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Though Ossett Albion lost this game, their second away defeat within the space of four days, they could consider themselves a little unfortunate not to have taken something from the proceedings.
As early as the 4 th minute they suffered their first piece of bad luck when, on a hard surface, the ball bounced over the advancing goalkeeper David Carnell and this allowed David Syers to get a head

to the ball but it just didn’t quite have the legs and Phil Edghill somehow managed to get back and hook the ball off his own line to the relief of his team mates in general and his goalkeeper in particular.

Albion were really taking the game to Curzon in a blistering start and only a brilliantly timed cover tackle by the outstanding Hasim Deen prevented Duncan Bray from opening the scoring in the visitors favour. Minutes later a Jason Bentley volley flew past Carnell but missed the target by a whisker.

Albion were denied a justifiable penalty when Edghill upended David Syers in the penalty area but the latter got up to get a shot away but again the ball was stopped right on the Curzon Ashton goal-line. Another Albion penalty claim was then turned away when the referee and his assistant failed to see a foul on Bray who was unceremoniously bowled over in the ‘box’.

Bray, at this stage posing all kinds of problems for the home defenders, again went close but yet again the excellent Deen was in the right place at the right time to prevent a shot at goal.

It was some while into the match before anything was seen of the Curzon Ashton attack and when Alex Elliott eventually got through on goal Lee Ashforth in the Albion net did just enough to push his finishing shot onto the crossbar before it fortuitously rebounded back into Ashforth’s arms and to safety.

It was somewhat against the run of play that Curzon stole the lead right on the stroke of half time. Chris Worsley floated a free kick into the Albion penalty area and, almost predictably, it was Deen who got on the end of it to place a header low to Ashforth’s right and into the bottom corner of the net.

Curzon’s second came immediately after the re-start. Ashforth did well to get a hand to Worsley’s well-struck shot but the ball stayed in play and Elliott chipped the ball across the face of the Albion goal and Michael Orton was on hand to apply the simplest of headers from virtually on the Albion goal line.

The biggest surprise from hereon was the fact that there wasn’t any further scoring. From a Kyle Cook corner Gareth Hamlet used his height to good effect but his header was agonisingly wide of the target with Carnell well beaten. At the other end Worsley produced a poor shot having burst through clear on goal. The Curzon Ashton goalkeeper then made a fine save from a dangerous looking Jason Bentley shot which was certainly going in.

The final part of the game was played out as if both teams had accepted that the scoring was over for the day and the final quarter was largely uneventful.

Albion certainly didn’t get the rub of the green in this one and they had to resign themselves to the fact that their poor away form was to continue for another week at least. Albion’s away form has undoubtedly been the cause of their recent slide from the play-off places and just the three wins on opponents’ territory all season is hardly promotion form.

This Saturday Albion return to the Warehouse Systems Stadium when local rivals Wakefield are the visitors. This game kicks off at 3.00 p.m. and the following Monday evening Albion go to Harrogate Railway Athletic as the season moves into its final stages.

ALBION: Ashforth, Hopkins, Cook, Utley, Riordan, White, Senior, Allison, Bray, Bentley, Syers

Subs: Hamlet, Seed, Catton

Subs not used: Thornton, Boshell