Curzon Ashton earned top of the league status in the National League North table against 10-man Chorley after goals from Stefan Mols, James Spencer and Isaac Sinclair snatched all three points at Victory Park.
It was never expected after a first-half which was incredibly end-to-end but Mols, returning after not starting against Southport in midweek, scored the first in a game where things would become worse for Chorley.
Spencer scored the second of the game before Chorley defender Scott Wilson was shown a straight red following an outrageous tackle on Mols.
And that seemed to have sealed the game for Curzon, who went on to score a third when the hosts lacked everything, but determination and fight in particular.
Sinclair, who had many dangerous shots saved prior, fizzed a left-footed effort into the far corner and past Matty Urwin, whose defence was rather transparent for the majority of the second period.
Three points for Curzon means they now leapfrog Chorley for top-spot, and Andy Preece - managing his 1,000th game on Saturday - faces a drop to second after his side’s dismal performance.
Story of the Match
For much of the opening 45 minutes, it was an end-to-end encounter with more tussling than opportunities at goal between both sides.
Just before the 25-minute mark, Mo Touray looked to have elbowed Curzon defender Devon Matthews, with the latter soon taking down Touray which gave the crowd a reason to cheer - for the rest of the first-half, there was little to cheer about other than the comical view of someone dressed as Santa Clause groundskeeping to prepare the pitch for the second half.
It wasn’t until the opening half leaked into additional time where both teams had golden chances towards goal, the visitors being first in line.
Jimmy Spencer got hold of the ball on the left before flicking a perfectly calculated through-ball over the Chorley defence and onto a volley from Isaac Buckley-Ricketts.
That effort whistled over the bar but, had it been on target, league leaders Chorley would have most certainly been a goal down.
On the stroke of half-time, Chorley had their best chance of the game, and although it wasn’t as close as the Nash’s just moments before, there were still a few sighs around Victory Park from both sets of supporters.
Warren Clarke was a threat down the right throughout and it was no different here when he sent a ball into the box, to which Touray connected with - just not well enough.
However, the Magpies got a second chance when the ball fell to Eze Chukwu-Dubem on the edge of the penalty area.
The 19-year-old opened his body up to shoot towards goal, and did so emphatically before the ball scraped the crossbar on its way out for a goal kick.
Before both of the best chances of the half, Isaac Sinclair had a chance for Curzon when he shot from range, that attempt was blocked almost instantly by Michael Calveley.
Just before 20 minutes, Clarke played a one-two with Touray but the touch following the return pass was way too heavy to make anything of it.
A couple of moments later it was Chorley threatening again when Adam Henley set himself up for a shot from the right but that was subsequently blocked via a brave lunge from William Hayhurst.
Henley then received the ball on the edge of the box before cutting inside on his right, looking to test Curzon goalkeeper Jones, however, it was an easy collection for him after Henley’s shot was straight down the middle.
Return of Mols influences Curzon victory
Curzon boss Craig Mahon made two changes to his side going into this game and one of them was the introduction of Mols, who broke the deadlock on 49 minutes.
The ball found its way through the middle of Chorley’s defence which ultimately set up a foot race between the midfielder and Chorley goalkeeper Urwin.
Mols flicked it past the goalkeeper and finished to give the Nash the lead, to which the hosts reacted poorly as the former Blackburn midfielder seemed to be getting warmer and warmer as the clock ticked on.
He continued to show brilliance, especially when he won a free kick just minutes after Sinclair had a shot saved well by Urwin.
Chorley were on the backfoot for most of the second half following Mols’ goal, and it showed in their aggression when defender Wilson clattered the Spaniard in no attempt to get the ball - he was shown a straight red without hesitation from referee Dean Watson.
That seemed to have sealed the game for Curzon when Spencer found himself through on goal before beating Urwin to double the visitors’ lead.
Curzon continued to apply pressure to Chorley, who looked mid-table at best in the second period.
The Nash provided further pain to the hosts when Sinclair got the goal he had been looking for all afternoon.
The ball fell out to him on the right and there was no press from the hosts which allowed the 23-year-old to have a shot, which found the bottom left corner through a flurry of black and white shirts.
