King’s Lynn Town 0 Curzon Ashton 2

King’s Lynn Town’s inconsistent form came back to haunt them against manager Adam Lakeland’s former employers.

The Linnets have lost two of their first four home games and have slipped out of the play-off positions – even at this early stage of the season, being in the mix is important.

Lynn were undone by a goal in each half and rarely troubled visiting keeper Bobby Jones – and therein lies the problem. Once Jonny Margetts left the field with a back injury the lack of goal threat diminished as the minutes ticked by.

Kian Ronan was available for the first time since suffering concussion in the game against Rushall last month and went straight into the starting XI, with Dylan Crowe out with a knock.

James Spencer had the ball in the net in the ninth minute, but the visiting cheers were silenced when an offside flag was raised - fans perhaps unable to forget the memory of a 4-0 home defeat to the same team last season. The visitors had enjoyed most of the early possession, a fact confirmed by Devon Matthews, whose effort was blocked brilliantly by Greg Taylor.

Lynn worked their way into the game and on 20 minutes Josh Hmami did well to make space for himself on the left edge of the area and fired in a shot which curled just wide of the far post.

Hmami left Curzon defenders stranded as he weaved his way down the right before putting in a low cross that the visitors managed to keep away from goal. Margetts required treatment when he tried to intervene and, despite trying to carry on, was forced off on 35 minutes.

Three minutes later Lynn were behind, after an indirect free-kick for obstruction as in the Lynn area ended with Mols firing through the wall and into the right hand corner.

Omotayo teed up Josh McCammon but he slid his shot well wide.

Spencer curled one just over as the hour mark approached, but it was the tricky Isaac Buckley-Ricketts who scored Curzon’s second, brilliant control on the left creating space for a right-footed curler into the far corner.

McCammon pulled one wide moments later, but Buckley-Ricketts got free again only to be denied by Paul Jones.

Curzon in the ascendancy are adept at stifling their opponents and Lynn struggled for a way back into the game: Tom Hughes replaced Johnson with 10 minutes to go, but it was too little too late.

King’s Lynn Town: Jones, Ronan, Sass, McFadden, Taylor (Wilson 88), Johnson (Hughes 80), Hmami, McCammon, Crane, Barnes, Margetts (Omotayo 35). Subs not used: Boyes, Walker.

Curzon: Jones, Poscha, Matthews, Griffiths, Buckley-Ricketts (Mahon 72), Sinclair (Darby 90), Spencer (Waring 90), Mols (Afuye 88), Hayhurst, Richards (Sonowale 90), Barton.

Goals: Mols 38, Buckley-Ricketts 66

Att: 1,131