Curzon Ashton have reached the FA Trophy second round for the first time in their history after an emphatic opening 45 minutes helped them to a 3-1 win over Nuneaton Town.
Two goals from Niall Cummins and another for Matt Warburton gave Curzon a 3-0 lead on Monday night.
Curzon Ashton 3-1 Nuneaton Town
FA Trophy first round
Tameside Stadium
Monday 14 December 2015
Winning sides receive £5,000 from The FA Trophy prize fund
And although Nuneaton improved after the break, they could only manage the one goal from former West Ham United striker Marlon Harewood.
The hosts went in front after just four minutes when Jordan Wright played the ball into the path of Warburton and he fired in from inside the penalty area.
They doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Nuneaton goalkeeper Jordan Smith was unable to stop Cummins’ header from Jack Truelove’s cross.
Nuneaton would have equalised before the break had Curzon goalkeeper Hakan Burton not produced a fine save from Callum Chettle’s well-struck free-kick.
And it was quickly followed by the third goal when Cummins nodded in at the near post from a corner.
Boro improved considerably after the break and pulled a goal back early after the interval when Harewood scored with a powerful header.
But Curzon goalkeeper Burton played a pivotal role in his side’s progression as he made another fine stop to deny Aaron Williams’ close-range effort and also saved from Elliott Whitehouse to ensure it was Curzon who progressed.
