, but with Andy Watson covering, and Birch recovering his ground, he failed to test Carnell as the ball went wide.
Curzon got the break their performance warranted inside the first minute of stoppage time when a Chris Worsley cross struck Fox. The rebound fell to Gazapo who from an angle drove the ball hard and into the back of the net.
The home side almost got back into the lead six minutes into the second period when the ball skidded across the 18 yard area from the left. Richard Marshall made contact, Mortimer got a foot to the shot and the ball went just wide of goal for a corner.
Despite kicking into the wind, and with conditions deteriorating by the minute, it was Curzon continuing to make the most of the forward play and on 59 minutes they finally got their noses in front as James Ogoo, just inside the penalty area, rose majestically to get his head to a free kick from Mortimer, to see his effort go over the outstretched arms of Morgan and into the net.
Gazapo gave way to teenager Jamie Byrne on 72 minutes, and the substitution almost paid an instant dividend as Byrne lifted the ball high and onto the head of Norton, with the ball ending up just the wrong side of the upright.
There was a let off for the home side when a Mortimer effort wasn't held by Morgan with the loose ball being scrambled away but despite their dominance Harrogate drew level on 79 minutes and it was a goal of quality.
Marshall gained possession after the ball had been played into him from the left and after taking one pace he wrapped his right boot around the ball to send it curling into the top left hand corner of Carnell's net leaving the keeper no alternative other than to collect the ball out of the back of his net, but the joy of the home side lasted only five minutes.
 A corner for Curzon on the right created more problems for the home side and with almost every Curzon player looking to go forward it was Mortimer running in to meet the ball who drove it hard and low into the net, and on 83 minutes the game was all but won when substitute Byrne cut in from the right to drive the ball left footed across Morgan, leaving the keeper stuck to his line with the ball in the back of the net.

There could be well be a defining moment in the Curzon Ashton push for automatic promotion on Saturday when they entertain Bradford Park Avenue (KO 3pm) who occupy second place in the UniBond North Division One, two points ahead of Curzon but also with a game in hand.
The club's have already met on two occasions this season with honours being evenly divided. Bradford took the points at the Tameside Stadium in mid-November with the only goal of the game coming in the final minute, while a brace from Mike Norton in January evened up the points tally.
Both games have been tense, pulsating affairs. Saturday looks like being no different in front of what could be the highest crowd of the season so far at the Tameside Stadium.