By rights this report should consist solely of me wittering on in an overly ebullient fashion about the latest instalment in Mossley's winning streak; filled as it was with some superb passages of football.
Unfortunately though it's not going to be because my powers of description have failed me. I'd love to be able to tell you about a three man move midway through the first half involving Nick Allen, Steve Moore and Chris McDonagh but I don't possess a vocabulary that could do it justice. And the same thing goes for a whole host of moments like these during the match, including a great spell of 'keep ball' around the Radcliffe box which wound down the clock in injury time.
Either that or I'm just feeling really lazy when it comes to writing reports these days. Whatever the reason is though one thing is a fact: a solitary goal from Matty Kay proved to be enough to earn Mossley their fourth consecutive victory in a fixture that wasn't as close as maybe the score line suggests.
Considering the Lilywhites recent tendency for clinching wins with virtually the last kick of the match, this particular game winning goal came at the relatively early time of the 18th minute. A long punt upfield by Peter Collinge was gifted to Kay by the head of one of Borough's centre halves and after taking one touch to control the ball, the Mossley midfielder unleashed a drive from 25 yards that flashed past Lloyd Rigby (no relation) in the home sides goal and into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Even at this youthful stage of the game it was no more than the visitors deserved for the pressure they were putting their hosts under. The only thing that stops that period of pressure being labelled as constant was a moment in the 9th minute in which Ben Wharton, a former Mossley trialist, crashed a shot against the crossbar following a mazy run towards the edge of the visitors box.
After going a goal behind Radcliffe began to struggle to contain their opponents attacks and it was a task made all the harder just before the half hour when Ben Manning was shown a red card for an horrifically late two footed lunge on Ben Richardson. It was an atrocious challenge and one that could have easily cast an extremely dark and disturbing cloud over proceedings had the Mossley wing back not had the leg which was clattered into off the ground.
If that wasn't bad enough what followed really took the shine off the game as the behaviour of quite a few people from Radcliffe after that, for want of a better word, 'tackle' leaves a heck of a lot to be desired.
The number of people condoning the challenge - one in which a player was extremely fortunate not to have his leg snapped in two – was extraordinary. I wonder if a certain senior member of the Radcliffe bench would have walked down the touchline to berate the officials and offer to take on the opposition supporters if it had been his player almost put out of the game for a considerable length of time? I doubt it and I'm not mean spirited enough to wish. the situation on them in the hope of finding out. Some of us can act as human beings rather partisan idiots
There are tales doing the rounds too of an even more senior official at Borough behaving like a complete muppet in the aftermath of the incident. If they're true, and I've no reason to doubt the source of these claims, then the person in question should perhaps make good with his tiresome annual threats to pack in with football and do the game a favour.
Seriously, the attitude of some people in this sport beggars belief and it's fools like these: people who can scream abuse at someone for having the temerity not to stand still and have his leg broken, that make me wonder if the game is really worth bothering with.
Anyway, where was I?
In an attempt to press home their advantage and capitalise on the disorganisation in the Borough defence caused by the dismissal, Mossley mounted attack after attack in search of the goal or goals that would seal the win. Steven Moore brought an excellent save of Rigby with a stinging thirty yard shot and then saw another effort bounce off the upright. His strike partner Chris McDonagh went close to doubling the lead with an angled drive, as did Lee Blackshaw and Kay again, while Andy Russell's point blank header from a corner looped over the crossbar after hitting a motionless and somewhat stunned Rigby in the face.
Mossley continued to press forward after the interval with both Russell and Blackshaw again narrowly failing to add to the lead. The longer the game wore on though, the more the visitors became content to sit back and defend the advantage they held; the consequence of which being that Radcliffe began to enjoy a greater share of possession as they pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
I will admit that there were more than a few jitters amongst the travelling contingent in the closing moments of the match as the ball pinged around the edge of the Mossley box. Having a one goal lead with a few minutes will do that to any supporter. To be honest though, there's not a lead imaginable that Mossley fans would ever be comfortable with. Even at four or five goal goals up with seconds to play the average Lilywhites follower would at most expect a draw. Some call it pessimism, others call it negativity - the rest of us call it 'been there, done that'.
But looking back at those moments now in the (very) cold light of day you realise that the nerves and panicked cries of “clear it” were unnecessary because then men in white were really quite comfortable; the solidity of the Lilywhites back line meant that Borough's attempts to salvage the game were confined to nothing more than pot shots from a distance.
While the margin of victory may not accurately reflect Mossley's hold on the game, the three points gained from this latest success does move them a step closer to a top ten spot in the league – something which I doubt many, including the most ardent Lilywhites fans, would have thought possible given the position the club was in a little over a month ago.
Wakefield 2 - 3 Mossley
Whenever history chooses to repeat itself at Mossley, be it on or off the pitch, it's not a good thing. Brows are furrowed, hatches are battened and the gulps of worry and sighs of despair are loud and many.
Occasionally though, just occasionally mind, fate decides to give us a break from reminding us of financial woes and sloppy defending from times gone past to prompt us into recalling one of those few good times that reside in the annals. Usually though it's something that happened a bit longer than seven days ago.
Not that you'll find anyone from Mossley complaining about the repetition of 'still fresh' events as for the second time in a week Lee Blackshaw was in the right place at the right time to score a last minute winner for the Lilywhites in West Yorkshire.
Details of this victory at Wakefield's College Grove ground (Mossley's third win in eight days and the third time in a row that they've come back from a losing position to do it) can be found on Mossleyweb or here as my presence was elsewhere on this particular afternoon - yes, another Mossley80 no show at a game I'm afraid.
I could if I wanted to choose to fill the gap where a report on the Wakefield game should be by bringing you my thoughts on the Glossop North End versus Padiham game I saw in midweek. However, as it was a game that came close to putting the final into the coffin in which my love of football currently resides, I have no wish to relive it. Don't let the 2-2 score line, a sending off and a last minute equaliser fool you - it was an awful game.
It's hard to pinpoint what the worst part it was given there were so many bad things to choose from. There was the football, the cold, the football, the abuse a female assistant referee got despite the fact she got practically all her decisions right, the football and, oh, have I mentioned that the football was bad?
The fevered talk on the terraces before kick-off was that Glossop had chosen to give New Mills a four figure sum for striker Gary Kharas. And on the basis of this particular performance, if those four figures are anything more than £10.01, North End have been ripped off.
Then again I doubt his confidence will have been helped by the critique he got from a New Mills official on High Peaks Radio which was broadcast over the ground's PA system as he went about his pre-game warm up. The idea to play the stations sports coverage over the tannoy is a good one but when somebody starts to intimate that your new signing has basically lost it, it may be an idea to actually turn it off.
Back to Mossley though as this after all is a blog about they. Next up for the Lilywhites is a trip to Stainton Park to face Radcliffe Borough who are in the rather unusual position of being in the top half of the table in March; a situation that means the visitors are going to have to be on their mettle to keep their winning streak going and overcome the previously perennial strugglers.
Occasionally though, just occasionally mind, fate decides to give us a break from reminding us of financial woes and sloppy defending from times gone past to prompt us into recalling one of those few good times that reside in the annals. Usually though it's something that happened a bit longer than seven days ago.
Not that you'll find anyone from Mossley complaining about the repetition of 'still fresh' events as for the second time in a week Lee Blackshaw was in the right place at the right time to score a last minute winner for the Lilywhites in West Yorkshire.
Details of this victory at Wakefield's College Grove ground (Mossley's third win in eight days and the third time in a row that they've come back from a losing position to do it) can be found on Mossleyweb or here as my presence was elsewhere on this particular afternoon - yes, another Mossley80 no show at a game I'm afraid.
I could if I wanted to choose to fill the gap where a report on the Wakefield game should be by bringing you my thoughts on the Glossop North End versus Padiham game I saw in midweek. However, as it was a game that came close to putting the final into the coffin in which my love of football currently resides, I have no wish to relive it. Don't let the 2-2 score line, a sending off and a last minute equaliser fool you - it was an awful game.
It's hard to pinpoint what the worst part it was given there were so many bad things to choose from. There was the football, the cold, the football, the abuse a female assistant referee got despite the fact she got practically all her decisions right, the football and, oh, have I mentioned that the football was bad?
The fevered talk on the terraces before kick-off was that Glossop had chosen to give New Mills a four figure sum for striker Gary Kharas. And on the basis of this particular performance, if those four figures are anything more than £10.01, North End have been ripped off.
Then again I doubt his confidence will have been helped by the critique he got from a New Mills official on High Peaks Radio which was broadcast over the ground's PA system as he went about his pre-game warm up. The idea to play the stations sports coverage over the tannoy is a good one but when somebody starts to intimate that your new signing has basically lost it, it may be an idea to actually turn it off.
Back to Mossley though as this after all is a blog about they. Next up for the Lilywhites is a trip to Stainton Park to face Radcliffe Borough who are in the rather unusual position of being in the top half of the table in March; a situation that means the visitors are going to have to be on their mettle to keep their winning streak going and overcome the previously perennial strugglers.
Bamber Bridge 1 - 2 Mossley
Yes, that post heading is correct - Mossley won. Their first away win for almost four months, their first back-to-back win for four and a half and their first double of the season after beating Bridge by a solitary goal back in December. These are certainly the days of miracle and wonder.
And if you choose to believe the live text commentary that I watched this game by (and why wouldn't you?), it was a day of officials turning a blind eye too as Mossley's opening goal and equaliser was scored through the hand of Steven Moore. Apparently. Allegedly. According to at least one eye witness.
Even so, via the fingers of Mossley's stout number nine or not, it seemed to be no less than the visitors deserved judging by the updates on the aforementioned match update service. Plus it gave the Mossley supporters reading the blow by blow 'as it happens' account of what was occurring at Irongate the chance to embark on a prolonged bout of manus related punnery; the entirety of which, bad gags and all, has been saved for the ages and can be viewed here.
The game was ultimately won very early in the second half - six minutes into it in fact. In what the official Mossley match report is calling a goal of the season contender, Lee Blackshaw (and not Karl Brown - who left the club nearly three months ago - as the ever so accurate Unibond League web site states) repeated his trick from the Clitheroe game and scored the winner.
Further details on that winning goal, who played, who got booked, etc. can be found on Mossleyweb so I'd pop along there if you want to know said details because you're not going to find them on here.
And if you choose to believe the live text commentary that I watched this game by (and why wouldn't you?), it was a day of officials turning a blind eye too as Mossley's opening goal and equaliser was scored through the hand of Steven Moore. Apparently. Allegedly. According to at least one eye witness.
Even so, via the fingers of Mossley's stout number nine or not, it seemed to be no less than the visitors deserved judging by the updates on the aforementioned match update service. Plus it gave the Mossley supporters reading the blow by blow 'as it happens' account of what was occurring at Irongate the chance to embark on a prolonged bout of manus related punnery; the entirety of which, bad gags and all, has been saved for the ages and can be viewed here.
The game was ultimately won very early in the second half - six minutes into it in fact. In what the official Mossley match report is calling a goal of the season contender, Lee Blackshaw (and not Karl Brown - who left the club nearly three months ago - as the ever so accurate Unibond League web site states) repeated his trick from the Clitheroe game and scored the winner.
Further details on that winning goal, who played, who got booked, etc. can be found on Mossleyweb so I'd pop along there if you want to know said details because you're not going to find them on here.
Live From Preston It's The...
91st most important game of the week!
Or to you and I, Bamber Bridge vs Mossley.
If you're like me and haven't travelled up to Preston for this match (and judging by the number of people loitering on the forum as I'm writing this, there's a heck of a lot of you), you can keep up-to-date with events at Ironbridge by clicking on the following link which will take you to Brig Cast - a live match update service for Bamber Bridge's games.
Brig Cast: Bamber Bridge vs Mossley (02/03/10)
Here you'll be able to read about the goals (either the plethora or lack of them), substitutions, general musings on the game and the occasional random comment from other readers.
It'll be just like being there... except warmer, cheaper and you won't have as far to drive home if we lose.
Or to you and I, Bamber Bridge vs Mossley.
If you're like me and haven't travelled up to Preston for this match (and judging by the number of people loitering on the forum as I'm writing this, there's a heck of a lot of you), you can keep up-to-date with events at Ironbridge by clicking on the following link which will take you to Brig Cast - a live match update service for Bamber Bridge's games.
Brig Cast: Bamber Bridge vs Mossley (02/03/10)
Here you'll be able to read about the goals (either the plethora or lack of them), substitutions, general musings on the game and the occasional random comment from other readers.
It'll be just like being there... except warmer, cheaper and you won't have as far to drive home if we lose.
Mossley 4 - 2 Clitheroe
When your interest in the game of football is waning it takes something special to stoke the dying embers of the passion you once had. And this match provided a spark that lit that fire, if only briefly, once more.
Then again there's nothing like a match against an old enemy to get the blood pumping.
Ever since Mossley and Clitheroe faced one another for the first time in the North West Counties League in 1995, meetings between the two sides have always been, to use a hoary old football cliché, 'full-blooded affairs' and ones not generally lacking in incident and this latest encounter proved to be no exception.
Even though the latest spell of bad weather had visibly taken its toll on the pitch, the game got off to a blistering start as both teams traded a succession of chances in the opening ten minutes. Ex-Clitheroe keeper Peter Collinge was called into action twice to deny Alan Coar from putting the visitors in front while at the other end of the pitch it took a last ditch tackle from Liam McManus to stop Chris McDonagh from giving Mossley an early lead.
Steve Settle was the next player to try to break the deadlock and he came agonisingly close to doing so after the current Clitheroe keeper, Danny Hanford, fumbled his first attempt to save the wingers long range effort before finally stopping it on the line with his second. Hanford's shakiness at high balls into the box was highlighted again when he missed a catch at a corner kick and was rescued by a defender hacking the ball away to safety from underneath the cross bar.
Why am I mentioning a missed catch and a fumbled one - something that happens relatively often in a game of football? Well in drama this is what they call foreshadowing.
Just before the half hour Zach Clark spurned a gilt edged chance to put his name on the score sheet by dallying too long with the ball while the goal was at his mercy, giving Collinge time to get in position to make a good save when the shot finally was taken. The ball did actually hit the back of the net twice in the first half but on both occasions the raised flag of the assistant referee ruled Steve Moore's efforts to edge the Lilywhites ahead to be offside; the first decision, it must be said, being slightly more dubious than the second.
To be truthful they were just two decisions in a string of many that were... well, as this isn't the official report and what's said here in no way represents the views of Mossley AFC, just plain old wrong. This isn't a 'hard done to us' moan as Clitheroe can quite rightly have grievances about some of the decisions. I'm no longer one for verbally making my feelings known towards officials at games but even I couldn't bite my tongue at some conclusions the men in black came to. I doubt anyone could when they see a linesman inexplicably flag for offside when a goalkeeper, with only team mates round him, almost spills a shot from 25 yards into his own net.
Officials have a tough enough job to do as it is without them making it harder for themselves by getting the crowd on their backs with unfathomable interpretations of events.
Anyway...
After all that had happened it was a surprise that the interval arrived with the game still 0-0 but that soon changed as within five minutes of the restart Clitheroe had raced into a two goal lead. The first came after Nathan Taylor beat Mossley's offside trap to race on to a through ball but the second was a stunning strike – a turn and volley from 25 yards which left Collinge completely wrong-footed. McManus should have sealed the win the visitors not long after Taylor's double but his failure to find the net from the two yards out (somehow blazing the ball high over the bar) seemed to shake Mossley out of their post-interval stupor and they began to claw their way back into the game.
Shortly after the hour mark in the match Andy Watson headed a right wing corner into the path of Andy Russell who poked the ball over the line from close range. Five minutes of constant pressure later the comeback was completed. Substitute Lee Blackshaw effortlessly slipped his marker and played an inch perfect ball across the face of the goal which gave McDonagh the simplest of tap-ins to draw Mossley level.
The game then swung from end to end as both teams went in search of a winner. Konstantin Televinov and Clark, for the second time in the afternoon, fluffed great opportunities that would have given Clitheroe victory more while Nathan Neequaye and Matty Kay went close for the hosts. As the match passed its 90th minute it looked as though both sides would have to settle for a point but there was to be one late twist.
Almost a year to the day after scoring an injury time winner in the corresponding fixture last season, Lee Blackshaw repeated the feat by stroking the loose ball into an empty net after Hanford had once again failed miserably to deal with a straight forward cross. See! All that that stuff many paragraphs ago about missed catches and the like was pertinent.
The visitors piled men forward in an attempt to salvage an equaliser but in leaving gaps at the back they were caught on the break and Matty Kay cemented the win for the Lilywhites with his 20th goal of the campaign. Salt was then almost rubbed into Clitheroe's wounds when Moore nearly added a fifth with the final kick of the match.
Flattering or not, it's a victory which sees Mossley climb another place in the table and Clitheroe head back to central Lancashire from Seel Park for the second year running in a state of shock at the late, late turn of events. Both of which bring about an enormous warm glow inside of me.
Both sides deserve an enormous amount of credit for trying and successfully managing to play passing football on a surface that was more suited to potato picking than the finer arts of the beautiful game. But then the state of the pitch cannot be helped given the pounding it has received off the weather over the past three months and it certainly wasn't the reason for why the result of this match ended up the way it did.
Why it finished 4-2 is down to Mossley's refusal to roll over and lick their wounds when it looked like defeat was inevitable. Not for the first time this season - in fact I really should count just how many times its happened since August – the teams spirit in plugging away for the entire ninety minutes (plus that little bit extra) was handsomely rewarded.
Not only is it hard to pick out the star performer in a white shirt difficult, it would be grossly unfair too as this was a team effort in which all the players executed their roles to such a high standard that no-one stood out. And how often can you say that about any team, let alone Mossley?
Then again there's nothing like a match against an old enemy to get the blood pumping.
Ever since Mossley and Clitheroe faced one another for the first time in the North West Counties League in 1995, meetings between the two sides have always been, to use a hoary old football cliché, 'full-blooded affairs' and ones not generally lacking in incident and this latest encounter proved to be no exception.
Even though the latest spell of bad weather had visibly taken its toll on the pitch, the game got off to a blistering start as both teams traded a succession of chances in the opening ten minutes. Ex-Clitheroe keeper Peter Collinge was called into action twice to deny Alan Coar from putting the visitors in front while at the other end of the pitch it took a last ditch tackle from Liam McManus to stop Chris McDonagh from giving Mossley an early lead.
Steve Settle was the next player to try to break the deadlock and he came agonisingly close to doing so after the current Clitheroe keeper, Danny Hanford, fumbled his first attempt to save the wingers long range effort before finally stopping it on the line with his second. Hanford's shakiness at high balls into the box was highlighted again when he missed a catch at a corner kick and was rescued by a defender hacking the ball away to safety from underneath the cross bar.
Why am I mentioning a missed catch and a fumbled one - something that happens relatively often in a game of football? Well in drama this is what they call foreshadowing.
Just before the half hour Zach Clark spurned a gilt edged chance to put his name on the score sheet by dallying too long with the ball while the goal was at his mercy, giving Collinge time to get in position to make a good save when the shot finally was taken. The ball did actually hit the back of the net twice in the first half but on both occasions the raised flag of the assistant referee ruled Steve Moore's efforts to edge the Lilywhites ahead to be offside; the first decision, it must be said, being slightly more dubious than the second.
To be truthful they were just two decisions in a string of many that were... well, as this isn't the official report and what's said here in no way represents the views of Mossley AFC, just plain old wrong. This isn't a 'hard done to us' moan as Clitheroe can quite rightly have grievances about some of the decisions. I'm no longer one for verbally making my feelings known towards officials at games but even I couldn't bite my tongue at some conclusions the men in black came to. I doubt anyone could when they see a linesman inexplicably flag for offside when a goalkeeper, with only team mates round him, almost spills a shot from 25 yards into his own net.
Officials have a tough enough job to do as it is without them making it harder for themselves by getting the crowd on their backs with unfathomable interpretations of events.
Anyway...
After all that had happened it was a surprise that the interval arrived with the game still 0-0 but that soon changed as within five minutes of the restart Clitheroe had raced into a two goal lead. The first came after Nathan Taylor beat Mossley's offside trap to race on to a through ball but the second was a stunning strike – a turn and volley from 25 yards which left Collinge completely wrong-footed. McManus should have sealed the win the visitors not long after Taylor's double but his failure to find the net from the two yards out (somehow blazing the ball high over the bar) seemed to shake Mossley out of their post-interval stupor and they began to claw their way back into the game.
Shortly after the hour mark in the match Andy Watson headed a right wing corner into the path of Andy Russell who poked the ball over the line from close range. Five minutes of constant pressure later the comeback was completed. Substitute Lee Blackshaw effortlessly slipped his marker and played an inch perfect ball across the face of the goal which gave McDonagh the simplest of tap-ins to draw Mossley level.
The game then swung from end to end as both teams went in search of a winner. Konstantin Televinov and Clark, for the second time in the afternoon, fluffed great opportunities that would have given Clitheroe victory more while Nathan Neequaye and Matty Kay went close for the hosts. As the match passed its 90th minute it looked as though both sides would have to settle for a point but there was to be one late twist.
Almost a year to the day after scoring an injury time winner in the corresponding fixture last season, Lee Blackshaw repeated the feat by stroking the loose ball into an empty net after Hanford had once again failed miserably to deal with a straight forward cross. See! All that that stuff many paragraphs ago about missed catches and the like was pertinent.
The visitors piled men forward in an attempt to salvage an equaliser but in leaving gaps at the back they were caught on the break and Matty Kay cemented the win for the Lilywhites with his 20th goal of the campaign. Salt was then almost rubbed into Clitheroe's wounds when Moore nearly added a fifth with the final kick of the match.
Flattering or not, it's a victory which sees Mossley climb another place in the table and Clitheroe head back to central Lancashire from Seel Park for the second year running in a state of shock at the late, late turn of events. Both of which bring about an enormous warm glow inside of me.
Both sides deserve an enormous amount of credit for trying and successfully managing to play passing football on a surface that was more suited to potato picking than the finer arts of the beautiful game. But then the state of the pitch cannot be helped given the pounding it has received off the weather over the past three months and it certainly wasn't the reason for why the result of this match ended up the way it did.
Why it finished 4-2 is down to Mossley's refusal to roll over and lick their wounds when it looked like defeat was inevitable. Not for the first time this season - in fact I really should count just how many times its happened since August – the teams spirit in plugging away for the entire ninety minutes (plus that little bit extra) was handsomely rewarded.
Not only is it hard to pick out the star performer in a white shirt difficult, it would be grossly unfair too as this was a team effort in which all the players executed their roles to such a high standard that no-one stood out. And how often can you say that about any team, let alone Mossley?
Monkeys, Dust And Football
The postponement of the midweek fixture against Curzon (apparently the eleventh time a Mossley match has been shelved this season according to someone who's keeping a better eye on these things than me) means that instead of bringing you what would have been a humdrum report on another defeat to our near neighbours (not pessimism - realism), I can update the blog with something else.
And when I say I've not been involved in any with its production, that's a guarantee that the 'something else' is going to be more entertaining than anything I could have come up with to fill the midweek void.
The else in question is a clip from Monkey Dust, an animated sketch show that aired on BBC2 in which a lot of the humour was not so much dark but absolutely pitch black; dealing as it did with topics rarely touched on in comedy such as suicide, terrorism and other subjects that get Daily Mail readers in a tizzy. For example, 'Geoff the first time cottager'. Of course, if you're easily offended don't click that link.
Anyway, back to the point of this post and as if to prove that nothing much has changed in football over the seven or so years since it was first aired, here is Monkey Dust's version of Roy of the Rovers. Again, if you're easily outraged by humour of a rude nature or by badly drawn representations of a certain Chelsea captain, don't - whatever you do - press play:
And when I say I've not been involved in any with its production, that's a guarantee that the 'something else' is going to be more entertaining than anything I could have come up with to fill the midweek void.
The else in question is a clip from Monkey Dust, an animated sketch show that aired on BBC2 in which a lot of the humour was not so much dark but absolutely pitch black; dealing as it did with topics rarely touched on in comedy such as suicide, terrorism and other subjects that get Daily Mail readers in a tizzy. For example, 'Geoff the first time cottager'. Of course, if you're easily offended don't click that link.
Anyway, back to the point of this post and as if to prove that nothing much has changed in football over the seven or so years since it was first aired, here is Monkey Dust's version of Roy of the Rovers. Again, if you're easily outraged by humour of a rude nature or by badly drawn representations of a certain Chelsea captain, don't - whatever you do - press play:
FC Halifax Town 4 - 2 Mossley
Not for the first time - and I very much doubt it will be the last - it appears that I spoke to soon.
For those of you who don't remember, or wisely chose not to read it at all, I ended the report for the Warrington Town game with the following words:
"At the very least the result and performance puts Mossley in good stead for the series of upcoming games against teams making a serious challenge for a promotion spot. And on the form they showed in this match the results of those fixtures may not quite be the foregone conclusions they initially appeared."
Goes to show what I know doesn't it?
Even taking into account the fact we had a strangely depleted squad which left us with just three substitutes (a centre half, a goalkeeper and a player who left the club before the season started), the word from those who went to the game is that we weren't good at all. Apparently we were sort of okay-ish in the second half but the performance before the interval was reputedly... well, my refusal to swear on this blog prevents me from relaying a couple of comments I've heard in relation to this period of football.
Yet despite our reportedly sub-sub par performance we still managed notch up another two goals; something we haven't done a lot of in the league this season and more than any other club has done at Halifax this year.
If you wish to read a more in-depth review of this match then I point you in the direction of Mossleyweb for the Mossley version of events or the official Halifax site for the view of the opposition. Actually why not read both? It is a Sunday after all.
Next up for the Lilywhites is the second part of the 'top five' double header: a meeting with Curzon Ashton at our Hurst Cross holiday home. Results against our near and not so dear neighbours haven't exactly gone our way too often in recent years so the omens for this coming Tuesday don't look good. Not even to the point where I'm going to claim that there's a faint hope we could snatch a point.
Instead, given how hopelessly incorrect my predictions always are I'm going to say with all confidence that we'll lose. So either I'll be right and appear to have great foresight or wrong and happily so for once. It's a win-win situation! For me at least if not the team.
For those of you who don't remember, or wisely chose not to read it at all, I ended the report for the Warrington Town game with the following words:
"At the very least the result and performance puts Mossley in good stead for the series of upcoming games against teams making a serious challenge for a promotion spot. And on the form they showed in this match the results of those fixtures may not quite be the foregone conclusions they initially appeared."
Goes to show what I know doesn't it?
Even taking into account the fact we had a strangely depleted squad which left us with just three substitutes (a centre half, a goalkeeper and a player who left the club before the season started), the word from those who went to the game is that we weren't good at all. Apparently we were sort of okay-ish in the second half but the performance before the interval was reputedly... well, my refusal to swear on this blog prevents me from relaying a couple of comments I've heard in relation to this period of football.
Yet despite our reportedly sub-sub par performance we still managed notch up another two goals; something we haven't done a lot of in the league this season and more than any other club has done at Halifax this year.
If you wish to read a more in-depth review of this match then I point you in the direction of Mossleyweb for the Mossley version of events or the official Halifax site for the view of the opposition. Actually why not read both? It is a Sunday after all.
Next up for the Lilywhites is the second part of the 'top five' double header: a meeting with Curzon Ashton at our Hurst Cross holiday home. Results against our near and not so dear neighbours haven't exactly gone our way too often in recent years so the omens for this coming Tuesday don't look good. Not even to the point where I'm going to claim that there's a faint hope we could snatch a point.
Instead, given how hopelessly incorrect my predictions always are I'm going to say with all confidence that we'll lose. So either I'll be right and appear to have great foresight or wrong and happily so for once. It's a win-win situation! For me at least if not the team.
Mossley 5 - 0 Warrington Town
The saying goes that good things come to those who wait, and after waiting two months for a win in all competitions, Mossley's patience was rewarded with a narrow victory over Warrington Town.
I know what you're thinking, how on earth can a five goal rout be classed as a narrow victory? Well, considering what the end result could have been had Mossley put a fraction of the other chances they created into the back of the net, the final score line makes the game seem closer than it was because 5-0 flatters the visitors. A lot.
After three successive draws in the league since the turn of the year, this was the Lilywhites first victory of 2010 and it was claimed in some style as they out fought, out thought and comprehensively outplayed a side who before the game sat two places outside a play-off spot.
Straight from the kick-off (which was delayed for nearly fifteen minutes as someone hunted around for corner flags) Mossley took the game to their opponents and such was their dominance it was something of a shock that it took until the ninth minute for the first goal to arrive; Steve Settle and Andy Russell played in Michael Fish and his bobbling, slightly mis-hit shot teed up strike partner Chris McDonagh to roll the ball over the line from very close range.
Over the remainder of the half the Lilywhites continued to create more and more chances but as they did so the more the Town goal began to lead a charmed life; none more so than when Town keeper Ritchie Mottram's attempt to dribble his way out of danger ended with McDonagh putting the ball narrowly wide from almost forty yards out. And when Settle, who'd had a shot cleared off the line as early as the 2nd minute, saw an effort ruled out for offside it looked increasingly like it was going to be one of those nights where it was to be hoped that one goal would be enough to claim the win.
The precarious nature of Mossley's lead was highlighted six minutes before the break when Tony Evans wasted a golden opportunity for the visitors by blazing a shot high over the top of Peter Collinge's crossbar when it looked far easier to score. Amazingly he wasted an even more gilt edged chance moments later when a collision between Collinge and Settle left him with the ball at his feet in front of an open goal. To the relief of the home side though he delayed his shot long enough to give Graham Kay the chance to stop the ball on the goal line.
Andy Watson completed the clearance as Evans steeled himself for another strike of the ball and it was from this long kick down field that Mossley got the second goal their performance merited. Fish won the race for the loose ball and after carrying it to the edge of the Town box he stroked it low past Mottram and into the net.
The second goal appeared to knock whatever resistance Warrington had left out of them and the only question that remained to be answered as the teams retook to the pitch after half-time was not if Mossley would win, but by how many.
Ten minutes into the second period the Lilywhites began the process of giving the score line a more emphatic look when Nick Allen and Settle combined to set up Matty Kay for his 18th goal of the season. His 19th arrived on the hour mark with a shot from inside the six yard box following a goalmouth scramble which had seen the ball ricochet pinball-like around the penalty area after Kay (the Graham version) and Fish had both had net bound efforts blocked.
The fifth and final goal of the night came once again via the boot of Fish as last season's leading scorer applied a one-touch finish to substitute Lee Blackshaw's inch perfect cross from the right.
It's actually hard to put a finger on the dynamics of this game: were we that good or were Warrington that bad? The evidence for the first statement being true is that Mossley ceratinly did play well - extremely well in fact. Gone was the tired, long ball approach that made the pre-Christmas games a chore to watch and its place was the fast, passing game which was the cornerstone of that fourteen game unbeaten run earlier in the season. Watching the hapless Town side get torn to shreds every time the Lilywhites went on the attack was a sight to behold.
And in the term 'hapless' you have the basis of the argument for Warrington being bad. Despite having a couple of chances to draw level in the closing stages of the first half, mostly it must be said through mistakes of Mossley's own making, they were dire. But yet they sit just outside the play-offs so they must be a decent side, mustn't they? Surely no team can reach such dizzy heights by just being lucky.
The actual truth as always probably lies somewhere in between; Warrington were simply unlucky enough to catch a Mossley side firing on all cylinders and as we know from the past, when they hit that kind of form they are nearly unplayable.
The result also means that the Lilywhites have taken four points from a possible six at their temporary night time residence at Hurst Cross. And in doing so they've scored eight times which, fact fans, accounts for almost a quarter of the goals they've scored in the league so far this season. May be playing home league games at the lower altitude is conducive to sticking the ball in the net a bit more often than usual.
At the very least the result and performance puts Mossley in good stead for the series of upcoming games against teams making a serious challenge for a promotion spot. And on the form they showed in this match the results of those fixtures may not quite be the foregone conclusions they initially appeared. But this is Mossley and as we've found out on so many occasions, anything could and probably will happen.
I know what you're thinking, how on earth can a five goal rout be classed as a narrow victory? Well, considering what the end result could have been had Mossley put a fraction of the other chances they created into the back of the net, the final score line makes the game seem closer than it was because 5-0 flatters the visitors. A lot.
After three successive draws in the league since the turn of the year, this was the Lilywhites first victory of 2010 and it was claimed in some style as they out fought, out thought and comprehensively outplayed a side who before the game sat two places outside a play-off spot.
Straight from the kick-off (which was delayed for nearly fifteen minutes as someone hunted around for corner flags) Mossley took the game to their opponents and such was their dominance it was something of a shock that it took until the ninth minute for the first goal to arrive; Steve Settle and Andy Russell played in Michael Fish and his bobbling, slightly mis-hit shot teed up strike partner Chris McDonagh to roll the ball over the line from very close range.
Over the remainder of the half the Lilywhites continued to create more and more chances but as they did so the more the Town goal began to lead a charmed life; none more so than when Town keeper Ritchie Mottram's attempt to dribble his way out of danger ended with McDonagh putting the ball narrowly wide from almost forty yards out. And when Settle, who'd had a shot cleared off the line as early as the 2nd minute, saw an effort ruled out for offside it looked increasingly like it was going to be one of those nights where it was to be hoped that one goal would be enough to claim the win.
The precarious nature of Mossley's lead was highlighted six minutes before the break when Tony Evans wasted a golden opportunity for the visitors by blazing a shot high over the top of Peter Collinge's crossbar when it looked far easier to score. Amazingly he wasted an even more gilt edged chance moments later when a collision between Collinge and Settle left him with the ball at his feet in front of an open goal. To the relief of the home side though he delayed his shot long enough to give Graham Kay the chance to stop the ball on the goal line.
Andy Watson completed the clearance as Evans steeled himself for another strike of the ball and it was from this long kick down field that Mossley got the second goal their performance merited. Fish won the race for the loose ball and after carrying it to the edge of the Town box he stroked it low past Mottram and into the net.
The second goal appeared to knock whatever resistance Warrington had left out of them and the only question that remained to be answered as the teams retook to the pitch after half-time was not if Mossley would win, but by how many.
Ten minutes into the second period the Lilywhites began the process of giving the score line a more emphatic look when Nick Allen and Settle combined to set up Matty Kay for his 18th goal of the season. His 19th arrived on the hour mark with a shot from inside the six yard box following a goalmouth scramble which had seen the ball ricochet pinball-like around the penalty area after Kay (the Graham version) and Fish had both had net bound efforts blocked.
The fifth and final goal of the night came once again via the boot of Fish as last season's leading scorer applied a one-touch finish to substitute Lee Blackshaw's inch perfect cross from the right.
It's actually hard to put a finger on the dynamics of this game: were we that good or were Warrington that bad? The evidence for the first statement being true is that Mossley ceratinly did play well - extremely well in fact. Gone was the tired, long ball approach that made the pre-Christmas games a chore to watch and its place was the fast, passing game which was the cornerstone of that fourteen game unbeaten run earlier in the season. Watching the hapless Town side get torn to shreds every time the Lilywhites went on the attack was a sight to behold.
And in the term 'hapless' you have the basis of the argument for Warrington being bad. Despite having a couple of chances to draw level in the closing stages of the first half, mostly it must be said through mistakes of Mossley's own making, they were dire. But yet they sit just outside the play-offs so they must be a decent side, mustn't they? Surely no team can reach such dizzy heights by just being lucky.
The actual truth as always probably lies somewhere in between; Warrington were simply unlucky enough to catch a Mossley side firing on all cylinders and as we know from the past, when they hit that kind of form they are nearly unplayable.
The result also means that the Lilywhites have taken four points from a possible six at their temporary night time residence at Hurst Cross. And in doing so they've scored eight times which, fact fans, accounts for almost a quarter of the goals they've scored in the league so far this season. May be playing home league games at the lower altitude is conducive to sticking the ball in the net a bit more often than usual.
At the very least the result and performance puts Mossley in good stead for the series of upcoming games against teams making a serious challenge for a promotion spot. And on the form they showed in this match the results of those fixtures may not quite be the foregone conclusions they initially appeared. But this is Mossley and as we've found out on so many occasions, anything could and probably will happen.
Prescot Cables 0 - 0 Mossley
Who'd have thought that after last Saturday's 'oh so scintillating' meeting between the two teams that the return fixture at Prescot's Valerie Park ground would finish goalless. Quelle the surprise.
Judging by various comments lying around the more obscure corners of the internet though, this was apparently a better game than the one which had taken place a week earlier. Not that it would have taken much to happen for it to be an improvement on last weeks lame offering to the paying public.
The fact that I'm trawling the web for critiques of this particular encounter should be a big clue as to the fact that I was a non-attendee and, as a consequence, won't be able to provide you with a fair and balanced view of proceedings. If it's such things you require then I heartily recommend visiting the official Mossley site for a summary of what did and didn't occur.
I can't even provide you with a brief run down of another game to fill the void in this report as I had a completely football free Saturday and (if you'll pardon my northernness) by gum it was good. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd miss the banter with the people I've stood along side on the terraces for goodness knows how many years, I'd really have no trouble making my alternate Saturday arrangements my first choice ones.
Anyway, next up for Mossley is a trip to our temporary night time home at Hurst Cross for the visit of Warrington. I don't wish to pre-judge things, and I'm sure Warrington are just as thrilled at the prospect at meeting us as we them, but I can't say I'm holding out much hope for excitement in this one.
Judging by various comments lying around the more obscure corners of the internet though, this was apparently a better game than the one which had taken place a week earlier. Not that it would have taken much to happen for it to be an improvement on last weeks lame offering to the paying public.
The fact that I'm trawling the web for critiques of this particular encounter should be a big clue as to the fact that I was a non-attendee and, as a consequence, won't be able to provide you with a fair and balanced view of proceedings. If it's such things you require then I heartily recommend visiting the official Mossley site for a summary of what did and didn't occur.
I can't even provide you with a brief run down of another game to fill the void in this report as I had a completely football free Saturday and (if you'll pardon my northernness) by gum it was good. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd miss the banter with the people I've stood along side on the terraces for goodness knows how many years, I'd really have no trouble making my alternate Saturday arrangements my first choice ones.
Anyway, next up for Mossley is a trip to our temporary night time home at Hurst Cross for the visit of Warrington. I don't wish to pre-judge things, and I'm sure Warrington are just as thrilled at the prospect at meeting us as we them, but I can't say I'm holding out much hope for excitement in this one.
Light Through Yonder Window Breaks
In the event that this is the only place on the world wide web you visit for news about Mossley AFC*, the following update was placed on the forum some time this morning:
What else can you say or add to that other than a thank you to Mr Threlkeld for his generosity. And at times like this it would be remiss of me not to provide a link to company's website so... GT Grafix
Of course there is still the small matter now of getting the funding Tameside Council pledged for the other 50% - I'm sure, and quite rightly too, that there are plenty of committee meetings, i-dottings and t-crossings to go through before that money becomes available - but the future, and night matches at Seel Park, does look a little brighter.
*If so, you do know there are better places for that kind of thing don't you? Even so, thanks for popping by.
MOSSLEY AFC FLOODLIGHT APPEAL PUBLIC STATEMENT - 11/02/2010
We are pleased to announce that following all the hard work of the committee and volunteers, we have raised over £4,500.
For this we must give our grateful thanks to all the residents and supporters in and around Mossley.
The good news today is that we have now confirmed an offer from GT GRAFIX a local business in Dukinfield, to cover the shortfall in the 50% we needed to raise for the new floodlights.
Gary Threlkeld the owner of GT Grafix is a Mossley resident and wants to work with us to ensure the future of the football club.
Following two months without playing at home our financial situation is still difficult.
There are various fund raising events that have been planned through to April and hope that with the continued support of everyone, will enable us to look forward to a strong and successful future for Mossley Football Club.
The Directors & Committee of Mossley Football Club.
What else can you say or add to that other than a thank you to Mr Threlkeld for his generosity. And at times like this it would be remiss of me not to provide a link to company's website so... GT Grafix
Of course there is still the small matter now of getting the funding Tameside Council pledged for the other 50% - I'm sure, and quite rightly too, that there are plenty of committee meetings, i-dottings and t-crossings to go through before that money becomes available - but the future, and night matches at Seel Park, does look a little brighter.
*If so, you do know there are better places for that kind of thing don't you? Even so, thanks for popping by.
Woodley Sports 3 - 0 Colwyn Bay
As my fingers and all that they're attached to are still frozen from attending the match noted in the title to this post, I'm going to keep this brief.
Like Mossley's game at the weekend against Prescot this was an encounter not overflowing with goalmouth incident. And other than that one of the sides took to the pitch in an all white kit, that's where the comparisons between the two fixtures must end because whereas the aforementioned game was as dull as foam bladed steak knife, this one was genuinely entertaining.
It was fast, relatively furious and both sides were trying their best to play some attractive football. In this respect Colwyn Bay were the better team - stringing together some really impressive attacking moves. Sadly for the Welshmen though they had no cutting edge whatsover and coupled with a back line that can't really be described as a defence because that implies they offered some kind of resistance, it wasn't a recipe for success.
After having a goal ruled out for offside on their first attack in the match, the home side put themselves in front on their second. Almost immediately you could see the heads of some Bay players go down and it took until midway through the second half for them to pick up again - not the kind of thing you expect from a side chasing promotion.
This coincided with a brief rally during which a shot was hacked of the Woodley goal line but the pressure never built into anything more substantial. Instead it was left to the Stockport side to look the side most likely score, which they duly did in the 86th minute as they took advantage of more nonsense defending. They added a third too in injury time after I'd left but it's probably safe to assume that more slip-shod defending played its part in the goal.
On paper it looks a surprise result but in reality it wasn't and for a team with title ambitions Colwyn Bay have got a lot of bucking up to do if they want to achieve those aspirations this year. With this result and the recent victory over Lancaster City, Woodley on the other hand look to be hitting a bit of form that will take them away from the foot of the table which isn't really good news for Mossley. But then is there ever such a thing as good news for Mossley?
Right! I'm off to try defrosting again.
Like Mossley's game at the weekend against Prescot this was an encounter not overflowing with goalmouth incident. And other than that one of the sides took to the pitch in an all white kit, that's where the comparisons between the two fixtures must end because whereas the aforementioned game was as dull as foam bladed steak knife, this one was genuinely entertaining.
It was fast, relatively furious and both sides were trying their best to play some attractive football. In this respect Colwyn Bay were the better team - stringing together some really impressive attacking moves. Sadly for the Welshmen though they had no cutting edge whatsover and coupled with a back line that can't really be described as a defence because that implies they offered some kind of resistance, it wasn't a recipe for success.
After having a goal ruled out for offside on their first attack in the match, the home side put themselves in front on their second. Almost immediately you could see the heads of some Bay players go down and it took until midway through the second half for them to pick up again - not the kind of thing you expect from a side chasing promotion.
This coincided with a brief rally during which a shot was hacked of the Woodley goal line but the pressure never built into anything more substantial. Instead it was left to the Stockport side to look the side most likely score, which they duly did in the 86th minute as they took advantage of more nonsense defending. They added a third too in injury time after I'd left but it's probably safe to assume that more slip-shod defending played its part in the goal.
On paper it looks a surprise result but in reality it wasn't and for a team with title ambitions Colwyn Bay have got a lot of bucking up to do if they want to achieve those aspirations this year. With this result and the recent victory over Lancaster City, Woodley on the other hand look to be hitting a bit of form that will take them away from the foot of the table which isn't really good news for Mossley. But then is there ever such a thing as good news for Mossley?
Right! I'm off to try defrosting again.
Mossley 1 - 1 Prescot Cables
If, like me, your interest in football is beginning to wane, the last thing you need to reinforce those thoughts of doing something more fun and productive on a Saturday afternoon is a game that could bore a lump of concrete to tears.
And during the quiet moments in this match, of which there were many, I could swear I heard the terraces weeping in anguish. Either that or it was the whimpering of those supporters looking at their watches every thirty seconds and bemoaning that time wasn't going quick enough.
Eagle eyed readers will probably notice that there isn't much difference between this report and the 'official' one I do and there's a very good reason for that.
As I sat down to relive and write about the days stupefyingly dull events I thought “How on earth do you make a bad match interesting?” The answer was a while in coming but when it did it was so obvious and simple I kicked myself for not coming to the conclusion sooner.
The fact is you can't so I'm not even going to try. On the plus side for you though dear viewer it does mean that you can make it to the final full stop without encountering a really bad joke that will make your toe nails curl in horror and embarrassment. Silver linings, etc.
So, after all those weather and floodlight enforced postponements, there was no glorious homecoming for Mossley as their first match at Seel Park for almost two months turned out to be the proverbial damp squib. And while they didn't lose, there was little to thrill the fans of either side on an afternoon in which the entertainment on offer can best be described as meagre.
The game actually started quite promisingly but following a frantic opening few minutes during which Dale Wright fired inches over the bar for the visitors, it rapidly descended into a succession of misplaced passes and petty fouls which constantly derailed any chance either side had of gaining some momentum.
Mossley's best opportunity of the half, purely because it was their only one, came midway through the opening period when Graham Kay lost his marker to divert a corner towards goal but it proved to be a comfortable save for Cables keeper Andy Paxton.
The home side should have been behind six minutes later when Aaron Rey broke free of the Lilywhites defence and skilfully took the ball around keeper Peter Collinge to leave himself with an empty net to roll the ball into. Unfortunately for Prescot but rather happily for Mossley, the forward chose to lash at his shot and in doing so (much to the utter disbelief of those still awake and watching on-field events) sent the ball flying high over the open goal.
In terms of incident that was it for the first half and it didn't get any better in the second until with twenty minutes to go the game briefly sparked into a modicum of life again; Wright looped a mis-hit shot onto the Mossley crossbar and both sides were fortunate not to be reduced in numbers as tempers momentarily flared.
The result though was to be ultimately decided by a mistake from both goalkeepers. In the 80th minute Collinge let a corner kick pass through his hands and ex-Mossley defender Tom Spearritt punished the error by firing the visitors into the lead with a low shot at the back post. The goal was the cue for some over exuberant scenes of celebration by the Cables goalkeeper in front of the Mossley fans but little did he know that karma would take only two minutes to come into effect.
That was the length of time that passed between the goal being scored and the point in the game where Paxton came to collect a cross, spilled his catch and, in the effort to redeem his error, scythed Andy Russell to the ground with an incredibly wild challenge from behind. The referee had little option other than to award a penalty and Paxton was rather more sheepish than he had been moments earlier as his team mates gave him an expletive laden critique of his actions.
Actually the referee did have another option available to him: a free-kick, because that's what it should have been as the foul took place just outside the area. But “Shhh!” - don't tell anyone.
In most other games Matty Kay's successful spot kick would probably have set-up a barnstorming finish. Sadly though this wasn't like most other games and the remainder of the match petered out in to the insipid midfield battle it had been for most of its running time. The final whistle was greeted with an audible sigh of relief from the terraces and both sides will happy with a point from a game that neither could claim to have had the upper hand in.
The two teams meet each other again very soon in the return fixture at Prescot's Valerie Park ground and happily for those who'll be going to watch it, the chances of it being worse than this game must be astronomically remote.
Still, if you are going it may be wise take a book or a sleeping bag with you just in case history repeats itself.
And during the quiet moments in this match, of which there were many, I could swear I heard the terraces weeping in anguish. Either that or it was the whimpering of those supporters looking at their watches every thirty seconds and bemoaning that time wasn't going quick enough.
Eagle eyed readers will probably notice that there isn't much difference between this report and the 'official' one I do and there's a very good reason for that.
As I sat down to relive and write about the days stupefyingly dull events I thought “How on earth do you make a bad match interesting?” The answer was a while in coming but when it did it was so obvious and simple I kicked myself for not coming to the conclusion sooner.
The fact is you can't so I'm not even going to try. On the plus side for you though dear viewer it does mean that you can make it to the final full stop without encountering a really bad joke that will make your toe nails curl in horror and embarrassment. Silver linings, etc.
So, after all those weather and floodlight enforced postponements, there was no glorious homecoming for Mossley as their first match at Seel Park for almost two months turned out to be the proverbial damp squib. And while they didn't lose, there was little to thrill the fans of either side on an afternoon in which the entertainment on offer can best be described as meagre.
The game actually started quite promisingly but following a frantic opening few minutes during which Dale Wright fired inches over the bar for the visitors, it rapidly descended into a succession of misplaced passes and petty fouls which constantly derailed any chance either side had of gaining some momentum.
Mossley's best opportunity of the half, purely because it was their only one, came midway through the opening period when Graham Kay lost his marker to divert a corner towards goal but it proved to be a comfortable save for Cables keeper Andy Paxton.
The home side should have been behind six minutes later when Aaron Rey broke free of the Lilywhites defence and skilfully took the ball around keeper Peter Collinge to leave himself with an empty net to roll the ball into. Unfortunately for Prescot but rather happily for Mossley, the forward chose to lash at his shot and in doing so (much to the utter disbelief of those still awake and watching on-field events) sent the ball flying high over the open goal.
In terms of incident that was it for the first half and it didn't get any better in the second until with twenty minutes to go the game briefly sparked into a modicum of life again; Wright looped a mis-hit shot onto the Mossley crossbar and both sides were fortunate not to be reduced in numbers as tempers momentarily flared.
The result though was to be ultimately decided by a mistake from both goalkeepers. In the 80th minute Collinge let a corner kick pass through his hands and ex-Mossley defender Tom Spearritt punished the error by firing the visitors into the lead with a low shot at the back post. The goal was the cue for some over exuberant scenes of celebration by the Cables goalkeeper in front of the Mossley fans but little did he know that karma would take only two minutes to come into effect.
That was the length of time that passed between the goal being scored and the point in the game where Paxton came to collect a cross, spilled his catch and, in the effort to redeem his error, scythed Andy Russell to the ground with an incredibly wild challenge from behind. The referee had little option other than to award a penalty and Paxton was rather more sheepish than he had been moments earlier as his team mates gave him an expletive laden critique of his actions.
Actually the referee did have another option available to him: a free-kick, because that's what it should have been as the foul took place just outside the area. But “Shhh!” - don't tell anyone.
In most other games Matty Kay's successful spot kick would probably have set-up a barnstorming finish. Sadly though this wasn't like most other games and the remainder of the match petered out in to the insipid midfield battle it had been for most of its running time. The final whistle was greeted with an audible sigh of relief from the terraces and both sides will happy with a point from a game that neither could claim to have had the upper hand in.
The two teams meet each other again very soon in the return fixture at Prescot's Valerie Park ground and happily for those who'll be going to watch it, the chances of it being worse than this game must be astronomically remote.
Still, if you are going it may be wise take a book or a sleeping bag with you just in case history repeats itself.
Mossley 3 - 3 FC Halifax Town
A mere seven weeks after their last Unibond First Division North game against Salford City, Mossley returned to league action with a draw against FC Halifax Town in what was reputedly a humdinger of a game: six goals, an injury time equaliser for the Lilywhites and plenty of controversy.
It would certainly make for an interesting match report but, as observant readers will have already noticed, the use of the word 'reputedly' in that opening paragraph can only mean one thing - that I never saw the match.
I could give you a lengthy reason as to why I was sat at home while Mossley fought for a point on the other side of Luzley, but as I'm trying to cut down on the size of these posts I'm not going to. So instead I'll just leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why I gave the game a miss. They'll probably be more interesting than the truth anyway.
The consequence of my non-attendance, well one of them at least, is that you're not going to find a report of the game on here. If you do wish to know though what happened then I can direct you to Mossleyweb where you'll find both words and pictures on Tuesday evenings events.
What I will comment on though is the laughable reaction of some Halifax supporters on their own forum. Within minutes of the match finishing the were people who hadn't been to the game complaining about being cheated out of three points by a dodgy referee.
I'm in no position at all to argue about the performance of the referee, as unlike those Town fans, I don't feel qualified to critique something I haven't seen. However, whether there was bad officiating or not, Halifax can hardly complain about Mossley receiving a favourable decision after what happened in the league fixture at their place last season.
To jog your memory... until they added a second deep into injury time, all that separated the two teams was a first half penalty which was awarded after a Halifax player tripped over the ball doing step overs, a good two to three yards outside the box. As you can imagine there were few complaints about the quality of the man in the middle that night from the other side of the Pennines.
But it's football. Sometimes decisions go for you, other times they go against. There's no conspiracy and just because you think something wasn't a foul doesn't mean you're right. Believe it or not, referees actually know the rules better than supporters do.
Anyway, next up for the Lilywhites is the floodlight free early kick-off on Saturday against Prescot Cables, a team managed by the ex-Mossley player with the 'roll off the tongue' name, Joe Gibiliru.
What you're no doubt wondering though is if there'll be a report on that game on here. At the moment I've no idea and on that cliffhanger...
It would certainly make for an interesting match report but, as observant readers will have already noticed, the use of the word 'reputedly' in that opening paragraph can only mean one thing - that I never saw the match.
I could give you a lengthy reason as to why I was sat at home while Mossley fought for a point on the other side of Luzley, but as I'm trying to cut down on the size of these posts I'm not going to. So instead I'll just leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why I gave the game a miss. They'll probably be more interesting than the truth anyway.
The consequence of my non-attendance, well one of them at least, is that you're not going to find a report of the game on here. If you do wish to know though what happened then I can direct you to Mossleyweb where you'll find both words and pictures on Tuesday evenings events.
What I will comment on though is the laughable reaction of some Halifax supporters on their own forum. Within minutes of the match finishing the were people who hadn't been to the game complaining about being cheated out of three points by a dodgy referee.
I'm in no position at all to argue about the performance of the referee, as unlike those Town fans, I don't feel qualified to critique something I haven't seen. However, whether there was bad officiating or not, Halifax can hardly complain about Mossley receiving a favourable decision after what happened in the league fixture at their place last season.
To jog your memory... until they added a second deep into injury time, all that separated the two teams was a first half penalty which was awarded after a Halifax player tripped over the ball doing step overs, a good two to three yards outside the box. As you can imagine there were few complaints about the quality of the man in the middle that night from the other side of the Pennines.
But it's football. Sometimes decisions go for you, other times they go against. There's no conspiracy and just because you think something wasn't a foul doesn't mean you're right. Believe it or not, referees actually know the rules better than supporters do.
Anyway, next up for the Lilywhites is the floodlight free early kick-off on Saturday against Prescot Cables, a team managed by the ex-Mossley player with the 'roll off the tongue' name, Joe Gibiliru.
What you're no doubt wondering though is if there'll be a report on that game on here. At the moment I've no idea and on that cliffhanger...
Frostbiting
If you’ve arrived here looking for a report on Mossley’s trip to Radcliffe Borough then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. And if you go searching elsewhere for one I’m afraid you’re going to be equally frustrated in your quest.
The reason why is that for the (one, two, three... no, it’s no use - I’ve lost count), er... umpteenth time in the past two months the cold weather has forced the postponement of yet another Lilywhites fixture; a frozen pitch adding a bit of variety to the numerous water loggings and snows on the increasingly long ‘postponed due to’ list.
To be honest though, if the game had gone ahead there still wouldn’t have been a match report on here for your perusal as I was going to be a non-attendee for this fixture. In fact I only discovered the game had been postponed at 11:00pm on Saturday evening when I belatedly decided to check on the day’s scores. Yes, I was that interested in the football this weekend. Actually I’ve been that interested in the football for quite a while now but that’s the subject for a possible blog posting sometime in the future.
Anyway, Mossley’s next attempt to start chipping away at the 24 league games they’ve got to play over the next twelve weeks takes place on Tuesday when they face FC Halifax Town. And in case you’ve forgotten or didn’t know (or maybe you just don’t care one way or the other) this match is being played at Ashton United’s ground. We don’t want you turning up at the wrong place! Although if the weather carries on as it is you’ll probably see the same amount of football being played whether you turn up at Seel Park or Hurst Cross.
The reason why is that for the (one, two, three... no, it’s no use - I’ve lost count), er... umpteenth time in the past two months the cold weather has forced the postponement of yet another Lilywhites fixture; a frozen pitch adding a bit of variety to the numerous water loggings and snows on the increasingly long ‘postponed due to’ list.
To be honest though, if the game had gone ahead there still wouldn’t have been a match report on here for your perusal as I was going to be a non-attendee for this fixture. In fact I only discovered the game had been postponed at 11:00pm on Saturday evening when I belatedly decided to check on the day’s scores. Yes, I was that interested in the football this weekend. Actually I’ve been that interested in the football for quite a while now but that’s the subject for a possible blog posting sometime in the future.
Anyway, Mossley’s next attempt to start chipping away at the 24 league games they’ve got to play over the next twelve weeks takes place on Tuesday when they face FC Halifax Town. And in case you’ve forgotten or didn’t know (or maybe you just don’t care one way or the other) this match is being played at Ashton United’s ground. We don’t want you turning up at the wrong place! Although if the weather carries on as it is you’ll probably see the same amount of football being played whether you turn up at Seel Park or Hurst Cross.
Chadderton 2 - 5 Mossley
There are tougher baptisms into management at a club than a friendly against a side two divisions below you but circumstances (i.e. the need for games to get the players back up to match fitness after the long, weather enforced lay-off) dictated that John Flanagan began his reign as Lilywhites manager on a small field in one Oldham's least salubrious districts.
It didn't get off to the most promising of starts either as the home side put themselves in front very early on in the game. The conventions of football match reporting insist that I must call it a shock lead because that is what it was. Prior to it Mossley had missed a host of good chances and after the match had restarted they continued to miss some more.
On the positive side the approach play that was creating all these chances was really rather good: quick interceptions, short passes, intelligent off the ball movement and well delivered crosses. In fact there wasn't a single aimless punt up the pitch all night.
The visitors eventually cancelled out the lead when an incredibly poor pass by the Chadderton left back gave Mike Fish the chance to roll the ball past the keeper, and they went ahead moments later through Chris McDonough.
Fish then added a third after a run which took him half the length of the pitch. Yes, you read that correctly. Even though he had a two yard head start on his marker (no assistant referees being present at the game meant that most offsides weren't punished - though it was amusing to see defenders appealing to someone who wasn't there) it was still quite the finish from the considerably fitter and svelter 2010 version of last seasons top scorer. McDonough grabbed his second of the game before the break and to be honest, instead of the score being 4 - 1 at half-time it could have easily been triple that.
It took only a couple of minutes of the second half to elapse before Fish completed his hat-trick and the home side doubled their total for the evening almost from the restart. And that was it. No more goals and not much more excitement either. Mossley could possibly have had a couple more but the game slowly lost its verve and petered out to nothingness long before the referee brought the proceedings to a merciful close.
Still, every member of the squad got a chance to have a bit of a run around before the league fixtures resume on Saturday. Well, all bar Steve Moore, the injured Graham Kay and Sam Walker. The latter having returned from whence he came - the whence in question being Woodley. But thanks, good luck (except against us), etc.
Next on the agenda is a trip to Radcliffe Borough and a ground where not a single decent game of football has ever taken place between the two sides. I for one can wait!
It didn't get off to the most promising of starts either as the home side put themselves in front very early on in the game. The conventions of football match reporting insist that I must call it a shock lead because that is what it was. Prior to it Mossley had missed a host of good chances and after the match had restarted they continued to miss some more.
On the positive side the approach play that was creating all these chances was really rather good: quick interceptions, short passes, intelligent off the ball movement and well delivered crosses. In fact there wasn't a single aimless punt up the pitch all night.
The visitors eventually cancelled out the lead when an incredibly poor pass by the Chadderton left back gave Mike Fish the chance to roll the ball past the keeper, and they went ahead moments later through Chris McDonough.
Fish then added a third after a run which took him half the length of the pitch. Yes, you read that correctly. Even though he had a two yard head start on his marker (no assistant referees being present at the game meant that most offsides weren't punished - though it was amusing to see defenders appealing to someone who wasn't there) it was still quite the finish from the considerably fitter and svelter 2010 version of last seasons top scorer. McDonough grabbed his second of the game before the break and to be honest, instead of the score being 4 - 1 at half-time it could have easily been triple that.
It took only a couple of minutes of the second half to elapse before Fish completed his hat-trick and the home side doubled their total for the evening almost from the restart. And that was it. No more goals and not much more excitement either. Mossley could possibly have had a couple more but the game slowly lost its verve and petered out to nothingness long before the referee brought the proceedings to a merciful close.
Still, every member of the squad got a chance to have a bit of a run around before the league fixtures resume on Saturday. Well, all bar Steve Moore, the injured Graham Kay and Sam Walker. The latter having returned from whence he came - the whence in question being Woodley. But thanks, good luck (except against us), etc.
Next on the agenda is a trip to Radcliffe Borough and a ground where not a single decent game of football has ever taken place between the two sides. I for one can wait!
Those Halcyon Days
It's hard to believe that almost thirty years have flown by since Mossley reached the FA Trophy Final at Wembley.
It doesn't half make you feel old either! Way back then I was only nipper but, unlike most other occasions in my childhood, it's an event I still have strong memories of to this very day.
Not of the match mind you. The infamous problems with the sight lines at the old Wembley Stadium were rendered considerably worse for me given my tiny stature at that young age (I know, I haven't gotten much bigger since!), meaning that I struggled to see lengthy spells of the game as the people sat in front stood up to see for themselves what was going on at the opposite end of the pitch.
So what memories I have are of the events that surrounded the game: getting your photo taken for the national press in the week leading up to the final, the team coach driving past school as they set off for Wembley, the special Mossley jacket my mum had made for me, the atmosphere at Mossley station on the morning of the game, the train trip down, the singing on the streets surrounding the stadium, the hairs on the neck moment when Abide With Me was sung, Mossley scoring, Kevin Keelan somehow heading over the cross bar, the surprisingly upbeat trip home, listening to Leo Skeete's goal again on the Radio Manchester commentary that had been recorded to reel to reel tape, the teams homecoming the next day on the crowded market ground... to name but half a dozen or more vivid recollections of the day.
Anyway, the reason for this trip down memory lane (a whole four months before the 30th anniversary of that very day) is because the documentary that Granada TV filmed that day - imaginatively titled 'Mossley Goes To Wembley' - has been put on YouTube by Lilywhites fan Steve B. And what follows this paragraph is that half hour long programme, shown just once, split into three easily digestible parts:
I'm not ashamed to admit that watching that documentary again brought a hint of moisture to my eye and for a multitude of reasons too.
Will we see those days again? The obvious answer is "no, probably not" but logical reasoning and being a football fan don't sit well together. Instead I'll go with the tried and trusted response of the seasoned supporter - "there's always next year!"
It doesn't half make you feel old either! Way back then I was only nipper but, unlike most other occasions in my childhood, it's an event I still have strong memories of to this very day.
Not of the match mind you. The infamous problems with the sight lines at the old Wembley Stadium were rendered considerably worse for me given my tiny stature at that young age (I know, I haven't gotten much bigger since!), meaning that I struggled to see lengthy spells of the game as the people sat in front stood up to see for themselves what was going on at the opposite end of the pitch.
So what memories I have are of the events that surrounded the game: getting your photo taken for the national press in the week leading up to the final, the team coach driving past school as they set off for Wembley, the special Mossley jacket my mum had made for me, the atmosphere at Mossley station on the morning of the game, the train trip down, the singing on the streets surrounding the stadium, the hairs on the neck moment when Abide With Me was sung, Mossley scoring, Kevin Keelan somehow heading over the cross bar, the surprisingly upbeat trip home, listening to Leo Skeete's goal again on the Radio Manchester commentary that had been recorded to reel to reel tape, the teams homecoming the next day on the crowded market ground... to name but half a dozen or more vivid recollections of the day.
Anyway, the reason for this trip down memory lane (a whole four months before the 30th anniversary of that very day) is because the documentary that Granada TV filmed that day - imaginatively titled 'Mossley Goes To Wembley' - has been put on YouTube by Lilywhites fan Steve B. And what follows this paragraph is that half hour long programme, shown just once, split into three easily digestible parts:
I'm not ashamed to admit that watching that documentary again brought a hint of moisture to my eye and for a multitude of reasons too.
Will we see those days again? The obvious answer is "no, probably not" but logical reasoning and being a football fan don't sit well together. Instead I'll go with the tried and trusted response of the seasoned supporter - "there's always next year!"
Home From Home
Thanks to the good people of Ashton United, Mossley now have a home to go to for night matches.
A week on Tuesday (2nd February, 2010) the Robins' Hurst Cross ground will play host to the game against FC Halifax Town and, fixture clashes permitting, the remainder of Mossley's midweek games for the foreseeable future.
The need to find somewhere to play Saturday afternoon games has been circumvented too thanks to a team of volunteers removing the six remaining floodlights from Seel Park. Of course this means that, until the clocks go forward at least, we'll be having to kick-off a bit earlier than usual but as trade-offs go that isn't a big one compared to what the alternative is - no football in Mossley at all.
A week on Tuesday (2nd February, 2010) the Robins' Hurst Cross ground will play host to the game against FC Halifax Town and, fixture clashes permitting, the remainder of Mossley's midweek games for the foreseeable future.
The need to find somewhere to play Saturday afternoon games has been circumvented too thanks to a team of volunteers removing the six remaining floodlights from Seel Park. Of course this means that, until the clocks go forward at least, we'll be having to kick-off a bit earlier than usual but as trade-offs go that isn't a big one compared to what the alternative is - no football in Mossley at all.
Flood(light)ing The Media
Thanks to the efforts of some people at the club, Mossley's current financially precarious situation brought about by the floodlights has gained the attention of local television and radio stations.
What follows are a couple of the pieces that have been aired on TV and, first of all, BBC Radio Manchester's 'Breakfast with Beswick' show (22/10/2010):
Just click the play button to listen to it or, alternatively, you can download it by following the instructions here.
The following is a video of the report that aired on Granada Tonight (21-01-2010):
Should you feel inclined after listening to and watching the above, details on how donate to Mossley's floodlight fund can be found here. Or, if you so wish, you can donate directly via the clubs Paypal page by following this link.
What follows are a couple of the pieces that have been aired on TV and, first of all, BBC Radio Manchester's 'Breakfast with Beswick' show (22/10/2010):
Just click the play button to listen to it or, alternatively, you can download it by following the instructions here.
The following is a video of the report that aired on Granada Tonight (21-01-2010):
Should you feel inclined after listening to and watching the above, details on how donate to Mossley's floodlight fund can be found here. Or, if you so wish, you can donate directly via the clubs Paypal page by following this link.
Glossop North End 2 - 1 Mossley
Five football free weeks came to an end for Mossley at Glossop's Surrey Street ground and so did their involvement in the Manchester Premier Cup.
Not having travelled to watch this game I have no idea what happened other than the home side took a two goal lead into the interval before Matty Kay halved the deficit for the Lilywhites with twenty minutes to go.
There's precious little other information available detailing any of the events that transpired on the evening which is unusual. However, given the news that broke an hour or two before kick-off regarding the floodlights, there are more pressing concerns for supporters than the shedding of crocodile tears at being knocked out of a minor cup competition.
Not having travelled to watch this game I have no idea what happened other than the home side took a two goal lead into the interval before Matty Kay halved the deficit for the Lilywhites with twenty minutes to go.
There's precious little other information available detailing any of the events that transpired on the evening which is unusual. However, given the news that broke an hour or two before kick-off regarding the floodlights, there are more pressing concerns for supporters than the shedding of crocodile tears at being knocked out of a minor cup competition.
The Light Programme
The saga of Mossley's floodlights has entered a new and ever so slightly depressing chapter with the club issuing a statement that the pylons which didn't blow over have been declared unsafe.
This means two things. The first is that the club now has to find £30,000 to be able to erect a new set of lights. Fortunately Tameside Council have agreed to cover half of that cost (which is genuinely awfully good of them) but that still means £15,000 has to be found.
In order to reach that total the club are looking for donations and these can be made in one of three ways:
And I'm sure, as the Tesco slogan goes, every little helps.
I did say it meant two things and as I've only mentioned one I should relay the other. The safety issue regarding the remaining lights means that matches can no longer be played at Seel Park until the situation is rectified. This means that it's likely we'll spend from now until the end of the season moving nomadically around local grounds in order to fulfil our league fixtures a situation which, as I'm sure you can imagine, is hardly ideal.
It might not be good news but at least it's news.
This means two things. The first is that the club now has to find £30,000 to be able to erect a new set of lights. Fortunately Tameside Council have agreed to cover half of that cost (which is genuinely awfully good of them) but that still means £15,000 has to be found.
In order to reach that total the club are looking for donations and these can be made in one of three ways:
- Paypal - to reach the Mossley AFC Paypal page follow this link to the official site and then click on the donate button in the left hand column. Or alternatively, go direct to the Mossley AFC Paypal page here.
- By paying directly into the clubs bank account -
Nat West Bank
Mossley AFC Ltd.
A/c. 10020778
Sort code. 16-25-32 - Or by sending a cheque made payable to Mossley AFC to -
Seel Park
Market Street
Mossley
OL5 0ES
And I'm sure, as the Tesco slogan goes, every little helps.
I did say it meant two things and as I've only mentioned one I should relay the other. The safety issue regarding the remaining lights means that matches can no longer be played at Seel Park until the situation is rectified. This means that it's likely we'll spend from now until the end of the season moving nomadically around local grounds in order to fulfil our league fixtures a situation which, as I'm sure you can imagine, is hardly ideal.
It might not be good news but at least it's news.
The Lost Days
The entirely expected postponement of Mossley's Manchester Premier Cup game at Glossop and the league fixture at Colwyn Bay means that it is now officially 'quite some time' since the Lilywhites last partook in a competitive game of football.
In fact 32 days have passed since that awful/shocking/turgid/"Oh why won't the memories of it fade" performance at Salford City. And if you divide that by seven it means four and a bit weeks of the season have now been lost to what will go down in the history books as 'an unusually nippy winter' (it's true - I've checked with the history book writers).
But that's not all we've lost over that period of time. Besides the two of the floodlights throwing themselves to their deaths in the pre-New Year gales, we've also lost the services of four players. The departures of Danny Egan and Chris Hirst being quickly followed by those of Karl Brown and Tom Spearritt.
You've got to feel sorry for Egan who as a striker always seemed to be "one goal away from regaining his confidence" and sadly that goal never came. Hirst returned to the club in November after an injury hit spell at Salford City. Full fitness never arrived back at Seel Park either and despite a cameo appearance in the League Cup game at Lancaster (in which the local radio commentators picked him out as Mossley's best player on the night) he barely got off the bench on the few occasions he was selected to sit on it.
While those departures are understandable, the farewells said to Brown and Spearritt are odder. Okay, maybe not in the case of Spearett who, along with Adam Morning and Danny Meadowcroft, appears to be another member of the Littlest Hobo club. Brown's exit though is stranger. Admittedly he wasn't every supporters cup of tea but when he was on form he was a good player to have in the side, particularly for his set-piece deliveries.
There have been a couple of signings to help bolster the ranks. We've finally signed a back-up keeper and a winger has arrived from Curzon Ashton. I wish I could tell you more about them but I'm feeling too lazy to do a Google search at the moment.
This being non-league football though we shouldn't be surprised at the comings and goings because a high turnover of playing staff is part and parcel of this level of the game. Most clubs are equipped with a revolving door when it comes squad arrivals and departures - it's just that Mossley's can cope with coach parties passing through them rather than the odd solitary bod.
The next game on the horizon, which is of course dependent on how the thaw goes, is the rearranged cup game against Glossop. After weeks of inactivity for both sides the chances of a decent game taking place are akin to finding something nutritional and tasty in the KFC that's next to door to the NWCL side's ground. I mean, it's not as though either side was ripping up trees before their enforced breaks.
Oh, I almost forgot, Mossley may not be quite as ring rusty as it seems when they visit Surrey Street in midweek (weather permitting). Apparently we did play a behind closed doors game with Northwich Victoria a couple of weeks ago and chipped in with 25% of the goals scored during the work out. Well that sounds better than we lost 9-3 which we are rumoured to have done. Stories are abound too of a similar game against Stalybridge having taken place this weekend as well.
So somewhere not very far away football is actually taking place. Who knows? We may get to see some of it ourselves very soon.
In fact 32 days have passed since that awful/shocking/turgid/"Oh why won't the memories of it fade" performance at Salford City. And if you divide that by seven it means four and a bit weeks of the season have now been lost to what will go down in the history books as 'an unusually nippy winter' (it's true - I've checked with the history book writers).
But that's not all we've lost over that period of time. Besides the two of the floodlights throwing themselves to their deaths in the pre-New Year gales, we've also lost the services of four players. The departures of Danny Egan and Chris Hirst being quickly followed by those of Karl Brown and Tom Spearritt.
You've got to feel sorry for Egan who as a striker always seemed to be "one goal away from regaining his confidence" and sadly that goal never came. Hirst returned to the club in November after an injury hit spell at Salford City. Full fitness never arrived back at Seel Park either and despite a cameo appearance in the League Cup game at Lancaster (in which the local radio commentators picked him out as Mossley's best player on the night) he barely got off the bench on the few occasions he was selected to sit on it.
While those departures are understandable, the farewells said to Brown and Spearritt are odder. Okay, maybe not in the case of Spearett who, along with Adam Morning and Danny Meadowcroft, appears to be another member of the Littlest Hobo club. Brown's exit though is stranger. Admittedly he wasn't every supporters cup of tea but when he was on form he was a good player to have in the side, particularly for his set-piece deliveries.
There have been a couple of signings to help bolster the ranks. We've finally signed a back-up keeper and a winger has arrived from Curzon Ashton. I wish I could tell you more about them but I'm feeling too lazy to do a Google search at the moment.
This being non-league football though we shouldn't be surprised at the comings and goings because a high turnover of playing staff is part and parcel of this level of the game. Most clubs are equipped with a revolving door when it comes squad arrivals and departures - it's just that Mossley's can cope with coach parties passing through them rather than the odd solitary bod.
The next game on the horizon, which is of course dependent on how the thaw goes, is the rearranged cup game against Glossop. After weeks of inactivity for both sides the chances of a decent game taking place are akin to finding something nutritional and tasty in the KFC that's next to door to the NWCL side's ground. I mean, it's not as though either side was ripping up trees before their enforced breaks.
Oh, I almost forgot, Mossley may not be quite as ring rusty as it seems when they visit Surrey Street in midweek (weather permitting). Apparently we did play a behind closed doors game with Northwich Victoria a couple of weeks ago and chipped in with 25% of the goals scored during the work out. Well that sounds better than we lost 9-3 which we are rumoured to have done. Stories are abound too of a similar game against Stalybridge having taken place this weekend as well.
So somewhere not very far away football is actually taking place. Who knows? We may get to see some of it ourselves very soon.
This Is The BBC
Things do have a habit of looking grim when you're a Mossley fan.
We haven't played a match for a while and may not be playing a match for a good while longer either judging by the weather forecast for the coming weeks to ten days. Valuable revenue streams have slowed to a trickle, we're struggling for points - facing the real prospect of a relegation battle once hostilities resume - and the number of usable floodlights at Seel Park has fallen (literally) by 25% in recent weeks.
But it's not all bad news, no. We've actually made it onto the BBC sports website!
We haven't played a match for a while and may not be playing a match for a good while longer either judging by the weather forecast for the coming weeks to ten days. Valuable revenue streams have slowed to a trickle, we're struggling for points - facing the real prospect of a relegation battle once hostilities resume - and the number of usable floodlights at Seel Park has fallen (literally) by 25% in recent weeks.
But it's not all bad news, no. We've actually made it onto the BBC sports website!
White Out
Here we are on the fifth day of January and the chances of any Mossley AFC related match reports appearing on this very blog at some point in the near future are looking, frankly, remote.
Our cup exploits, the mid-December cold snap, the pre-Christmas snow, the New Year cold snap and this weeks snow (the worst I've seen since I was small - well smaller than I am), has left us with a backlog of fixtures to fulfil. And with the likelihood of another huge batch of postponements in the coming weeks, it means that we face the very real possibility of another season in which we're playing three or even four times a week.
This means plenty of midweek games being shoehorned into the fixture list which causes an additional problem for the Lilywhites because of the 'floodlight incident' which happened last week. In case you don't know the lights at Seel Park came down a lot sooner than Twelth Night as the incredibly strong winds we had on December 30th claimed two of the floodlight pylons as victims.
At the moment no-one knows how long this situation will take to be rectified, especially with the ground under a couple of feet of ice crystals, so the possibility of there being anything other than a hectic end to the season is unlikely. Highly so.
But what to write about in the meantime? What do you put on a Mossley AFC related blog when, thanks to the snow, there's nothing Mossley AFC related to write about? One option I suppose is to just post pictures of that snow so guess what?
Having struggled to get to work for twenty to eight this morning, I was on my way home a mere five minutes later as the place was closed down for the day. With no buses and a train service that was running at what best could be described as 'intermittently', there was little option other than to walk home, so what follows are photos taken on that trek. Just click on an image to be taken to a larger version:
Let's hope there's some football soon to stop more posts like this one, eh?
Our cup exploits, the mid-December cold snap, the pre-Christmas snow, the New Year cold snap and this weeks snow (the worst I've seen since I was small - well smaller than I am), has left us with a backlog of fixtures to fulfil. And with the likelihood of another huge batch of postponements in the coming weeks, it means that we face the very real possibility of another season in which we're playing three or even four times a week.
This means plenty of midweek games being shoehorned into the fixture list which causes an additional problem for the Lilywhites because of the 'floodlight incident' which happened last week. In case you don't know the lights at Seel Park came down a lot sooner than Twelth Night as the incredibly strong winds we had on December 30th claimed two of the floodlight pylons as victims.
At the moment no-one knows how long this situation will take to be rectified, especially with the ground under a couple of feet of ice crystals, so the possibility of there being anything other than a hectic end to the season is unlikely. Highly so.
But what to write about in the meantime? What do you put on a Mossley AFC related blog when, thanks to the snow, there's nothing Mossley AFC related to write about? One option I suppose is to just post pictures of that snow so guess what?
Having struggled to get to work for twenty to eight this morning, I was on my way home a mere five minutes later as the place was closed down for the day. With no buses and a train service that was running at what best could be described as 'intermittently', there was little option other than to walk home, so what follows are photos taken on that trek. Just click on an image to be taken to a larger version:
Let's hope there's some football soon to stop more posts like this one, eh?
The End
And you've no idea how close that heading above came to meaning something other than just 'of the the year.'
That's right, what you're reading now came very close to being a valedictory post - a farewell to the few. But as you can see though, a late change of heart obviously took place and we're still here. The reasons as to why this very site your reading almost took a trip to the digital equivalent of Dignitas will remain between me and... well, just me really.
Anyway, as Mossley80 is still here for the foreseeable future I think I'd better make the now traditional last post of the year.
So if you're a player, part of the management, one of the backroom staff, a member of the committee and board, a helper at the ground or a fellow supporter I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year.
And to those of you who still go to the trouble of visiting this little corner of the World Wide Web occasionally, I want to say thank you for doing so and to wish you all the best for the coming year.
As I can't finish on a song (I could but I don't want to end the year on a low note and a multitude of wrong ones) I'll end with a video. Or two to be more precise.
What they contain are some of the footballing highlights of 2009 and by 'highlights' I don't mean good goals, incredible bits of skill or great saves. What follows are bits everyone wants to watch again and again so sit back, relax and watch some unbelievable misses, referees getting hit by the ball, referees hitting players, Jens Lehman getting shown up by a ball boy, Elizabeth Lambert (U.S. college football's very own no-nonsense tackler) and much, much more.
Once again though, a Happy New Year and see you in 2010.
That's right, what you're reading now came very close to being a valedictory post - a farewell to the few. But as you can see though, a late change of heart obviously took place and we're still here. The reasons as to why this very site your reading almost took a trip to the digital equivalent of Dignitas will remain between me and... well, just me really.
Anyway, as Mossley80 is still here for the foreseeable future I think I'd better make the now traditional last post of the year.
So if you're a player, part of the management, one of the backroom staff, a member of the committee and board, a helper at the ground or a fellow supporter I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year.
And to those of you who still go to the trouble of visiting this little corner of the World Wide Web occasionally, I want to say thank you for doing so and to wish you all the best for the coming year.
As I can't finish on a song (I could but I don't want to end the year on a low note and a multitude of wrong ones) I'll end with a video. Or two to be more precise.
What they contain are some of the footballing highlights of 2009 and by 'highlights' I don't mean good goals, incredible bits of skill or great saves. What follows are bits everyone wants to watch again and again so sit back, relax and watch some unbelievable misses, referees getting hit by the ball, referees hitting players, Jens Lehman getting shown up by a ball boy, Elizabeth Lambert (U.S. college football's very own no-nonsense tackler) and much, much more.
Once again though, a Happy New Year and see you in 2010.
The Seasonal Thing...
Well! The updates have been a bit sparse over the past week haven't they?
For that I apologise. I had planned to do something special for Christmas week but, sadly, some far less trivial matters arose which take an infinitely greater priority over blog writing. Anyway, there's always next year (he says tempting fate nth year running).
As there's likely to be an absence of football to report on during this festive season due to the weather, I'll endeavour to post something on here before the year is up - even if it's only a lazy link to something on YouTube.
With that out of the way, all that remains for me to do in this particular update is impart my usual Christmas message. So what ever your role is at Seel Park, be it player, manager, coach, committee member, helper or supporter - a Happy Christmas!
And to you, the few who still visit this site regularly, be you in England, New Zealand, Russia or any of the other 192 countries that make up this planet - a very Merry Christmas to you too.
Coming soon: Mossley80 wishes everyone a 'something' New Year. Will that 'something' be happy or horrible? Tune in next week to find out.
For that I apologise. I had planned to do something special for Christmas week but, sadly, some far less trivial matters arose which take an infinitely greater priority over blog writing. Anyway, there's always next year (he says tempting fate nth year running).
As there's likely to be an absence of football to report on during this festive season due to the weather, I'll endeavour to post something on here before the year is up - even if it's only a lazy link to something on YouTube.
With that out of the way, all that remains for me to do in this particular update is impart my usual Christmas message. So what ever your role is at Seel Park, be it player, manager, coach, committee member, helper or supporter - a Happy Christmas!
And to you, the few who still visit this site regularly, be you in England, New Zealand, Russia or any of the other 192 countries that make up this planet - a very Merry Christmas to you too.
Coming soon: Mossley80 wishes everyone a 'something' New Year. Will that 'something' be happy or horrible? Tune in next week to find out.
Salford City 4 - 1 Mossley
Is it just me or is anyone else looking back on that fourteen game unbeaten run we had in the same way that people of a certain age remember parts of a town were once 'nowt but fields'?
It may only have been a little over a month ago that we looked unconquerable but after recent results and performances it seems like it was a lifetime ago. I've just had a look at some of the video I took during that spell and was slightly surprised to find that it wasn't in black and white.
Why such a gloomy and dispirited opening? Well, I'll tell you. It's because the up-down nature of Mossley's season continued at Salford's Moor Lane ground as they followed up their victory over promotion chasing Bamber Bridge with a heavy defeat against a side desperately trying to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle. The latter description being one that may be applied to us soon if we're not careful.
I say up-down... it's actually been more down than up. In fact its been down and further down until we've reached the point we're currently at where the shovels are coming out in preparation for some digging.
Anyway, speaking as I was of things past (sort of), every December there always used to be a 'Circus Special' on television. A programme which enticed families to gather round the goggle box and “Ooo” at the acrobats, “Aww” at the animals and curse like merchant seamen when the clowns came on to do their, oh so hilarious, bucket of confetti/water schtick.
Those days are long gone now but it was nice of Mossley to rekindle those distant memories of Billy Smart's Big Top with their own modern take on that former Christmas staple. So while the 'March of the Gladiators' plays in the background, let me bring you Salford vs Mossley! Where you'll read about an incredible fifteen minute spell before the interval in which the visitors conceded a comedy penalty, a soft goal, an own goal and had a man sent off.
Before the zaniness began though the game had been relatively even. There was little in the way of entertainment (at least from what I could make out under Salford's apparently 1 LUX strength floodlights) but the best chance had fallen the Lilywhites way. It came midway through the half when Matty Kay was sent clear of the Ammies defence with a well placed through ball. However, with only the keeper to beat Mossley's leading scorer hooked a weak, bobbling shot well wide of the goal. However it was more than Salford had managed, as despite playing some nice passing football they'd produced precisely nothing in the way of trouble for Mossley keeper Peter Collinge.
That all changed though when a lofted cross into the box hit Lee Blackshaw on the back as he tried to duck out of the way. The left winger (who at times on the night was also our last line of defence) then failed to connect with the ball during an attempt to clear it to safety; his swinging leg instead making contact with a City player who proceeded to hit the ground like a 747 with no undercarriage. The referee had little option other than to award the home side a penalty which ex-Lilywhite Rhodri Giggs converted.
Within a matter minutes things got even worse for the visitors as Sam Walker was shown a straight red card for a lunging tackle on Salford full-back Alex Mortimer and Craig Mahon capitalised on some slack defending (others would say non-existent but I like to put a positive spin on things) to put the home side two goals up.
Salford had a few more opportunities to increase their lead but the salt was really rubbed into the wounds on the stroke of half time as Collinge became the second Mossley player on the night to miss the ball while attempting to kick it. Unfortunately, what with being the goalkeeper, his “swing and a miss” allowed Graham Kay's softly hit back pass to roll past him and slowly into the net. Laugh? I had to or else it's quite possible I'd have cried!
The uphill battle Mossley faced in the second half could have been even steeper in the few minutes immediately after the restart. A point blank save by Collinge stopped David Neville putting the home side four up before Tom Spearitt turned a Salford free-kick onto his own goal post. It was hard to know what made the louder noise: the ball clanging off the upright or the collective sound of the Mossley supporters heads as they banged them on the pitch surround in frustration.
Faint hopes of what would have been a remarkable, and frankly Lazarus like, comeback were ignited when Matty Kay finally got his name on the score sheet in the 68th minute. Raising the dead is one thing though, injecting some into a listless Unibond First Division side is another and while Christmas may be a time of miracles, there are some things even beyond the capabilities of an all powerful, omnipotent being. And so those rekindled hopes were quashed when Neville restored the Ammies three goal advantage not long after.
We can bemoan that we didn't have the rub of the green, that fortune was against us but the simple truth is there's no so thing as an unlucky 4-1 defeat. 1-0, yes. 2-0, on occasions. But 4-1?
The penalty actually was a tad unlucky. It was just one of those things in which fate conspires against you - where destiny turns into a pigeon and craps in your eye as you look skywards to see if it has stopped raining. That said the ball should have been cleared.
Sam Walker's tackle may not have injured Alex Mortimer in the manner with which the former Mossley player reacted, but when you fly into a tackle the way he did you can't blame the referee for issuing a red. Lets not forget either that it was his third wild challenge within the space of a minute, the red mist having descended after being on the receiving end of a nasty foul himself. No lack of luck there, just self-discipline.
The second goal was down to bad defending. A simple lobbed ball from the halfway line towards the edge of the box and the Salford forward ran through a static back line to tap the ball home. Goal number three - a wild kick instead of the controlling the ball and game over. Honestly, if this result was down to having no luck then we'd have lost by more as I can think of more than a few moments which went our way rather fortuitously.
The fact we lost was down to us simply not being good enough. That for the second time in a fortnight we were out-thought and out-fought by a team at the trap door end of the division. Another ninety minutes in which some players were noticeable by their absence even though, according to the team sheet, they were on the pitch.
I'd love to be able to but being only a humble football supporter I can't explain the reasoning behind the decision to relocate Steve Settle from centre forward to right wing back. A move which has turned our most dangerous player and 50% of a forward line that was scoring goals for fun (as well as their weekly remunerations) into a peripheral figure. His impact on games since his switch to the wing has been so minimal that somebody asked midway through the second period if he'd touched the ball since the interval, only for me to tell them he'd been substituted at the break.
Hopefully the current malaise is nothing more than a temporary blip – a small slump we have to grin and bear before we ascend the crest of another period of imperious form. If it isn't... <gulp>!
The Lilywhites now make an equally short trip to face Trafford and it's to be hoped that it's their 'Dr Jekyll' side that turns up at Shawe View. If it's the 'Mr Hyde' version though - the one which allowed a struggling Salford side to do the double over them (and register their first home win of the season) - it's doubtful that Mossley will head into the Christmas fixtures with much seasonal cheer.
One circus performance a year is more than enough without a matinee four days later.
It may only have been a little over a month ago that we looked unconquerable but after recent results and performances it seems like it was a lifetime ago. I've just had a look at some of the video I took during that spell and was slightly surprised to find that it wasn't in black and white.
Why such a gloomy and dispirited opening? Well, I'll tell you. It's because the up-down nature of Mossley's season continued at Salford's Moor Lane ground as they followed up their victory over promotion chasing Bamber Bridge with a heavy defeat against a side desperately trying to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle. The latter description being one that may be applied to us soon if we're not careful.
I say up-down... it's actually been more down than up. In fact its been down and further down until we've reached the point we're currently at where the shovels are coming out in preparation for some digging.
Anyway, speaking as I was of things past (sort of), every December there always used to be a 'Circus Special' on television. A programme which enticed families to gather round the goggle box and “Ooo” at the acrobats, “Aww” at the animals and curse like merchant seamen when the clowns came on to do their, oh so hilarious, bucket of confetti/water schtick.
Those days are long gone now but it was nice of Mossley to rekindle those distant memories of Billy Smart's Big Top with their own modern take on that former Christmas staple. So while the 'March of the Gladiators' plays in the background, let me bring you Salford vs Mossley! Where you'll read about an incredible fifteen minute spell before the interval in which the visitors conceded a comedy penalty, a soft goal, an own goal and had a man sent off.
Before the zaniness began though the game had been relatively even. There was little in the way of entertainment (at least from what I could make out under Salford's apparently 1 LUX strength floodlights) but the best chance had fallen the Lilywhites way. It came midway through the half when Matty Kay was sent clear of the Ammies defence with a well placed through ball. However, with only the keeper to beat Mossley's leading scorer hooked a weak, bobbling shot well wide of the goal. However it was more than Salford had managed, as despite playing some nice passing football they'd produced precisely nothing in the way of trouble for Mossley keeper Peter Collinge.
That all changed though when a lofted cross into the box hit Lee Blackshaw on the back as he tried to duck out of the way. The left winger (who at times on the night was also our last line of defence) then failed to connect with the ball during an attempt to clear it to safety; his swinging leg instead making contact with a City player who proceeded to hit the ground like a 747 with no undercarriage. The referee had little option other than to award the home side a penalty which ex-Lilywhite Rhodri Giggs converted.
Within a matter minutes things got even worse for the visitors as Sam Walker was shown a straight red card for a lunging tackle on Salford full-back Alex Mortimer and Craig Mahon capitalised on some slack defending (others would say non-existent but I like to put a positive spin on things) to put the home side two goals up.
Salford had a few more opportunities to increase their lead but the salt was really rubbed into the wounds on the stroke of half time as Collinge became the second Mossley player on the night to miss the ball while attempting to kick it. Unfortunately, what with being the goalkeeper, his “swing and a miss” allowed Graham Kay's softly hit back pass to roll past him and slowly into the net. Laugh? I had to or else it's quite possible I'd have cried!
The uphill battle Mossley faced in the second half could have been even steeper in the few minutes immediately after the restart. A point blank save by Collinge stopped David Neville putting the home side four up before Tom Spearitt turned a Salford free-kick onto his own goal post. It was hard to know what made the louder noise: the ball clanging off the upright or the collective sound of the Mossley supporters heads as they banged them on the pitch surround in frustration.
Faint hopes of what would have been a remarkable, and frankly Lazarus like, comeback were ignited when Matty Kay finally got his name on the score sheet in the 68th minute. Raising the dead is one thing though, injecting some into a listless Unibond First Division side is another and while Christmas may be a time of miracles, there are some things even beyond the capabilities of an all powerful, omnipotent being. And so those rekindled hopes were quashed when Neville restored the Ammies three goal advantage not long after.
We can bemoan that we didn't have the rub of the green, that fortune was against us but the simple truth is there's no so thing as an unlucky 4-1 defeat. 1-0, yes. 2-0, on occasions. But 4-1?
The penalty actually was a tad unlucky. It was just one of those things in which fate conspires against you - where destiny turns into a pigeon and craps in your eye as you look skywards to see if it has stopped raining. That said the ball should have been cleared.
Sam Walker's tackle may not have injured Alex Mortimer in the manner with which the former Mossley player reacted, but when you fly into a tackle the way he did you can't blame the referee for issuing a red. Lets not forget either that it was his third wild challenge within the space of a minute, the red mist having descended after being on the receiving end of a nasty foul himself. No lack of luck there, just self-discipline.
The second goal was down to bad defending. A simple lobbed ball from the halfway line towards the edge of the box and the Salford forward ran through a static back line to tap the ball home. Goal number three - a wild kick instead of the controlling the ball and game over. Honestly, if this result was down to having no luck then we'd have lost by more as I can think of more than a few moments which went our way rather fortuitously.
The fact we lost was down to us simply not being good enough. That for the second time in a fortnight we were out-thought and out-fought by a team at the trap door end of the division. Another ninety minutes in which some players were noticeable by their absence even though, according to the team sheet, they were on the pitch.
I'd love to be able to but being only a humble football supporter I can't explain the reasoning behind the decision to relocate Steve Settle from centre forward to right wing back. A move which has turned our most dangerous player and 50% of a forward line that was scoring goals for fun (as well as their weekly remunerations) into a peripheral figure. His impact on games since his switch to the wing has been so minimal that somebody asked midway through the second period if he'd touched the ball since the interval, only for me to tell them he'd been substituted at the break.
Hopefully the current malaise is nothing more than a temporary blip – a small slump we have to grin and bear before we ascend the crest of another period of imperious form. If it isn't... <gulp>!
The Lilywhites now make an equally short trip to face Trafford and it's to be hoped that it's their 'Dr Jekyll' side that turns up at Shawe View. If it's the 'Mr Hyde' version though - the one which allowed a struggling Salford side to do the double over them (and register their first home win of the season) - it's doubtful that Mossley will head into the Christmas fixtures with much seasonal cheer.
One circus performance a year is more than enough without a matinee four days later.
Mossley 1 - 0 Bamber Bridge
I'm not one to blow my own trumpet but my ability to write bunkum at times is pretty impressive.
Take this game for example: it was poor. Remove the two red cards and the goal and your left with almost ninety minutes of tedious, indescribable banality. Despite all this though I've somehow managed to knock out 600 plus words about it! Incredible, eh? Just imagine how big it could get if something exciting happened... the report I mean!
As it was though it the one moment of quality football, in a match that was otherwise devoid of it, was enough to return Mossley to winning ways after three consecutive defeats.
A good indicator that a game isn't quite as exciting as it could be is when the spectators spend more time looking at their watches than the match being played in front of them. And for the vast majority of the opening period that's precisely what most of the people filling the terraces at Seel Park were doing they were doing as Mossley and Bamber Bridge produced a first half that was as forgettable a forty five minutes of football as you're ever likely to see this season.
The sum total of both sides efforts during this time was a single shot apiece. Bridge's Danny Mahoney brought a routine stop out of Peter Collinge with a long range strike while Steve Moore scuffed only Mossley's opportunity wide of the goal in the fifth minute.
Thankfully what followed the after the interval was an improvement on what had gone before it, even if it was only marginal. The reason for this slight upturn was mostly down to Mossley retaking the pitch looking a more determined and focussed side than the one that had left it fifteen minutes earlier. Within the first ten minutes of the restart they'd tripled their shot count for the afternoon as Steve Moore forced Mike Hale into making two saves before the same player had a goal, correctly, ruled out for offside.
Bamber Bridge on the other hand seemed to be more pre-occupied with giving away needless free-kicks than troubling their opponents defence. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen a team quite so hell bent on getting into trouble from the referee – it really was something quite extraordinary to watch. As the half wore on the number of illegal, and often unnecessary, challenges grew steadily before the self-destruct button was finally pushed in the 74th minute – centre half Martin Moran receiving a straight red card for cutting Michael Fish down just outside the box when he only had Hale to beat.After a lengthy delay caused by Moran pleading his innocence (even though in the immediate aftermath of the foul he'd spent an age pointing out to the referee precisely where in the D he'd tripped Fish), the free kick resulting from the incident was taken and ultimately wasted but it didn't take the Lilywhites long to make the extra man count.
With nine minutes left the first lengthy spell of consecutive passes by either side saw Mossley send Steve Settle clear down the right wing. As defenders began to converge on him he rolled a low cross directly into the path of the inrushing Matty Kay, who slid the ball past Hale from twelve yards for his fifteenth goal of the season.
The visitors chances of getting something from the match were then dealt a further blow when Chris Marlow became the second Bridge defender to be ordered from the field of play by the match official. The full-back's two yellow cards both coming for fouls on Settle.
A looping cross come shot by Karl Brown would have doubled Mossley's lead had it not been acrobatically tipped to safety by Hale in injury time, but it was also in these closing stages that the nine men went close to grabbing an unlikely point. A free-kick awarded just outside the angle of the box was whipped towards goal by Richie Allen but Collinge was alert enough to scramble across his line to pluck the ball out of the air before it altered the score line.
It's a game that won't remembered for long but this was one of those times were the result was far, far more important than the performance as it not only arrested a poor run of results but allowed Mossley to register only their second home league win of the season.
I could add more but apart from offering my congratulations to the players and management for the win, I'd like to begin forgetting this game as soon as possible. Starting now.
Chip Wrappers: And Our Opponents Are?
I know mistakes are sometimes unavoidable - goodness knows I've made enough of them myself on here down the years - but from tonight's Oldham Chronicle (11/12/2009):
Personally speaking I'm hoping it's Bamford who turn up as the way we're playing at the moment I'd rather face a team from the Hope Valley League (Division B) than a side currently sitting seventh in the Unibond North. That way we can at least hope for a draw.
Personally speaking I'm hoping it's Bamford who turn up as the way we're playing at the moment I'd rather face a team from the Hope Valley League (Division B) than a side currently sitting seventh in the Unibond North. That way we can at least hope for a draw.
Lancaster City 3 - 0 Mossley
This is going to be brief.
I didn't go to Lancaster to watch this League Cup game but thanks to the match commentary provided by Bailrigg FM I was able to keep up-to-date with events at the Giant Axe from the comfort of my own home. I say comfort even though the listening was anything but.
The coverage itself was excellent with the commentators doing their damnedest to inject some life into a game that appeared, from the moment Lancaster scored their first goal anyway, to be a foregone conclusion. Selected highlights from the two hours of coverage being the ongoing discussion about Andy Watson looking like Jaap Stam, the ever changing pronunciations of Nathan Neequaye's name (Neekie, Nekwee, Newquay being just a few of the variants) and the off mic 'When Harry Met Sally' moment as the female commentator learnt of Barrow's result in the FA Cup.
However one of the themes running throughout the evening wasn't funny at all and you can't blame Bailrigg for harping on about it. The theme in question being how bad Mossley were. They didn't pull their punches either. What was being said by four people who hadn't seen us before this season was much the same as comments made at Woodley last week and at games in August and September.
Speaking as a supporter it's frustrating because we've seen over the last two months or so just how really good Mossley can be at times. Recently though it's like we've slipped back into the bad old ways; good passing moves have been replaced by a one which involves a solitary pass that travels most of the length of the pitch. That's not to say that the home team weren't shy in belting it forward as after Lancaster, City and Mossley, the most repeated words on the night were ball and long.
The home side went ahead with their first shot of the match in the 19th minute before adding two more late on. Going off the commentary nothing happened in-between that suggested Mossley would trouble the scoreline. We had a half chance in the first period and that was about it, although in the post game round up one of the commentators did say we had two efforts that were way off target. So it wasn't all bad then!
Hopefully things will get back on track when Bamber Bridge vist Seel Park on Saturday and we'll go into Christmas with our first home win in the league for three months. Admittedly we've only had one league home game during that time but a victory would still be nice.
I didn't go to Lancaster to watch this League Cup game but thanks to the match commentary provided by Bailrigg FM I was able to keep up-to-date with events at the Giant Axe from the comfort of my own home. I say comfort even though the listening was anything but.
The coverage itself was excellent with the commentators doing their damnedest to inject some life into a game that appeared, from the moment Lancaster scored their first goal anyway, to be a foregone conclusion. Selected highlights from the two hours of coverage being the ongoing discussion about Andy Watson looking like Jaap Stam, the ever changing pronunciations of Nathan Neequaye's name (Neekie, Nekwee, Newquay being just a few of the variants) and the off mic 'When Harry Met Sally' moment as the female commentator learnt of Barrow's result in the FA Cup.
However one of the themes running throughout the evening wasn't funny at all and you can't blame Bailrigg for harping on about it. The theme in question being how bad Mossley were. They didn't pull their punches either. What was being said by four people who hadn't seen us before this season was much the same as comments made at Woodley last week and at games in August and September.
Speaking as a supporter it's frustrating because we've seen over the last two months or so just how really good Mossley can be at times. Recently though it's like we've slipped back into the bad old ways; good passing moves have been replaced by a one which involves a solitary pass that travels most of the length of the pitch. That's not to say that the home team weren't shy in belting it forward as after Lancaster, City and Mossley, the most repeated words on the night were ball and long.
The home side went ahead with their first shot of the match in the 19th minute before adding two more late on. Going off the commentary nothing happened in-between that suggested Mossley would trouble the scoreline. We had a half chance in the first period and that was about it, although in the post game round up one of the commentators did say we had two efforts that were way off target. So it wasn't all bad then!
Hopefully things will get back on track when Bamber Bridge vist Seel Park on Saturday and we'll go into Christmas with our first home win in the league for three months. Admittedly we've only had one league home game during that time but a victory would still be nice.
Trafford 0 - 2 Clitheroe
I'll readily admit that while there are many things I'm not good at (a claim the regular readers of this blog will no doubt concur with), making accurate predictions is a skill I'm particularly lacking in. However I think I can declare with some confidence that a significant number of Mossley supporters will have breathed a sigh of relief when the news came through that the game at Bamber Bridge had been called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
I'm aware too that those same supporters won't admit to that being the case but after the debacle - yes, I have no qualms in labelling it a debacle - at Lambeth Grove the previous Tuesday the threat of something worse happening against a much better team was a very real possibility.
The postponement though meant that for the second weekend running the hunt was on for another game to attend. The local Conference North games were dismissed from the "which match" equation very early on (and forever will be while they charge £10 admission), swiftly followed by Curzon's fixture with Warrington (it was cold enough as it was on Saturday without making it worse by standing on the terraces of a stadium with a design flaw that accentuates it). This left just two possibilities: a match at Abbey Hey and one at Trafford.
As games in Gorton have never been pleasurable experiences (matches often taking third place to wondering 1) just what the ker-azy locals are going to lob over the perimeter next and 2) whether it will hit you or not) it was decided that Trafford versus Clitheroe would be the match of choice. But then you already knew that by looking at the heading to this post didn't you?
Initial fears that the journey to the opposite of Manchester would be punctuated by hold-ups at notorious Christmas traffic black spots - the Ashton bypass, Stockport and the Trafford Centre - proved to be unfounded as the roads were empty. Seriously. No snarl-ups, no go slows, no stops, no waiting... it was like Christmas Day itself rather than the third Saturday before it.
Anyway, talking about traffic density (or the lack of it) isn't talking about the match. Then again there's not really much to discuss their either. A good, if fractious, first half gave way to a pretty dull second period that was enlivened briefly by a mass punch-up instigated by a series of reckless tackles by Melford Knight. How he managed to avoid a red card and remain on the pitch for ninety minutes is a puzzle only equalled by that of how his opposite number, Gavin Lee Ellison, did likewise. That's right! Two of Mossley's greatest ever midfielders were on show and what a master class they provided. Not too sure what it was in though...
The highlight of the handbag war however was Clitheroe's keeper running three quarters of the length of the pitch to join the melee before doing his best 'hold me back' posture; a situation which would have looked less ridiculous if some one actually had been trying to hold him back. Instead he looked like a very bad mime artist trying to walk into an imaginary strong wind.
With seven minutes of the game left Clitheroe took the lead and in injury time they added a second; a thunderous shot from distance which hit the crossbar twice before going into the net.
It wasn't the greatest game in the world but it was by no means the worst either. I realise that's a terrible way to sum up a match but there's nothing more to be said about it really. No, wait! Hang on! There was the er, ... ... the erm, ... ... Sorry! Thought I'd remembered something for a moment then but I hadn't.
Never mind, eh?
I'm aware too that those same supporters won't admit to that being the case but after the debacle - yes, I have no qualms in labelling it a debacle - at Lambeth Grove the previous Tuesday the threat of something worse happening against a much better team was a very real possibility.
The postponement though meant that for the second weekend running the hunt was on for another game to attend. The local Conference North games were dismissed from the "which match" equation very early on (and forever will be while they charge £10 admission), swiftly followed by Curzon's fixture with Warrington (it was cold enough as it was on Saturday without making it worse by standing on the terraces of a stadium with a design flaw that accentuates it). This left just two possibilities: a match at Abbey Hey and one at Trafford.
As games in Gorton have never been pleasurable experiences (matches often taking third place to wondering 1) just what the ker-azy locals are going to lob over the perimeter next and 2) whether it will hit you or not) it was decided that Trafford versus Clitheroe would be the match of choice. But then you already knew that by looking at the heading to this post didn't you?
Initial fears that the journey to the opposite of Manchester would be punctuated by hold-ups at notorious Christmas traffic black spots - the Ashton bypass, Stockport and the Trafford Centre - proved to be unfounded as the roads were empty. Seriously. No snarl-ups, no go slows, no stops, no waiting... it was like Christmas Day itself rather than the third Saturday before it.
Anyway, talking about traffic density (or the lack of it) isn't talking about the match. Then again there's not really much to discuss their either. A good, if fractious, first half gave way to a pretty dull second period that was enlivened briefly by a mass punch-up instigated by a series of reckless tackles by Melford Knight. How he managed to avoid a red card and remain on the pitch for ninety minutes is a puzzle only equalled by that of how his opposite number, Gavin Lee Ellison, did likewise. That's right! Two of Mossley's greatest ever midfielders
The highlight of the handbag war however was Clitheroe's keeper running three quarters of the length of the pitch to join the melee before doing his best 'hold me back' posture; a situation which would have looked less ridiculous if some one actually had been trying to hold him back. Instead he looked like a very bad mime artist trying to walk into an imaginary strong wind.
With seven minutes of the game left Clitheroe took the lead and in injury time they added a second; a thunderous shot from distance which hit the crossbar twice before going into the net.
It wasn't the greatest game in the world but it was by no means the worst either. I realise that's a terrible way to sum up a match but there's nothing more to be said about it really. No, wait! Hang on! There was the er, ... ... the erm, ... ... Sorry! Thought I'd remembered something for a moment then but I hadn't.
Never mind, eh?
Woodley Sports 2 - 1 Mossley
It may be only two weeks since Mossley were on the crest of a fourteen game winning run but it felt like another lifetime ago as the Lilywhites crashed to a thoroughly deserved defeat at the Lambeth Grove home of Woodley Sports.
No, your eyes do not deceive you; I did say that this defeat to a team third bottom of the league, and with only previous victory this season, was deserved. It would be nice to be able to bend the truth a little and claim that we were somehow unlucky, the victims of a miscarriage of football justice but we weren't. We were just downright Bad. That's right, bad with capital b.
Apart from a moment in the second half when Topsy made a late bid for the Christmas number one spot with a self-composed ditty about skateboards, there was little to warm the travelling supporters on a bitterly cold and wet night in Stockport. In fact it's hard not to feel every chilling bite of an icy wind when the side you've travelled the best part of ooh, a quarter of an hour to watch are outplayed, out thought and out fought by their opponents from virtually the sound of the first whistle to the last. And believe me, I wish I was exaggerating with that particular point.
It was only the reflexes of goalkeeper Peter Collinge that stopped Mossley from being a goal down within the first five minutes of the match after Antoni Sarcevic (who was booked 10 seconds into the match) effortlessly sliced open the barrier of white shirts in front of him. The ease with which he bore down on the visitors goal should have served as a warning for the Lilywhites but it went ignored and they were punished for it in the 21st minute. Picking the ball up on the halfway line, Sarcevic moved unchallenged to the edge of the Mossley box and a short pass into the path of Kris Dennis gave his team mate the opportunity to the find the net with a low shot.
That Mossley were still only a single goal behind by the half hour point of the match was a touch surprising but not quite as surprising as the goal which enabled them to go into the break on level terms with their hosts. Before Steve Moore netted the equaliser from the penalty spot – Woodley's punishment for a clumsy and unnecessary challenge by Matt Cotton on Mike Fish – the Lilywhites had shown absolutely no threat as an attacking force at all. Again I have to point out that I'm not embroidering the truth for effect here, the penalty was our first anything of note.
Unfortunately the goal didn't lay any foundations for better showing after the interval. Woodley continued to look the better of the two sides and Collinge was again called upon a couple of times to keep them at bay. In the 73rd minute however he was beaten for the second time in the match. And to make matters worse it came directly from a rare Mossley attack.
A disastrous (although the word laughable would suffice to) corner routine allowed the home side to quickly counter but their surge forward looked to have come to nothing as the Mossley defence broke up the attack. The sighs of relief from the visiting fans on the terraces were caught mid-exhale though as a sloppy pass handed the ball straight back to Woodley and from the halfway line, Gary Gee lobbed the ball over a furiously back-pedalling Collinge and into the net. The sound of celebrations from Woodley deafened by a mixture of two four letter expletives that were tripping loudly off a sizeable proportion of the Mossley supporters tongues.
There was still time to mount a comeback though but in response the visitors could only manage to muster a couple of half chances before the end of the game. Substitute Nathan Neequaye hit the side netting and an effort from distance by Matty Kay was spilt by Ben Connett but the home sides claim on the three points was never really challenged.
The final whistle was the cue for some cup winning-esque scenes as Woodley celebrated their rare and undeniably merited victory (I didn't stop long enough to see if they went on a lap of honour). Mossley on the other hand slinked quietly off the pitch (tut-tut if you're thinking well that's what they did on it too), ruminating on a performance that was far, far below the standard they've shown recently. At least I hope they were as it was one of the two things I exited the ground wondering. The other thing being whether or not I'd ever get the feeling back in my fingers in time to write this report and you know what? I wish they hadn't and I'd put money on the fact that you're thinking the same too!
I've thought long and hard to come up with a list of positives from the night yet after all the deliberating, cogitating and digesting I've done, there still only remains one item on it: the match came to an end. And we were made to wait longer than expected for that as the referee bolted an additional and inexplicable five minutes of injury time onto the end of the game. As if we weren't suffering enough already!
The list of negatives though runs to many pages of a Microsoft Word document. You'll be be happy to know that I'm not going to cut and paste them into here but just to give you a taster of what was on the roll call of downers: the incessant use of the long ball, despite the touchline imploring of the manager not to do it, to two forwards who aren't suited for it; two forwards so similar that they were making the same runs into the same space, the result of which was that we were effectively playing with on man upfront; Steve Settle, one of the best players of the last two months when playing in attack, being forced to spend another night as a peripheral figure in the wing back position while the player who excelled in that role, Ben Richardson, spends another match on the bench as an unused substitute...
I could go on – trust me, I really could – but if you were there you know how bad it was and what was wrong. If you weren't, sorry! But the memories are still too painful to relive again this early, if ever. In fact why am I sorry? You were the lucky ones.
Hopefully the Mossley side that up till two weeks ago went fourteen matches unbeaten will make a return for their next game at Bamber Bridge. If it doesn't then we can only expect more of the same, just with a longer, more miserable trip home.
No, your eyes do not deceive you; I did say that this defeat to a team third bottom of the league, and with only previous victory this season, was deserved. It would be nice to be able to bend the truth a little and claim that we were somehow unlucky, the victims of a miscarriage of football justice but we weren't. We were just downright Bad. That's right, bad with capital b.
Apart from a moment in the second half when Topsy made a late bid for the Christmas number one spot with a self-composed ditty about skateboards, there was little to warm the travelling supporters on a bitterly cold and wet night in Stockport. In fact it's hard not to feel every chilling bite of an icy wind when the side you've travelled the best part of ooh, a quarter of an hour to watch are outplayed, out thought and out fought by their opponents from virtually the sound of the first whistle to the last. And believe me, I wish I was exaggerating with that particular point.
It was only the reflexes of goalkeeper Peter Collinge that stopped Mossley from being a goal down within the first five minutes of the match after Antoni Sarcevic (who was booked 10 seconds into the match) effortlessly sliced open the barrier of white shirts in front of him. The ease with which he bore down on the visitors goal should have served as a warning for the Lilywhites but it went ignored and they were punished for it in the 21st minute. Picking the ball up on the halfway line, Sarcevic moved unchallenged to the edge of the Mossley box and a short pass into the path of Kris Dennis gave his team mate the opportunity to the find the net with a low shot.
That Mossley were still only a single goal behind by the half hour point of the match was a touch surprising but not quite as surprising as the goal which enabled them to go into the break on level terms with their hosts. Before Steve Moore netted the equaliser from the penalty spot – Woodley's punishment for a clumsy and unnecessary challenge by Matt Cotton on Mike Fish – the Lilywhites had shown absolutely no threat as an attacking force at all. Again I have to point out that I'm not embroidering the truth for effect here, the penalty was our first anything of note.
Unfortunately the goal didn't lay any foundations for better showing after the interval. Woodley continued to look the better of the two sides and Collinge was again called upon a couple of times to keep them at bay. In the 73rd minute however he was beaten for the second time in the match. And to make matters worse it came directly from a rare Mossley attack.
A disastrous (although the word laughable would suffice to) corner routine allowed the home side to quickly counter but their surge forward looked to have come to nothing as the Mossley defence broke up the attack. The sighs of relief from the visiting fans on the terraces were caught mid-exhale though as a sloppy pass handed the ball straight back to Woodley and from the halfway line, Gary Gee lobbed the ball over a furiously back-pedalling Collinge and into the net. The sound of celebrations from Woodley deafened by a mixture of two four letter expletives that were tripping loudly off a sizeable proportion of the Mossley supporters tongues.
There was still time to mount a comeback though but in response the visitors could only manage to muster a couple of half chances before the end of the game. Substitute Nathan Neequaye hit the side netting and an effort from distance by Matty Kay was spilt by Ben Connett but the home sides claim on the three points was never really challenged.
The final whistle was the cue for some cup winning-esque scenes as Woodley celebrated their rare and undeniably merited victory (I didn't stop long enough to see if they went on a lap of honour). Mossley on the other hand slinked quietly off the pitch (tut-tut if you're thinking well that's what they did on it too), ruminating on a performance that was far, far below the standard they've shown recently. At least I hope they were as it was one of the two things I exited the ground wondering. The other thing being whether or not I'd ever get the feeling back in my fingers in time to write this report and you know what? I wish they hadn't and I'd put money on the fact that you're thinking the same too!
I've thought long and hard to come up with a list of positives from the night yet after all the deliberating, cogitating and digesting I've done, there still only remains one item on it: the match came to an end. And we were made to wait longer than expected for that as the referee bolted an additional and inexplicable five minutes of injury time onto the end of the game. As if we weren't suffering enough already!
The list of negatives though runs to many pages of a Microsoft Word document. You'll be be happy to know that I'm not going to cut and paste them into here but just to give you a taster of what was on the roll call of downers: the incessant use of the long ball, despite the touchline imploring of the manager not to do it, to two forwards who aren't suited for it; two forwards so similar that they were making the same runs into the same space, the result of which was that we were effectively playing with on man upfront; Steve Settle, one of the best players of the last two months when playing in attack, being forced to spend another night as a peripheral figure in the wing back position while the player who excelled in that role, Ben Richardson, spends another match on the bench as an unused substitute...
I could go on – trust me, I really could – but if you were there you know how bad it was and what was wrong. If you weren't, sorry! But the memories are still too painful to relive again this early, if ever. In fact why am I sorry? You were the lucky ones.
Hopefully the Mossley side that up till two weeks ago went fourteen matches unbeaten will make a return for their next game at Bamber Bridge. If it doesn't then we can only expect more of the same, just with a longer, more miserable trip home.
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