by John Hopkins
An injury-time penalty denied Warrington Rylands a clean sheet, but the Blues still recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory over Curzon Ashton at The Quickline Logistics Arena on Tuesday evening.
Curzon arrived at Gorsey Lane on the back of a six-match unbeaten run in the NPL Premier League while The Blues needed to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat at Cleethorpes just three days earlier. That result had prompted memories of their August defeat to Redcar, which was followed by an eight-game unbeaten streak.
However, Rylands were determined to bring the Nash’s latest run to an end, and they did so in unequivocal fashion.
The home side dominated the first half, creating chances at regular intervals and keeping Curzon pinned back for long periods.
Ben Hardcastle opened the scoring after 17 minutes, finishing past goalkeeper Aidan Dowling following an excellent pass from captain Dean Furman.
The Blues continued to play fast, exciting, one-touch football, leaving Curzon struggling to cope with their movement and intensity. Whenever the visitors gained possession, they were given little time to settle or build meaningful attacks.
Although Harrison Wood failed to get his name on the scoresheet, he remained a constant threat and played a key role in Rylands’ second goal, providing the assist for George Waring to double the home side’s advantage.
At half-time, it had been a one-sided contest, with the league’s in-form side spending much of the opening 45 minutes defending in their own half.
Curzon emerged with greater determination after the break, but Rylands’ pace on the counterattack proved too much to handle.
Calum Costello and Wood combined effectively to create another opportunity for Hardcastle, who finished confidently to claim his second goal of the evening and make it 3-0.
The Nash continued to struggle under Rylands’ relentless pressure. When Wood delivered the ball into the goalmouth, it pinballed around the crowded area before Costello managed to nudge it over the line to extend the lead.
Costello then produced another impressive run down the right flank before reaching the goal line and pulling the ball back into a crowded penalty area. Curzon defender Marcus Poscha could only turn the ball into his own net, completing Rylands’ fifth goal of the night.
Curzon eventually found the net deep into injury time when Alex Curran converted a penalty, denying the hosts a clean sheet but doing little to diminish an outstanding performance from the Blues.
Rylands can now enjoy a short break from league action due to the FA Cup schedule before returning to the pitch on 31 October, when they travel to face Ashton United.
