Mossley 3 - 2 Grantham Town

If you're one of those people who missed this game (and with the regular attendance down by over a third, there's plenty of you) I'd like to say that you missed a fantastic match packed with incident and end-to-end action. I'd like to but...

Whilst the game wasn't without its moments, the 3-2 scoreline does disguise the fact that they were few and far between.

For a team that was approaching the end of its journey along the relegation 'green mile', Grantham certainly weren't going quietly. For thirty minutes they not only controlled the match but had enough chances to have made Mossley's task to get back into the game not an impossible one but an uphill one all the same.

The first in a line of wasted opportunities for the Gingerbread's came in the fourth minute when a goalmouth scramble ended with a Lovell shot being cleared off the line. Quarter of an hour later Danny Trueman was then called on to make two good stops from Rodman and Howell but he could only watch as another effort from Blair inched its way past the post.

Danny Trueman keeps the score level.

Mossley's contribution to troubling the scoreline in the opening half hour amounted to nothing more than the odd corner and an in swinging effort from Steve Brackenridge that caused the Grantham keeper Chris Jones no undue problems. The breakthrough though came in the 34th minute and with not a small amount of help from from the aforementioned custodian.


A cross into the box from the right should have been a bread and butter catch for Jones but inexplicably, instead of doing what most people under no pressure would have done and caught it, he tried to punch it away and if you'll excuse the pun, made an absolute fist of it - hitting the ball into the ground and sending it back spinning off for a cheap corner as well as somehow managing to injure himself in the process. After the brief stoppage for treatment, Clive Moyo-Modise opened the scoring by flicking the ball into the net from the resultant flag kick with the back of his heel from six yards.

Mossley should have been given the opportunity to double their advantage from the penalty spot at the start of the second half. Clive M&M was brought crashing to the ground after beating his marker in the box in what looked to be a nailed on penalty, something the assistant referee appeared to confirm in signalling for a spot kick. Unfortunately the referee was having none of it (even after conferring with his linesman) and a goal kick was awarded instead.

The assistant referee signals for a penalty.

The second goal wasn't to be long in coming though. Ten minutes into the final period Steve Burke received an inch perfect through ball from Joel Pilkington only to his see shot charged down at the edge of the area; the loose ball falling kindly to M&M and he made no mistake in hammering the ball past Jones for his and Mossley's second.

Clive Double-M's (out of picture) shot hits the back of the net.

The third goal came with fifteen minutes to go. Some quick thinking after being awarded what was a very soft free-kick six yards outside the corner of the Grantham box gave Burke the opportunity to put his name on the goal sheet - the ball hitting the back of the net whilst Grantham were still trying to line up their wall.

Another photo where the scorer's out of shot. And everybody else is out of focus. Trust me, this is Steve Burke's goal.

At this point it should have been game over but as the previous match at Guiseley and many others this season have shown: football's a ninety minute game.

With relegation now an absolute certainty rather than the strong possibility it was before the match started, Grantham suddenly discovered a bit of form. A header from Lovell looped onto the roof of the net and another effort bounced off the top of the crossbar before they were awarded a penalty with seven minutes to go for an apparent illegal challenge by Jonathan Smith on Lovell. To say that the decision was harsh would be stretching the definition of the word, particularly when you consider the challenge on M&M earlier in the game that he deemed unworthy of such an award, but it did sort of readdress the karmic imbalance caused by the free-kick which led to our third goal.

Manship put the first of his two spot kicks past Trueman

That balance suddenly tipped in Grantham's favour as the game entered stoppage time. A poorly taken corner hit one of the many bumps that make up the Seel Park pitch and brushed off substitute Danny Byrne's arm which was slap bang by his side. Before the ball had hit the ground the Preston official was already pointing to the spot, a decision which seemed to surprise Grantham's players as well as Mossley's.

Manship, who'd dispatched the first penalty past Trueman, made his way to the penalty spot only to find that number seven Rodman was preparing to take the kick. A discussion about who should take it turned into an arguement, then a wrestling match followed by a brief fight before Rodman finally threw the ball away and stormed off back to the halfway line in a huff.

Those of you who were at Newcastle Town five years ago will probably remember Ally Pickering throwing a strop at not being allowed to take a penalty and recalling how embarrassing it is was to watch your team descend to childish, petty squabbling. However, when it happens to a team you don't support it's absolutely frickin' hilarious!

Manship, who'd dispatched the first penalty past Trueman, made his way to the penalty spot only to find that number seven Rodman was preparing to take the kick. A discussion about who should take it turned into an argument, then a wrestling match followed by a brief fight before Rodman finally threw the ball away and stormed off back to the halfway line in a huff. Unsurprisingly he wasn't one forthcoming in his congratulations when Manship reduced the gap to one goal.

Sadly for Grantham, but ecstatically for the rest of us, there wasn't enough time left for them to mount another attack from which they could be given another penalty.


All in all a welcome three points and Mossley's fifth 3-2 game of the season. Whilst the two late goals scored by the visitors put a dent into a goal difference column that was starting to look a bit healthier after the events of recent weeks, they did give the score a fairer reflection of the overall balance of play.

With other results sort of going our way as well, it can probably be officially titled as a good day. Sadly laurel resting will have to be postponed for a good while yet because with sterner opposition than Grantham coming up over the next few weeks, we'll have to show that we can raise our game higher still.

Onwards and upwards?