Moors continued their blistering form with another eye-catching results on the road as high-flying Curzon Ashton were swept aside at Tameside Stadium.
The result rarely looked in doubt from the moment that Finley Shrimpton swept Graeme Lee’s men in front on four minutes, but Moors were on to add further gloss to their triumph as Corey McKeown and Rob Ramshaw both got on the scoresheet.
The victory was a fifth in a row for Moors, an eighth in ten outings and extended their current unbeaten run to nine games – while a further boost for Lee came in the shape of Glen Taylor’s long-awaited return from injury.
The Moors boss drafted Michael Ledger in at right-back to cope with the start of John Lufudu’s two-match ban, while Reece Staunton returned from the start at the other side of the defence.
However, it was Shrimpton – playing the last game of his initial month on loan from Scunthorpe United – who got the ball rolling early on. Moors broke from the home side’s corner, Matty Dolan prodding a ball into the path of Danny Greenfield, who traded passes with Corey McKeown down the right flank before sending a low ball across goal to the far post which was fired in by Shrimpton for 1-0.
It could have been 2-0 on 15 minutes when Moors pinched the ball high up the field, but Will Harris saw his powerful effort from the edge of the box blocked by a recovering defender.
While The Nash enjoyed their share of possession in the first half, Moors looked a real threat on the break, and they did double the lead on 34 minutes. Rob Ramshaw fizzed a beautiful ball into McKeown on the edge of the area, and the in-form winger’s brilliant first touch set him to curl a clinical finish across keeper Cam Mason and into the bottom right corner of the net.
The hosts looked deflated, and it could have got worse just a minute later when Harris scampered in behind the beleaguered Curzon defence but stabbed his effort just wide of the far post.
The home side aimed to start the second half quickly but Moors foiled that plan and almost made it 3-0 when Greenfield surprised Mason with a whipped free-kick which the keeper did well to parry and then push round the post.
Curzon had their first shot on target shortly afterwards when Jamie Allen cut inside to fire on goal, but the effort was held by Brad James. More than that, the Moors keeper spotted Harris in space at the other end and launched a long kick which wasn’t dealt with The Nash defence. Harris pounced on the ball as it came down on the edge of the box and when Mason came out to challenge him, it popped loose to Ramshaw who gleefully rammed home from the edge of the box.
The game was effectively over as contest after that, though Moors fans did have further reason to cheer when Taylor came off the bench on 76 minutes to mark his return following knee surgery – a worrying sight for National League North defences ahead of the run-in.
And with Moors in this kind of irresistible form, who knows what the last month of the campaign will have in store?
Full Time: Curzon Ashton 0 Moors 3
Curzon Ashton: Mason, Richards, Matthews, Hayhurst, Allen (Campbell 72), Barton, Mahon, Hughes (Lewis 46), Sinclair, Waring, Mols (Griffiths 46).
Subs not used: Kenyon, Taylor.
Booked: Matthews (26).
Moors: James, Ledger, Mbeka, Pollock, Staunton, Shrimpton (Ross 68), Dolan, McKeown (Fletcher 83), Ramshaw, Greenfield, Harris (Taylor 76).
Subs not used: Chimalilo, Gallacher.
Booked: Shrimpton (16), Dolan (90).
Referee: Jonathan Chadwick
Photography Credit: Biddle Of Nowhere Photography
