Finally! After ten days of postponements I've finally got to see a live match again.
Okay, so it was a game that didn't involve Mossley but when you're on the verge of going stir crazy you'll grasp at any straw available and Salford City versus Colwyn Bay was a very handy straw.
And a highly watchable and entertaining straw it turned out to be too. I'll be honest and say that I went to the game not expecting much, but it turned out to be one of the best matches I've seen this season.
It's a match that also gave us the opportunity to ponder further on whether our heavy defeat in North Wales at the end of last month was down to Colwyn Bay being that good or us being that bad. The conclusion we came to did not reflect well on Mossley.
There's no question that Bay are a good side and the ease in which they took the lead after only twenty seconds of the game had elapsed (yes, twenty seconds) suggested that a rout would be forthcoming.
Unlike the Lilywhites though on that fateful day besides the sea the Ammies proved to be a lot more robust, mostly due in part to the fact that they had a midfield and not the gaping hole as we had had at Llanelian Road. Those of you who went to Colwyn Bay a few weeks ago will remember that their follicly challenged and late tackling number six was virtually allowed to run the game in midfield. Not so in the match as Steve Tobin played out of the game.
And yes, that is the same Steve Tobin who graced our midfield a few years back and was possibly the best player on the pitch in this particular ninety minutes.
While it's true to say that the visitors created a few more good openings in the remainder of the first half, it was nothing compared to what their defence were having to deal with at the other end of the pitch. Salford had shots blocked on the line, shots roll across the goal line, shots saved by the keeper and four very strong penalty appeals turned down.
It was a fantastic half of football and though the second period didn't surpass it, it at least equalled it. No mean feat either when you consider the frost that was crisping the ground was replaced by rain and then heavy falls of sleet. The pattern for the half was the same as the first with Salford piling pressure on the Welshmen's goal while Bay looked dangerous on the counter attack. With the end nearing it looked as though Salford wouldn't get the goal they deserved but a piece of magic in the Bay box by Steve Tobin ended with him drawing Salford level.
At this point it looked as though that with the momentum they'd built, Salford would go on to win the game but a clinical piece of football from the visitors nudged them in front again before the win was sealed in injury time; Mossley's tormentor in chief Dean Canning taking advantage of Salford's lack of numbers in defence to run half the length of the pitch and make it three.
The final score was harsh on Salford but at least they'd given it a damn good go - a fact obviously picked up on by their supporters who applauded them off the pitch at the end. They may not be the greatest side in the world, or even this division, but Salford showed what a bit of belief can almost achieve. Something that does leave you wondering what might have been had we shown some of it ten days ago too.
Ah well, as I'm not making the trip up to Newcastle at the weekend I'd better find another match to go to in order to avoid going through cold turkey again.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment