Chorley 0 Curzon Ashton 3: Magpies see red during a second-half shocker
A nightmare second half saw Chorley beaten by a Curzon Ashton team who replaced them at the top of the National League North table.
Not only did the Magpies concede two very poor goals in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash, but they also had centre-back Scott Wilson sent off with more than half an hour still to play.
Chorley, who had seen loanee Danny Ormerod recalled by AFC Fylde, made most of the running in an uneventful first half but without really opening up the league’s tightest defence.
The closest to a goal came just before the break as Curzon’s Isaac Buckley-Ricketts shot over, with a goal there for the taking, before Dudem Eze skimmed the visitors’ bar.
It all began to unravel for Chorley five minutes into the second half, when a quick breakaway saw Stefan Mols in acres of space as he raced down the left before skipping past Matt Urwin for a simple finish.
A reckless challenge then saw Wilson inevitably sent off before it was 2-0 on 64 minutes.
Mike Calveley played a square pass across the edge of the box but, with no Chorley player to receive it, that allowed the unmarked Jimmy Spencer to score with ease.
The scoring was completed on 72 minutes when Isaac Sinclair drove into the box before firing through a crowd of legs and past Urwin.
With no way back for a depleted Chorley team, they were made to work hard to restrict the damage caused by a now rampant Curzon side.
Chorley: Urwin, Henley (Bird 86), Powell, Campbell, Smith, Wilson, Horbury, Clarke, Dubem Eze (Rice 73), Calveley, Touray (Carr 70). Subs not used: Brindle, Ellis.