Weekend football round-up: Curzon's cutting edge blunted by King's Lynn

It was a disappointing Saturday for our local non-League sides with none of them picking up a victory.

Curzon Ashton player-manager Craig Mahon was irked with his team’s performance in a 1-0 home loss against fellow National League North title challengers King’s Lynn Town. 

“It’s frustrating when we do okay again but score no goals,” he told the club’s YouTube channel. “It’s hard to digest straight after because you’re so emotionally caught up in the game, but if you don’t take your chances, you’re putting yourself in a bit of a bad situation. 

“We just lacked that cutting edge.” 

It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts saw a shot ricochet off both posts before spinning to safety midway through an even first half. 

The visitors – who are managed by former Nash duo Adam Lakeland and Sam Walker – took the lead straight after the break when Tommy Hughes nicked the ball high up the pitch before charging forward and slotting past Bobby Jones. 

Josh Hmami was a constant danger for the Norfolk side and Alex Curran made a welcome return to the home side’s midfield. Despite their industry Curzon couldn’t level, with Jimmy Spencer and Buckley-Ricketts both spurning solid chances. 

“I thought it was quite an even game,” Mahon added. “It had 0-0 written all over it, but it’s another full-time team coming here and having to work really hard to get something from us. 

“It’s not as good as three points, but it shows where we are and what we’re trying to do.” 

The result leaves Curzon in 7th place, albeit with three games in hand over leaders Chester, who went down to a surprise 2-0 defeat at South Shields. 

Joel Amado scored for the third consecutive Northern Premier League (NPL) game for Hyde United, the stand-in skipper leading his side to a third straight 1-1 draw in an entertaining match against Gainsborough Trinity. 

The Tigers almost got off to a terrible start when Declan Howe charged down a Callum Hiddleston clearance in the first minute, the Hyde keeper grateful to see the ball rebound wide. 

Hyde went straight up the other end, with Matt Fearnley forcing Dylan Wharton into the first of a string of saves, followed by stopping an effort from the increasingly confident Frankie Sinfield. 

However, Howe gave Trinity the lead on 14 minutes, breaking free from his marker to pounce inside the 6-yard box for his 26th goal of the campaign. 

The home team rallied, with Sinfield again at the heart of the action as both he and Brad Holmes had strong penalty claims waves away by the unmoved Ashley Royston. 

Hyde got their reward just before half-time when Amado met a Sinfield cross from a quick free kick to equalise. 

Although Nick Spooner’s side brought on the little-and-large cavalry in the shape of Jack Redshaw and Ewan Bange, they couldn’t conjure any further goals despite having the majority of the ball in the second half. 

“It’s the same old story week-in week-out,” said Hyde assistant manager Martin Coyne. “A lot of possession, a lot of chances, but it’s the story of our season: another one-all. 

“We changed a few things at half-time and I thought we dominated them. We had a lot of possession in the final third, but we couldn’t take our chances. 

“We should be sat here talking about three points.” 

Only the top two sides in the division, Macclesfield and Guiseley, have lost fewer games than Hyde this season, but a nine-game winless streak in the NPL leaves them twelve points off the play-offs. 

In the same division, Ashton United succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at Worksop Town, who played most of the game with 10 men. 

Jason Gilchrist replaced the injured Darius Osei in the Robins starting lineup, but despite Vaughan Redford being sent off for two yellow cards midway through the first half, Steve Cunningham’s side couldn’t press home their numerical advantage. 

The highlight of the opening 45 – other than captain Luke Burke clattering the post with a shot - was Ashton’s Al Byrne being sent to change his underwear because they were too long. 

Former Hyde midfielder Aleks Starcenko gave Worksop the lead just after the restart with an instinctive turn and shot from inside the area, but Ashton kept the pressure on. 

Byrne hit the post and James Hardy had a goal bound effort cleared off the line by the perfectly placed Hamza Bencherif, before Liam Hughes converted a contentious penalty for the home side to secure the three points. 

“Fair play to Worksop, they’ve played 70-odd minutes with ten men and defended really well,” said Ashton boss Steve Cunningham. 

“For large parts of the game we were the better team, and I think the game’s been changed by two decisions by the referee. I thought he was atrocious. Both benches were having a laugh, and saying it’s bad when we both think he’s that bad. 

“Normally, you can get away with it when the game’s been won on two goals where you think ‘fair play to the other team’. But their first goal came from when our player has gone up to challenge for a header, their lad has headed it out, the liner’s given it us, but the referee’s overruled him.  

“How he saw that, I’ll never know, and from that they’ve scored. Then he’s given a penalty for a really good tackle from Luke Burke. Liam Hughes is as honest as they come, he’s a great lad, and even he said: 'it’s not a penalty, but we’re gonna take it’.” 

The Robins remain in 3rd place in the NPL table. 

Stalybridge Celtic sit just outside the play-off spots in the NPL West after a 1-1 draw at Clitheroe. 

Although Jon Macken’s side dominated the first half, they found themselves 1-0 down at the break when Leon Creech gave the home side the lead against the run of play. 

Joe Duckworth, Jack Irlam and Lewis Rawsthorn – who has extended his loan from Radcliffe until the end of the season – all saw their shots stopped by an inspired Liam Isherwood in the Clitheroe goal. 

Bridge struggled for momentum in the second half, but a last-gasp Jack Irlam goal saw them rescue a point from their relegation-battling opponents. 

Mossley are five points and four places further back after a goalless draw against Wythenshawe Town. 

Although the Lilywhites lead the division on 12 clean sheets, they couldn’t breach Greg Hall’s goal despite the best efforts of Eric Yahaya, Sean Kgwakgwa and the ever-lively Obua Mugalula. 

David Fish’s side will look to close the gap on the play-offs pack when they take on 5th place Chasetown at Seel Park next Saturday. 

In the North West Counties (NWCFL), Glossop North End were suckerpunched by an injury time goal to go down 2-1 at home against the Isle of Man.  

Captain Lee Rick restored parity from the spot when he cancelled out Ste Whitley’s opener, but the IoM player knocked home the winner after a fluffed freekick from GNE goalie Alex Brown. 

In the NWCFL Division One North, Droylsden twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Ashton Town, while in the New Mills lost 3-1 at Church Lane against Sandbach United in the First Division South.