Rebels in crunch clash with rivals

Edited from thisislancashire.co.uk

By NickJackson

FC UNITED take on fellow title contenders Curzon Ashton at Gigg Lane in the glamour fixture of the day.

Curzon are on an amazing run of form that has seen them win 11 out of their last 12 games and remain unbeaten in all competitions since October 23, making it one of United's biggest games of the season.

Fourth-placed Curzon have the two highest-scoring players in the league in their ranks in Michael Norton and Steven Moore. The prolific front pair have scored 67 goals this season between them and United assistant manager Phil Power knows his defence will have to be on their toes for the confrontation.

"We know their front pair will be a real threat, and it could be a high-scoring game," he said.

"But, we will just try and score more than them. We beat them 3-1 earlier in the season, but their form has picked up since then and they are playing quite well.

"They are up there in the table, and we would like to beat them. We look like we have got over our little hiccup now, and we played very well at the weekend."

Two goals from Dave Swarbrick and one from Stuart Rudd beat Atherton Colls 3-0 away last Saturday and put to bed a ghost from earlier in the season when Colls beat Karl Marginson's side 3-0.

Colls would have become the first team to do the double over FC, but victory means United evaded that scenario - and went back to the top of the table.

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