It's A Long Way From South America

This Saturday the Simon Clifford road show rolls into Seel Park as Mossley look to seek revenge on Garforth for the defeat suffered in Yorkshire on the opening day of the season.

It also means that those who couldn’t make that game will finally get to witness non-league’s answer to Brazil; a side whose playing ethos is built around that of the South American football giants. Well that’s what the hype would have you believe.

The reality is that by the end of September they’d amassed 30 yellow cards and 1 red card in just nine league games. Perhaps they’re getting the Brazilian approach to football mixed up with the Brazilian police's approach to the kids who live on the streets of Rio Di Janeiro.

They were incredibly fortunate not to have been reduced to ten men after just 15 minutes of that first game league game, way back in August. After being on the receiving end of an awful challenge, Paul Garvey appeared to be stamped on by another player which the referee saw but bizarrely only deemed worthy of a yellow; a decision that may or may not have been influenced by the proximity of both the home bench and a small yet vociferous bunch of Town supporters.

Mossley went two goals down before Joel Bryce grabbed a very late consolation for the then ‘new look’ Lilywhites, but the whole thing was overshadowed by the horrific injury suffered by Mike Jefferson which necessitated an hour long stoppage. That said, I don’t think anyone from this side of the Pennines had any complaints about the eventual result, even though what we saw bore little resemblance to the report that appeared in the following day’s Non-League Paper.

On current league form Garforth are looking decidedly average: winning two, drawing two and losing two of their last six games. However, their record away from home this season is the second best in the league which could be a cause for concern. Thankfully the Lilywhites’ current league form isn’t too shabby, and a world away from their cup form having claimed 12 out of the last possible 18 points.

Prediction: With there being no prize money on offer or the chance of our name being drawn out of a bag– a win for Mossley!