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Curzon Ashton (Res) staged a great fight back to go into the quarter
final round of the Manchester County Challenge Trophy. Losing 3-1
at half time they fought back with some great football to score the
winner in the last 30 seconds of the full 90 to break the hearts of
AVRO FC from the Manchester League. The team was told beforehand
that AVRO would be up for this game and they would be in their faces
right from the kick off and that was the case.
Curzon started brightly and passed the ball very well on the
excellent surface and it was on the 15 minute mark when Curzon
opened the scoring. A ball from keeper Darren Riddett found Muses
Tahir who played in Top goal scorer Adam Buckley who shot low to the
right to score. Curzon then just stopped playing the football
thinking the game would be a stroll they did not expect AVRO to hit
back as quickly as they did. Curzon were going through a spell
where they kept on giving the ball away cheaply and when they failed
to clear their lines AVRO hit back with an equalizer. Curzon were
technically better and a lot more fitter than their opponents but in
the first half did not match AVRO with their work rate and that’s
what got them through, at every opportunity they forced Curzon into
making mistakes and when they failed to pick out a player on the
edge of the box, unmarked, they took the lead with a well taken
goal. Curzon then for the rest of the half huffed and puffed and
created half chances but also found the keeper in fine form.
Just before the half ended AVRO got their third, following a corner
knocked to the near post, defender Carl Green attempted to head away
but completely missed it the ball then shot across the goal missing
everyone out apart from the player at the back post who made it 3-1
and gave AVRO a massive boost. At half time the players of Curzon
knew that they had underperformed but also knew that they could
still get back into the game either to force extra time or win it
and in the second half they out played AVRO for most of it playing
good quick passing football and scoring three times to take the
game. They needed a quick goal and Jamie Byrne nearly got it when
dived to head a ball at the near post, it was all but in before the
keeper pulled off another great save somehow denying Byrne. But
then Byrne became provider when he laid a ball from the edge of the
box into the path of Hazen Gardner he finished well and started off
the revival for Curzon. Byrne who had a poor first half by his
standards was now in thick of everything and he got Curzon's third
and equalizer with a well deserved and well taken goal. A ball from
the right picked out Byrne on the far post and in a 'Mark Hughes'
style he leant back to volley home.
Curzon were now in control and looking like the side that would go
on and win the game, as they broke with pace created some great
chances but credit has to go to their keeper who had a tremendous
game. In the last ten minutes AVRO had a few chances themselves to
nip it, but they failed just to show some composure in the final
third.
Jonathan Sarcevic who left Curzon after playing for the U18's then
went to East Manchester rejoining Curzon over an month ago came into
the action, he was known as a player who 'knew where the net was'
his job was to get the winning goal and that’s what he did. He did
not have a lot of involvement in the play for the last 10 minutes
but once he latched onto the ball inside the AVRO's box with 30
seconds remaining of the 90 minutes he used his strength to hold off
the defender and keeper to bundle the ball over the line into the
net. AVRO of course were gutted but Curzon had done enough and
played well enough to warrant the great come back and win.
Team: (Goal Scorer(s) in bold), Darren Riddett, Carl Green (Aiden
Derwent), Sam Hinchcliffe, Jordan Gill, Ben Blease, Xavier Riedo
(Nathan Finnigan), Hazen Gardner, Ryan Gilligan, Adam
Buckley(c), Jamie Byrne, Muses Tahir (Jonathan
Sarcevic).
Subs not used: Kirtis Hogan, Steve Szklanka (GK).
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