Off to: Burscough

This Saturday sees Mossley travel to West Lancashire in the hope of getting their stumbling league campaign firmly back on the rails.

The match also presents Mossley with their first opportunity to complete a 'good double' over a side this season following their 3-2 victory over the Linnets back in August. It was an incident packed game (remember Ryan Bowen's Shao-Linesque treatment of a concrete slab?) which Mossley somehow managed to win despite being completely outplayed for the most part - the technical football term being 'a mugging'.

A win's a win though and I don't think Lilywhite supporters would complain if we returned with another three points gained in the same manner, particularly as Victory Park isn't the happiest of hunting grounds for Mossley. Whilst it's been nine years since we last faced Burscough on their home territory (a 0-0 draw gaining us our first ever point there), we've had better fortunes on a more recent visit: a 3-2 win over Skelmersdale United in November 2003.

Burscough currently lie ninth in the table, four points off a promotion spot and seventeen points above us. They also have the third best home record in the division but there is hope for Mossley in that the Linnet's last visitors, low scoring Lincoln United, became the first side to leave with three points this season after a 2-0 win. Add to that the fact that, Matlock aside, Mossley are playing better away from Seel Park this year and the result doesn't seem to be as cut and dried at it may initially appear.

The match will also see each side having to defend against the possibility of an ex-player coming back to haunt them - Peter Wright lining up for the Lilywhites and Ciaran Kilheeney leading the Burscough attack. And with both sides defence's proving to be somewhat leaky as of late, the game promises to provide to provide them with the opportunity to make their marks.

Prediction: Hmm... a tricky one this but with the old cliche of 'triumph in the face adversity' behind us I think we'll give Burscough their second home defeat on the trot. Honest to goodness - trust me on this one.