Stalybridge Celtic 3 - 1 Mossley

I've got to say that prior to the game my fears (which I'm sure other people held as well) were that we'd be on the receiving end of a rather heavy defeat. The facts that a group of players who'd never played together before (many of whom were more accustomed to playing sides five levels below their opponents) were up against a Conference North side, bolstered by ex-League players and midway through a pre-season programme, suggested that such a thing was an inevitability.

And to be honest it should have been. However it wasn't and that was due in no small part to some good goalkeeping, some good defending and from Stalybridge the kind of shooting that, if employed by armed forces around the world, would render warfare pointless.

The biggest offender for Celtic was Chris 'I want to be an ac-tor' Hall who missed an almost unending succession of opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. To be blunt, if you're watching a film or television programme in which someone, for some reason, is hitting a cows backside with a banjo, don't expect his name to appear next to the role in the credits. Still, should a casting call for 'The Ade Akinbiyi Biopic' ever go out...

From the outset Mossley were struggling to get any momentum going forward (what few attacks there were tending to breakdown outside the box) but there was the odd moment or two of neat interchanges, touches or breaks that looked promising for the future when the team has bedded down more. I would like to mention some of the players involved but as their names are nothing more than hastily scribbled and frighteningly illegible notes in my makeshift notebook I'll pass just this once if you'll allow me. I will say though that as well as the names I have remembered in the following paragraphs, the two first half wingers (Brighton and Noble?) looked impressive as did Lee Connor and Darren Royle under an almost constant stream of pressure.

Despite their profligacy the hosts eventually managed to find the back of the net twice. The first came courtesy of an errant pass across the Mossley back four whilst the second followed a goal mouth scramble - both goals conceded due to the inexperience of the side more than anything else.

The goal of the game though came out of the blue and, for the Mossley fans present, at the right end. After receiving the ball just inside the Bridge half, a blistering turn pace from Kingston Gayle (too fast for the auto focusing on my camera anyway) took him past the Celtic defence and to edge of the box where he fired a thunderous effort past Paddy Gambles into the corner of the net.

Minutes later the home side were given the opportunity to restore their two goal lead from the twelve yard spot. Experts at this kind of situation say that penalty kicks should be hit high and to one side for the greatest chance of scoring and that's what the taker did. What I don't think he (or anyone else) was expecting though was for Ashley Connor in the Mossley goal to palm it away to safety with a not particularly shabby penalty save. It makes you wonder what kind of stops we'll see in games that really matter.

Half-time brought about a string of personnel changes for both sides but there was no change to the overall pattern of the game. Apart from a very brief spell of Lilywhite pressure midway through the second period it was pretty much one way traffic. Like the first forty-five minutes though Celtic's attempts to add their total were being foiled by two different Mossley keepers and an hysterical lack of shooting accuracy. Eventually Paul Sykes grabbed a scrappy third and that's how it remained until the final whistle.

As first games go for a completely brand new side, a match against a team two divisions higher was always going to be a baptism of fire but Mossley didn't disgrace themselves at all. If anything I'd be more worried if I was a Stalybridge fan after watching their faltering attack fail time and again. With five more friendlies to go though before the start of the season there's enough time for players tune into each others wavelengths and as things are more likely to get better than worse, the future looks promising indeed.