Curzon Ashton 0-0 AFC Telford United - Report

There will inevitably be disappointment that Paul Carden’s side were unable to take maximum reward from a game in which the hosts played the second half a man short, after a red card for home defender Scott Wilson.

Last week, their visitors Bradford (Park Avenue) had a man dismissed and the Bucks exploited the man advantage decisively to win 3-0. However, that dismissal happened within the first ten minutes, giving the Bucks almost the whole game to tire their wounded opponents.

Wilson’s dismissal on Saturday came on the stroke of half-time, and although 45 minutes appeared a plentiful amount of time to work with, Curzon Ashton are a far more organised outfit.

Afterwards, Carden also expressed some disappointment that his team had effectively ‘marked themselves’, appearing over-eager or even anxious to convert their superiority, and losing some of their structure and fluidity.

The Bucks inability to really stretch ‘the Nash’, as the hosts are nicknamed, may not have been helped by a sapping, rain-sodden pitch, although that was the same for both teams. Referee Sam Mulhall had inspected areas of the playing surface in the centre-circle on arrival at the ground, and gave the go-ahead for the game to proceed; however, had kick-off been a couple of hours later the conditions by 5pm would have made it a marginal call as to whether the game even took place.

The Bucks had the fit-again Ross White restored at right-back, allowing Jordan Piggott to switch into the centre to replace the injured Zak Lilly. Brayden Shaw replaced another injury victim, Kai Williams, whose pace and willingness to make runs that commit defenders was missed.

There was also a new face on board with the Bucks. Carden added attacking midfielder Patrick Jarrett on a month’s loan from the Stoke City academy, to replace Williams; however, he began the game on the substitute’s bench.

Both sides laboured to gain control in the early stages. An early free-kick gave Brendon Daniels an opportunity to strike at goal, but home custodian Chris Renshaw got down well to hold his low, skidding shot from 20 yards.

A notable feature of the Bucks recently has been their pressing in the final third, and Jason Oswell and Mace Goodridge then forced the Nash to concede possession, allowing Shaw to strike at goal; his shot was both snatched and wayward.

The home side responded, with Craig Mahon prompting and probing in midfield and with Alex Curran and Jamie Cooke looking to exploit any wide spaces. Ross White came off second best when bravely blocking a shot and needed some attention from physio Adam Paget.

The Nash then brought the first genuine save of the afternoon from Telford’s Russ Griffiths. Retrieving possession from a cross that no-one made contact with, the hosts returned the ball into the six-yard box, and when it was headed away, Mahon caught it sweetly on the volley, only for Griffiths to dive to his left to palm the ball to safety.

Rather than prompt more Curzon attacks, that seemed to nudge the Bucks into life, and they then enjoyed a 10-15 minutes spell where they should have taken the lead. Oswell’s persistence won a corner that was headed away, only for Keaton Ward to strike a shot that Renshaw pushed away to his right. Within a minute, Ward found himself in a similar position, but this time went high, and cleared Renshaw’s crossbar when he should have at least warmed his palms.

Just before the half-hour mark, the Bucks spurned a clear-cut opportunity; Shaw threaded a pass inside the full-back for the overlapping White, and his cross was met powerfully by the head of Oswell, but from just a few yards out he sent his effort over the bar.

Curzon responded, and from a cross headed clear to him, full-back Jordan Richards skied a shot into the fields behind Griffiths’ goal. Daniels then saw Renshaw push his low shot from the edge of the penalty area around his right post as the Bucks continued to assert themselves.

It wasn’t to last, and as half-time neared, the likelihood of any drama appeared minimal; however, when Oswell and defender Scott Wilson tussled for a throw-in, in front of the home side’s dug-out, Oswell lurched away, dabbing at his face, and referee Scott Mulhall marched in swiftly to show Wilson a red card, for what appeared to be an elbow aimed at Oswell.

The half-time whistle sounded seconds later, and the Bucks prospects appeared to have been given another helping hand. However, sometimes things are easier said than done. Curzon boss Adam Lakeland withdrew Cooke and brought on towering defender Harry Flowers, grandson of Ron Flowers, the former Wolves legend and ex-Telford United manager.

Flowers shored up the gap left by Wilson, and the Bucks found penetrating the Nash defence harder than they had before Wilson’s dismissal. Carden had urged his side to be patient, and to move their opponents around by moving the ball as they had a week earlier; however, they found it much harder going.

Brad Bood volleyed a clearance back at Renshaw for the keeper to hold, but the clearest chance actually fell to Curzon. A free-kick conceded 35 yards from goal was aimed diagonally into the Bucks penalty area by Mahon, and Flowers may feel he should have done better, his header being stopped by Griffiths who then held on as the ball was put back into the six-yard box.

The Nash’s Connor Teale then lashed an angled shot into the side netting at Griffiths’ near post before Carden sought to reinvigorate his side, sending on Jarrett for his debut, quickly followed by player/assistant manager Carl Baker.

Baker’s composure in the closing stages did look more likely to help the Bucks pick a path through the Nash’s defence, but the hosts resisted. Daniels failed to test Renshaw with a free-kick in an inviting possession, and Goodridge and Baker had shots blocked, the Bucks frustration evident as they were restricted to shooting from the edge of the penalty area. Baker brough the last real save of the game from Renshaw, forcing him to smother his shot aimed inside the near post, but there was to be no breakthrough.

A point gained on the road is a valuable one, and a third clean sheet in succession was something last achieved by the Bucks almost six years ago, in the 2015/16 season. Given where they were just over a month ago, any progress needs to be viewed as just that, progress, and having collected at least a point in five of their last six matches, Carden’s Bucks appear to be gaining a resilience, even if their cutting edge requires sharpening still.

Referee: Sam Mulhall.

Assistants: Simon Robinson, Callum Jones.

 Teams

Telford: Griffiths, White, Streete, Bood, Piggott, Nolan, Ward (Baker 76), Goodridge, Daniels, Oswell (Wright 86), Shaw (Jarrett 71).

Subs not used: Bower.

Cautioned: Shaw.

Curzon Ashton: Renshaw, Richards, Wilson, Barton, Teale, Nolan (Hobson 90), Lussey, Thomas, Cooke (Flowers 45), Mahon, Curran (Whitham 76).

Subs not used: Dunn, Gladwin.

Cautioned: Teale, Barton.

Dismissed: Wilson.