Great performance by Quakers to clinch first win

By Ray Simpson

Great performance by Quakers to clinch first win

Fully deserved victory

 

 

Curzon Ashton 0 Darlington 3

Campbell 14 mins, 0-1, Reid 67 mins, 0-2, Rivers 74 mins, 0-3

Quakers won their first game of the season with an excellent performance at the Tameside Stadium.

Curzon had no answer to Quakers pace and movement, with the front players -- Luke Charman, debutant Erico Sousa, Adam Campbell and Jarrett Rivers -- running riot.

Curzon didn't threaten much mainly because of a rock solid defence which gave little away.

There was a chance for Quakers in the 1st minute, when Jarrett Rivers got down the right and crossed into the middle for Erico Sousa to head just wide of the right hand post.

There was a great interchange of passes between four players for Luke Charman to get away, but his lay off in the box was intercepted.

Quakers threatened every time they went forward, and another good move was broken up on the edge of the Curzon box.

Curzon had their first effort on goal on 9 minutes from Alex Curran, which went well wide.

Quakers had a chance on 11 minutes when Nicky Hunt played the ball forward quickly for Adam Campbell to latch on to, he sidestepped a defender but fired left footed over the top.

Quakers took the lead on 14 minutes, when Rivers threaded the ball through the defence for Adam Campbell to take in his stride, and stroke past Mason for his first goal of the season.

It was nearly 2-0 on 20 minutes. Another good ball behind the Curzon defence found Campbell again and after he rounded the keeper, fired into the side netting from a tight angle.

Quakers broke away on 23 minutes with a good run by Sousa, he played the ball out right to Campbell, whose  right foot effort went just wide.

Mason then had to come dashing off his line and tackle as Campbell again threatened to break through.

Curzon hadn't threatened much at all in the first half, although Saltmer pulled off  a good block from Matthew Waters on 36 minutes after the midfielder found space inside the box.

Half time

Curzon Ashton 0 Darlington 1

It was nearly 2-0 straight after half time, Sousa, whose pace caused all sorts of problems,  set up Charman, whose right foot shot from ten yards was deflected wide.

Quakers had a great chance after 52 minutes when Charman intercepted a back pass and put Rivers in, but after rounding the keeper, a defender got back to clear off the line.

Sousa made a great run on the hour when he sliced through the defence and set up Rivers, whose shot was blocked on the six yard line, and Charman couldn’t turn in the loose ball.

Finally, the pressure told. Quakers went 2-0 up on 67 minutes when Campbell picked the ball up on the right side of the box and chipped the ball to the far post where Sean Reid headed in.

It was 3-0 on 74 minutes when Charman helped a long ball on for Rivers to slip past a defender and fire into the bottom corner.

One blow for Quakers was that defender Nicky Hunt came off injured five minutes from the end after going down in the box, and was taken off as a precaution with a hamstring tweak.

 

Team:

Saltmer, Hedley, Hunt, Storey, Liddle, Wheatley, Reid, Rivers (sub Hudson 83), Sousa, Campbell (sub Maguire 75), Charman (sub Holness 80)

 

Subs: Watson, Minter

Mason, Southern, Waters, Evans (sub Stokes 77), Tharme, Turnbull, Curran (sub Hughes 68), Whitham, Knowles (sub Oyibo 60), Mahon, Stephenson

Subs: Harrop