Merry Christmas

Mossley 1 Ashton Utd 2

On leaving the car, a supporter said to me that nothing had spoiled their Christmas and with a hint of sarcasm I suggested that maybe he shouldn't enter the ground but even SJNR was positive before the game. Just one win I thought to kick start the season and hopefully move towards safety.

The game started with Mossley looking rather upbeat and the ball was being knocked down the flanks and David Eyres sitting in central midfield providing an excellent anchor role and his passing looked like opening up the Ashton defence. The match got off to a wonderful start when a foul wide on the right gave Mossley a freekick. Eyres swung the ball in and nobody seemed capable of either clearing or scoring and the ball crept into the far corner of Lee Bracey's net.


This was just what the Lilywhites needed and maybe the flowing football could see a comfortable 3 or 4 goal home win to show that Mossley do belong in the Unibond Premier. Get out those smelling salts and stop being stupid!!

After about 10 minutes of excellent flowing football somebody decided to change everything. Whether this came from the bench or the players no-one knows, but suddenly Mossley resorted to the old hoof ball game plan and this was despite Ashton's bizarre game plan of playing Kharas on his own against the Mossley back four. However before criticising this plan the Ashton front man was giving the whole back four the run around. With Furnival suspended there seemed no leadership amongst the back line and Danny Trueman was having a nightmare and looked like he had a new pair of gloves that had been used for basting the turkey or something the day before. In fairness, coupled in with this he did pull off a couple of oustanding saves just before the break to keep Mossley ahead. One started to wonder if Mossley would hang on for a nervy 1-0 win but there was still an awfully long way to go.


The writing was on the wall as soon as the second half started as the team came out looking unhappy and the body language as they emerged from the tunnel didn't look promising. Ashton took the game to Mossley and the home side continued their strange route one attack to two small strikers. Another bizarre decision was when Melford Knight came on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half wearing the armband. I know he is the official club captain (and that could be a blog entry by itself) but surely Eyres should have kept the armband for the whole match unless he was substituted. The rumour doing the rounds after was that Eyres had played his last match for the Lilywhites and one wondered if this decision had any bearing on his state of mind. It came as no surprise when Ashton levelled the score from the penalty spot. Some may have debated the decision but when a defender lunges in the penalty area the result is often going to be a spot kick. Baker slotted the ball past Trueman and in reality one felt that there was only going to be one result and ten minutes or so later it arrived.


In fairness, it was a great goal as former Latics player Danny Forde drove a great shot from the edge of the area although one felt the lack of tackles made his job easier. The rest of the game saw a similar game plan as Ashton tried to finish the game off and Mossley just lumped it. The team look devoid of ideas and at the moment the big R words is more than being on the horizon. Mention must be made of the effort from young Steve Burke who chased everything from the first minute to the last and some players need to look at this. It's all very well chasing for the first 10-15 minutes when things are looking rosy but if we are to get out of this mess we need players who will roll up their sleeves and Burke is certainly one of these.


Where do we go from here? In honesty it's Division One as a 10 point gap is probably a bridge too far. To escape we need a return to the flowing football from early last season and that won't be easy as we play on heavy pitches over the next few weeks. We also need Championship winning form and by that I don't mean the form that won us the league last season, as that won't do it. We could start praying regularly but I don't even think that will suffice. It sounds very negative but if I think like this anything else will be a bonus.

The Titanic

Mossley 1 Frickley Athletic 2

Haven't blogged for a while as have have had to miss a few games. As for my title, that ship was unsinkable as supposedly are Mossley as we have only played badly twice (or is that we only play badly Home and Away)and should be in 4th place pushing for promotion. What a load of (insert the correct word youself!)

Having not witnessed the Brisco era I wondered what I would see having not seen a game for the best part of 4 weeks. I was actually surprised as Mossley started rather upbeat and were rather unfortunate not to take an early lead. The game changed midway through the first half with a diabolical decision. Many fans would be unaware but The Bus Shelter was the perfect viewpoint and the board should have gone up with at least a 5.8 on. Debutant Smith did go to ground trying to win the tackle and if I had a pound for every time I heard some expert say defenders need to stay on their feet I would be a rich man, but there was no need for the Frickley player to dive over the tackle. That sort of thing is saved for Manchester derbies, or certainly on this weekend so I thought. This goal knocked Mossley but going back to the Premiership, there probably wasn't a better goal scored in that league than Frickley's second. Matthew Taylor's 45 yard belter for Portsmouth could be an argument for this point but what I am saying is that Frickley's second was spectacular. The defending was rather naive but the curling effort from Ward was unsavable. This left Mossley with the proverbial mountain to climb and this was before the traditional second half slump after the half time Mogadon.

Another surprise here as Mossley gave a slightly more spirited performance and pulled a goal back through Peter Wright. It seemed like a very valuable point would be gained when a late penalty was awarded but the penalty jinx continued as Ward's effort was saved. I think that's 3 penalties on the run missed and too many were missed last season. Is this bad luck or something else?

The season is entering a worrying period as safety is looking tricky and with the double header looming aginst Ashton Utd points are needed quickly. There will be a few Ashton players determined to show the Mossley management how they can play but in reality 6 points are needed. Despite the turnover more players are needed to steady the ship or we will be the Titanic, but these need to be the right signings for Mossley. Sorry it's so gloomy but what else can be said with no league wins since early October. I suppose there is the mighty Manchester Premier Cup but we'll probably lose to Flixton or Glossop the way things are at the moment.

Motivation

Now is this aimed at the team or me!! Just never got round to writing a report for the Kendal game and there's no point now with plenty of reports or forum comments out there. I am concerned about the direction we are moving as that big R word is looming. We are entering a very crucial period with a tough league game tomorrow, a cup game at Fleetwood midweek which could keep the season alive (or almost finish it) and a crunch bottom of the table 6 pointer next weekend. If we come out of the next few days with nothing, well ..................??? What do we do then?

However, the good news is I'm not going tomorrow so apart from giving me a perfect excuse for not writing a rambling report, I have missed 3 games this season :

Grantham 1 Mossley 2
Mossley 5 Lincoln 1
Mossley 1 Salford 0

So, the great news is that the Lilywhites will therefore return from Staffordshire with 3 points. For those going, enjoy the game, and hopefully our new midfielder will provide the impetus that has been missing from that area for an awfully long time.

Deja Vous

Cammell Laird 2 Mossley 1

Ever get the feeling you've been here before - Whitby, Prescot, Ossett to name a few. By this I'm just rambling about last minute goals. The deja vous also continues to the left hand side of Mossley's defence. Basically there is a gaping hole that isn't being filled and unless it is sorted soon this gaping hole will be visible in other parts of the North West next season such as Woodley or Clitheroe. I don't really need to say any more. I am utterly and totally p***ed off with what's going on. Lessons aren't being learnt and yesterday's defeat was embarrasing. I know in effect Cammell Laird are only a few places below us but they were nothing special. We won Division 1 last season losing 10 games and looking at CL as one of the front runners makes me realize that the league is probably no stronger this season.

Mossley started the game looking reasonable and once it was obvious that the Cammell Laird goalkeeper was having one of those days we should have capitalized. The first goal arrived after a spell of passing football that resulted in a mishit shot from Melford Knight being spilled and Eyres was on hand to slot home. At this point the lead was just about deserved but you knew one goal wouldn't be enough, as clean sheets and Mossley are about as rare as Channel M news reports without the mention of FC ***. There were some rather rough tackles going on and the rather lenient officials were allowing a lot of off the ball stuff to happen. The second half saw the side shuffled around too much and the disjointed play allow Cammell Laird to start to take control and it was no surprise when McGuire drove home from the Mossley left. (Yes I know!!)
Despite the way the game was turning it seemed that Mossley would hang on and force a replay on Tuesday night, but the referee had other ideas. For some inexplicable reason as the defender climbed all over Peter Wright a free kick was awarded against him. However, that is not an excuse for what followed as hesitant defending saw Mossley dumped out of the FA Trophy and also throw away the chance of £2000 prize money. Never mind we can always concentrate on the league or to put it correctly concentrate on staying in the league.

It's all rather depressing at the moment and one wonders how we can get out of this slump. Maybe the gaping hole already mentioned could be filled in, but Saturday could certainly be interesting as we come across our friends from Kendal who have also hit a bit of a slump and were also dumped out of the FA Trophy.

Sorry Sorry Sorry

Ossett Town 3 Mossley 2

Well who is the sorry aimed at. First, aplogies for lack of updates recently. For those that know me personally, the week of the Prescot game left me with no time as Liam had his shoulder surgery that week. During last week, I went away to the Lakes so I didn't attend the two cup wins. Maybe that is the next sorry as I have only missed 3 games this season and guess what? Yes, Mossley always win when I'm not there!! Oh the dilemmas of life.

Back to the theme of sorry and what a catastrophic performance I returned to on Saturday. The first half was absolutely awful and Danny Trueman has taken a lot of criticism recently but without him the game would have been out of sight by half time as he pulled off two outstanding saves. Carl Fothergill almost had the penalty area to himself to net a simple opener. Danny Ryan netted a second just before the break, and there was still time for one of the misses of the season. It quite simply could have been 5-0 at the break and in reality, Ossett aren't a great side, but they play effectively to their strengths. I'm not actually sure what our strengths are and certainly we don't seem capable of playing to them. I think really playing the ball on the floor may be our strength but it doesn't seem to happen often enough.

The second half was pretty dire and in fact the kids lick around game on the other pitch was more entertaining. The game changed when Kirk Wheeler pressed the self destruct button. He must have wanted an early bath as there were 2 or 3 instances after receiving a yellow card that he displayed different forms of petulance. The ref (as poor as he was) decided enough was enough and after stopping Mossley taking a quick throw he saw red. (Well 2 yellows really)

An excellent cross from Lee Shillito saw substitute Turley halve the deficit and amazingly they equalized when a stunning drive by Furnival from outside the box almost broke the net. At this point there only seemed to be one winner but the ref had other ideas. Yes I know I'm biased but the tackle looked fair from Ward, but the man in black had other ideas, and the resulting penalty saw another disastrous finish to a game. (Prescot, Whitby..... How many more times will this happen?)

Despite the fightback, a reality check tells you that Mossley got what they deserved from this game, and coupled with other results we are now in the relegation zone. We need a wake up call unless we want to end up having another bash at being Division One champions. Fans have said for a while that there are worse sides than us in this division, but while we have been losing points at an alarming rate, some of these sides have gone past us. No midweek fixture may give the management a time to sort out some problems, but this will become apparent after 3:00 on Saturday, The FA Trophy tie will be a tricky test as Cammell Laird are in effect only a few places below us as they are riding high in Division 1. This game will be a definite banana skin, so hopefully the form of the previous Trophy game will return. Maybe I should go back to the Lakes!!!!

Much better but only a point

Mossley 1 Hednesford Town 1

Well I'm not sure where to start as at 3.00 a point would have seemed brill but after the 90 minutes of football it was pretty disappointing to only take a point. There was a much changed side with the addition of David Eyres, James Turley, Lee Shillito and Chris Ward was also on the bench. The new faces gave the side a sharper look and they started well pushing forward, but disaster struck in only the fourth minute when with the defence all over the place after a Mossley attack, the ball ran loose to Ross Dyer but as he approached Trueman the Mossley stopper appeared to back away allowing Hednesford to take an early lead. Sadly this was far too similar to many recent occurences but it was probably the only time during the afternoon when the defence lacked concentration. Mossley encountered a tough afternoon and recent reports suggested that Hednesford were an uncompromising outfit but if that is the type of football that gets you to the fringes of promotion, then I'd rather be struggling. Their style seemed to consist of lump it forward and then chuck your elbows around and savage players in a manner that is certainly bordering on breaking the rules. Of course this style won't work if the officials are strong, but.......... (say no more!!)

Mossley were gaining some ascendency with the width of Eyres and Shillito, but were struggling to create openings due to the gigantic Hednesford defence. However, when the leveller opened it was worth the wait. Turley who had failed to net this season for Stalyvegas cut in and hit a thumping drive past Young.


The second half saw Mossley pushing forward but despite all the pressure didn't seem to quite have the ability to open up Hednesford. Whilst not enjoying the opposition's style of play, credit had to be given to their level of organisation. Mossley had a succession of corners but excellent defending and superb cross taking from Young kept the Lilywhites at bay. It seemed like the chance had finally come when Wright was fouled after being released by Ward but his weak spot kick was saved. The remaining minutes saw the game push from one end to another with the best chance falling to Joe Shaw deep into injury time when after a mazy run he slotted the ball over the bar.


A greatly improved performance and against lesser opposition would surely have seen three points. No disrespect but let's hope that Prescot are lesser opposition and we return with the points on Tuesday night.

What can happen next?

Mossley 1 Witton Albion 2

Well the season just continues to move along and sadly in totally the wrong direction. Much has been written in the other blogs and I almost feel like I can't be bothered in writing anything. The team just seem devoid of direction and if things don't improve soon this season is going to be rather depressive, as within a fortnight two cup defeats could see the season over well before Winter hits. The players can't really be blamed as such as they must be questioning the current revolving door policy and must be wondering who is going to be next. The majority of the last two games have seen the game played with hardly any atmosphere and if this continues only the real hard core are going to be there. One must be careful aportioning blame after this match as some of the refereeing decisions were absolutely awful but this wasn't the reason for the defeat. While the first goal was the result of a Melford Knight tackle being given as a freekick, Witton could point to 2 disallowed goals which were dubious and one possible penalty appeal which was given as offside. The real crux is that this could have been a 3 or 4 goal drubbing and high flying Hednesford are the next visitors. By the end of this game, the available playing squad was down to 14, although the 3 recent additions will at least fill out the squad, but will there be more additions or will be there be goings before there are more comings? Only time will tell as to whether these are the type of signings we need, as players must be looking alarmingly at the comings and goings. The squad needs settling pretty quickly or else the big R must be looming. Also the rumours coming from Ashton and Telford don't fill one full of hope. I'm not giving you the details as if you can find this poor attempt at a blog you can also find this info. Knowing Mossley we'll pinch a win tomorrow against the odds.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Mossley 2 Whitby Town 0
Ilkeston Town 2 Mossley 1

Due to being busy at work etc.etc., this is a double header. Do you want the good news or the bad news? We'll start with the good news but only because that arrived first.

Mossley finally put in a performance at Seel Park and earned 3 points against Whitby Town to gain revenge for the unfortunate defeat against the same hosts the previous Saturday. Mossley began as they had finished the previous game against Whitby by attacking. Peter Wright looks an awesome signing and providing he is given the service there is an awful lot of goals in him. Campbell was also continuing his fine shot stopping from the weekend and you began to wonder if it was going to be one of these nights, especially when the half finished goal-less. Recently Mossley have often seemed incapable of picking up the pace after intervals and one may question if there is some secret ingredient in the half time cuppa from the dressing rooms. Maybe they need a huddle and some of SJNR's magic tea! Whitby came out quite well after the interval and you began to wonder but just before the hour mark a perfectly timed run from Steve Burke (or an awful decision from the assistant, although I thought he was onside and just outpaced the static Whitby defence) allowed him to open the scoring as he calmly slotted the ball home. The game continued with Mossley just about on top but starting to drop deeper but seemingly capable of holding out, but you just felt a second goal was needed. Whitby were reduced to 10 men when Farthing pulled Burke down and as last man the ref had no option really although the Whitby bench seemed to react as if it was the worst decision of the century. Whitby were rather fortunate not to finish with 9 men when Christian Cooke fell on the edge of the area and landed on a Whitby defender. As Cooke stood up Wilkinson shoved him and whilst it was not a punch it was certainly raised arms and he escaped with a yellow card. Punishment was still to come for Whitby as Peter Wright curled a superb freekick round the Whitby wall.


Right the bad news! Well no let's wait as it didn't arrive till about 3.15 on Saturday afternoon. Mossley started superbly at Ilson and were carving the hosts open with Cooke giving the full back a torrid time. One such opening saw a neat interchange with Wright who cut inside and shot home after five minutes. It really seemed like Mossley were turning the corner and could take 3 points on their travels but sadly games last for 90 minutes and not 9. However as news got round the ground that Bingham was being allowed to sign for Buxton, and Bowker had been released for his 'influence in the changing room', the buoyant start suddenly descended into an almost depressive atmosphere as fans started to question what was going on. The turnover of players is becoming rather alarming and when one looks at the current squad it contains only 16 players. The shame of all this is that the two mentioned players weren't solely responsible for the recent mini revival but they had been two key players.


Ilson equalized just past the quarter hour mark when Chris Adam netted. Mossley were being pushed a little too deep but Scott certainly saved Ilson with some fine goalkeeping. Paul Robinson (I thought he was playing for England actually) capitalised on sloppy marking by knocking the ball past Trueman. The second half was almost a non event as Mossley resorted to launching long balls and Ilson should have added more but even from the penalty spot seemed incapable of extending the lead.


Not sure if it's back to the drawing board or whether this was a blip. The squad needs an awful lot of strengthening over the coming weeks as recent departures have left the squad far too small for this league. Hopefully some new faces can arrive before Tuesday and even more important the form of the Whitby and Raccy Boro games can also return.

Whitby Weekend

Whitby Town 3 Mossley 2

Lots of people said they were going for the weekend, but I didn't see any of them. Whitby was supposed to be pretty full due to a 60s weekend. On looking round this was unclear whether this was music from that era or was the age of most of the people there. Well I made it and stayed and I am definitely not 60!! How did I do it. Well despite it being the start of October (Well it was on Sunday) see below for my luxury home for the weekend.



I'm not sure if the owner of the campsite thought I had taken leave of my senses when shortly before 9pm on Friday night I arrived in a very dark field asking for room for two nights. Despite the appearance in the picture, there were other insane people in the field, but not too many.Once waking up on Saturday, it looked a decent decision as the weather certainly wasn't what one expected for the last day in September. So a stroll to Robin Hoods Bay was on the menu.



Anyway on to the middle of the afternoon where a football match actually happened and it was certainly the most entertaining game I have seen this season. Mossley finally looked like a Unibond Premier side and they really pressured Whitby early on. Whitby were struggling to cope with the pace of the Mossley attack as Bingham, Shaw and Wright with capable support from Cooke attacked the hosts. Many of the Whitby fans were livid as they constantly appealed for offside and while some calls could have gone either way, many times it was due to the pace of the Mossley attack and a rather slow Whitby backline. It came as no surprise when Mossley took the lead with a well taken goal from Joe Shaw. Whitby weren’t about to let Mossley have the game their own way and netted an equalizer through Tom Claisse. Peter Wright almost gave Mossley the lead straight after this but shot narrowly wide. Whitby got away with this one but two minutes later Joe Shaw netted his second of the game to give Mossley the lead again.



The second half saw Whitby turn the heat up and it was no surprise when they equalized again with Tom Raw (fish joke coming….. No I’ll leave it out!!!) firing past Trueman. Recently Mossley would have collapsed but the opposite happened and Mossley took the game to the hosts with some of the best passing football and movement I have seen from the current side. In fact it was more like the side that dominated proceedings back at the start of last season. Chance after chance went begging and great defending from Danny Farthing and some fine saves from David Campbell kept Whitby in the game.



It appeared like the moment had finally come though when an excellent weaving run from Peter Wright resulted in Campbell bringing him down in the penalty area but he redeemed himself with a great save from Wright’s penalty. You just knew it would happen when Farthing scored in stoppage time to give Whitby a rather undeserved victory which some of their own fans even admitted, although we did mug Burscough in a similar fashion at the end of August.

Many positives can be taken from this game, but in particular the pace of the attack and the midfield combination of Bowker and Knight looked formidable with Melford having possibly one of his best games in a Lilywhite shirt. Well it’s Whitby again on Tuesday and if the game is tackled with the same gusto and spirit then a three point haul could be ours, but this is football so anything could happen.

Well back to the weekend as I braved another night in my tent.


Not a wise decision as it rained nearly all night and I woke in a rather wet field, but as the fog and mist lifted a fairly pleasant day was had with a hike across the cliffs at Robin Hoods Bay. It rained again late on Sunday afternoon but I was on the way home by then.

It'll Be All Wright On The Knight

Radcliffe Borough 1 Mossley 3

Mossley finally recorded a victory with a much improved performance at Raccy Boro. Mossley came out of the blocks straight away and took a deserved lead in only the 6th minute when a slick passing movement saw a Joe Shaw cross converted by Peter Wright. The goal looked dubiously offside but the way things have been recently Mossley would take anything. Unfortunately the lead didn't last long and Chris Downey almost equalized (I'm sure I've heard of him before!) but he pulled his shot across goal. Tony Whealing was causing problems whenever he had the chance to cross as he had an ability way beyond Unibond Premier standard. His crosses were pheonomenal and were often hit with such pace. One such effort levelled the score when his cross allowed Ian Kearney to powerfully head home. The interval arrived with no more additions to the scoreline although Boro did have a couple of great chances.

There was another change in recent times when Mossley came out for the second half and attacked the opposition. (Yes, that's correct) Bingham and Wright were causing havoc and if these two can be given the service the season could well take a turn for the better. Danny Trueman was still performing rather nervously and possibly needs a couple of clean sheets to regain confidence. (Whitby and Whitby would be nice.) A neat interchange between Bingham, Wright and Shaw saw the resulting corner powerfully headed home by Knight. The game was made safer with 10 minutes remaining when Danny Hurst failed to clear under pressure from Burke and Cooke picked up the loose ball and was fouled on the edge of the area. Wright knocked home the resulting penalty.

Thanks to the players for their efforts tonight and also for thanking the supporters at the end. Despite what some have said on t'internet, we do want Mossley to win games and this was a good night. Let's hope it now kick starts the season rather being a false dawn.

See you all at Whitby if you can face the journey. There seems nowhere to stay but I'm showing my insanity by taking a tent on Friday night!! SJNR - I may need a warm brew on Saturday.

Why Do We Do It?

Mossley 1 Guiseley 3

The title of this thread could be aimed at supporters and/or players after Saturday's showing against Guiseley. Without sounding too despondent, something needs to happen very quickly or else before we know it, we will be back where we were last season. DIVISION ONE

From my viewpoint, Saturday was the worst showing yet. Without sounding disrespectful, Guiseley were a pretty ordinary side but they were far superior to anything the Lilywhites had to offer. To make matters worse, this debacle was shown throughout Manchester - well OK to anyone who can be bothered watching Channel M and it was only for a couple of minutes. I have actually seen it but for anybody who hasn't seen it, I would do what I used to do watching Doctor Who and hide behind the sofa. (By the way I mean the 1970's Timelord and not the recent showings!!)

After witnessing a reasonable performance against the same opponents the previous weekend, some supporters had a little optimism, but now who knows? The team seem short of ideas and their confidence looks gone. It is possibly now time to question if the players are good enough for this league as without mentioning names too many look out of their depth. Realistically, too many players have been allowed to leave without adequate replacements and my concern is that some of the youngsters could end out with shredded confidence as they are asked to cope.

I am not advocating a total change of management or some of the other drastic measures seen on the Internet over the weekend but changes are needed. Hopefully a change of personnel (in some areas) and tactics that these players understand can set us on the road to recovery. I thought the chance was there for this on Saturday but we sat back and allowed Guiseley to dominate. Tomorrow night is a chance to turn things round. Radcliffe are only just above us and this is the sort of game we need to win if we are to get out of our current predicament. I just hope we are up for it tomorrow - both players and fans. I can't see any positives from Saturday. Hopefully by 9.30 Tuesday night I can. My fear for Radcliffe is we will face a very fired up striker but hopefully our backline are ready for him. Downey was a great scorer for the Lilywhites, but hopefully he doesn't add to his Radcliffe scoring total tomorrow night. At least by scoring Saturday he has broken his duck because you know what happens in football.

Prediction : 1-1 with a Chris Downey goal.

We're Not Going To Cardiff (Or Wembley)

Guiseley 2 Mossley 1

Mossley crashed out of the FA Cup after another comical mixup late in the game for the second successive Saturday. Upon arrival at the game, the traffic made me wonder if Guiseley were going to attract a 500 plus crowd but something in Yorkshire must be worth attending when all traffic seems to be heading that way. However, once arriving at the ground, one realized that the traffic wasn't going to the match. The early chant from some of the Mossley faithful of 'Lancashire' was maybe an attempt to turn this into the Battle of the Roses but it certainly wasn't that sort of game. (Also, I myself don't think that the number of Yorkshire based players in the current Mossley side would want themselves to be associated with the Red Rose county, although I probably didn't help either by turning up in my red Lancashire cricket top. This was a total coincidence.)



Anyway back to the match. Mossley settled fairly well after having suffered from a mauling by Matlock Town midweek. The side seemed to be set up in a more familar 442 formation which resulted in more players playing what was possibly their natural game. However, Guiseley opened the scoring with possibly their first meaningful attack when an unmarked Stuart Gray crept into the box. Mossley actually seemed to be getting on top but weren't forcing enough openings, although Steve Burke was unlucky when Dickinson made an excellent save near the end of the half.


The second half saw Mossley start a little sluggishly but they did manage to get going and continued pushing for a deserved equalizer. One wondered if it would ever arrive as chances went begging or decent crosses flew across the box. While this was a much more positive outlook than Tuesday, chances need converting when the team are on top as there is always the chance of a sucker punch. (Sadly more of that later.....) The equalizer finally arrived with just eight minutes on the clock when substitute Christian Cooke sent a deep cross across the edge of the six yard box and Steve Burke ran in at the far post to net the leveller.


Mossley had a side on the pitch now that could possibly push for a winner which could give them some impetus for their so far stuttering season. However, the kamikaze end fron North Ferriby reared it's ugly head again as a misunderstanding in the defence saw the otherwise excellent Trueman drop the cross and gave Craig Hall the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty net. So we're not going to Cardiff/Wembley this year, but some positives can be taken from this game in comparison to Tuesday's debacle. The shame is that this momentum may be lost as their is no midweek fixture. However, this rest may do the players some good, but we won't know until Saturday. I believe the game next Saturday needs the team to attack Guiseley (Yes, we're playing them again. In fact it would have been Guiseley Week if we had held on for the draw as we would have been playing them again on Tuesday.) We are capable of beating them if we can defend as well as we do on most occasions (not always in the last 10 mins recently!!) and believing in ourselves. More punch is needed upfront but as already stated positives can at least be taken from this game. We just need to keep going.

OMG

Mossley 0 Matlock Town 3

There's not really much more that can be said that hasn't been aired on the other blogs or the Forum. This was a desperate performance and really the defeat could have been much heavier. Strangely with what was about to happen Mossley started brightly with some decent crosses arriving within the opening 3 or 4 minutes. Sadly apart from an excellent effort from Steve Burke who hit the crossbar after a mazy run that was it. The side look bereft of ideas and one hopes we are not about to enter into a very depressing Autumn period. Too many lessons aren't being learnt as the majority of conceded goals come from corners or free-kicks with poor marking. Also, it could be bad luck but we seem to be conceding too many own goals. No disrespect to the players in the squad but more experience is needed. Much has been said about the players who have left since last season, but when one considers that the players who have left since last season totalled over 500 appearances and over 100 goals for Mossley. That is a large contribution that needs replacing and hasn't been. Young Steve Burke looks a great prospect but needs an experienced front man to play off. A good side always has a spine (Goalkeeper, Centre Half, Central Midfield) I believe we have the first two but if success in the Unibond Premier is to be achieved the squad needs serious strengthening as too many games look like men against boys. I keep suggesting that everything will be OK by thinking that there are worse sides in the league than us, but I fear we are close to being dragged into a relegation dogfight. I don't want this blog entry to sound too depressive and want nothing more than success for Mossley AFC but we face a testing time as on current form we will find ourselves out of the FA Cup tomorrow and the FA Trophy in October which would leave us with over 6 months of league games only with very little to look forward to. Hopefully I will be proved wrong tomorrow with a glorious win and a fantastic Cup run all the way to the Third round with loads of TV money and wealth for our club. Let's all get behind the lads tomorrow and hope for a change in performance and a more happy outlook for Autumn.

Who'd Be A Keeper?

North Ferriby Utd 2 Mossley 1

Well what a horrible game and I would have said the same if we had won. This match showed the two previous Unibond Division 1 Champions but on the evidence you wouldn't have known. The game was played on an excellent surface but both sides more happy with launching the ball as far as they could without touching the grass.

At least for once there was some excellent weather to stand and watch the game in. Mossley started fairly well with Joe Shaw in particular showing what a classy player he is and he looked capable of taking North Ferriby apart on his own, until the North Ferriby centre-half decided the best way to stop the lively Shaw was to rake his studs down his leg and therefore resulting in him having to leave the field with a nasty looking injury.

Mr.Pecora. Where's the ball?

SAS opens the scoring

In all honesty the game never settled down during the first half with the only hope being that Mossley could continue their excellence at freekicks and corners, especially as the North Ferriby goalkeeper Antoni Pecora seemed like a rabbit caught in headlights everytime the ball came near him. He seemed to escape though due to an ability to shoot from the Mossley attack. However, he finally got caught out just before the hour when he flapped at a freekick and Steve Sheil ran in at the far post to head home.


This gave Mossley the lead for the first time since their promotion and one wondered how they would cope. North Ferriby were there for the taking if Mossley could just push themselves more, but the side seem to be rather cautious at the moment and are possibly still finding their way in the Unibond Premier. A little more belief and points will start coming and let's be honest - as long as we stay up we'll be happy and even so early on there are sides worse than us in this league. In fact, there's one not too far away!!

North Ferriby also seemed incapable of scoring with Gary Bradshaw being marshalled superbly by the Mossley rearguard, but just 4 minutes from time, he finally escaped his marker and laid the ball off to Chris Bolder to equalize. Well a point was probably about right for both sides, but oh no!! Ferriby launched the ball back into the Mossley penalty area and it was like Keystone Cops as the players seemed to fall over each other and the winner was slotted home by Leon Wainman.

Lessons need learning quickly but both players and fans need to calm down and remember that we are in a stronger league but we need belief. We have a home game on Tuesday and we need to remember how we got promoted. We attacked from the off and took the game to opponents. Seel Park needs to become a fortress and so far we have let 2 teams take maximum points and Burscough were very unlucky as well. It's early days but let's get behind the lads on Tuesday.

Anyway it looks like a better set of photos from Saturday.

It's Only A Game

RIP Matthew Gadsby. It makes you think that it really is only a game. Football and even work are nothing in comparison to what Matthew's family must be going through right now. Many of us go to watch or play football on Saturday afternoon and you expect to return home safely. God bless.

Certainly not a bore draw

AFC Telford 0 Mossley 0

Mossley gained a valuable point in front of over 1800 spectators on Tuesday night. It was certainly a backs to the wall performance and some luck was needed but the point was deserved. The game started with AFC Telford bombarding the Mossley goal and left the visiting Mossley fans wondering how long the next 90 minutes would really feel. Detailed coverage of the game can be found on the Forum as the game was live via t'internet on Radio Shropshire so the fans at home (some would say the sensible ones!) could report minute by minute on the happenings. Careful reading may actually tell us which Mossley fans can type the fastest. It's a shame this coverage couldn't be done through Radio Manchester but I think we know which club(s) would be covered. As the half wore on it appeared that Mossley were not quite winning the battle but were certainly holding their own. The team was set up in a similar way to the Marine game with a lone striker (Kenny Mayers) being supported by a packed midfield. This seemed to work quite well once the Lilywhites got the ball down and passed it around the excellent surface on offer. Melford Knight did actually get the ball into the net but was fractionally offside and despite the performance of the officials, this decision was correct. Joe Shaw was causing all sorts of problems with his buzzing midfield performance and he was unfortunate not to open the scoring when neat passing interplay (look what happens when the ball is on the deck) opened up the Telford defence, but Stuart Brock pulled off a magnificent save. A culmination of awful AFC Telford finishing (Did we really want Steve Foster??) and fabulous Mossley defending kept the AFC Telford score at zero. The half time interval saw the crowd swap ends so suddenly about 10 Mossley fans were behind the previously crowded goal. The second half continued in similar vein although Mossley did look dangerous on the break. Mention must be made of the excellent Kenny Mayers who looked a different player to the one seen in previous games as he chased and held the line superbly. Maybe he can only play in front of a big crowd. If so, it's a good job he didn't sign for Ashton Utd, so we'd better paint a mural at the School End to help him. Joe Shaw did have a free kick tipped onto the bar, but a win would have been rather smash and grab. However, the performance showed how resilient the Mossley rearguard is, but more potency is needed to gain points on our travels, but if you keep clean sheets the job is more than done. Let's hope the clean sheets continue but we don't become impotent!! The pictures from the game were awful due to the glare of the floodlights or poor camera skills (delete as applicable)


So it's off to North Ferriby tomorrow or to put it another way Unibond Champions 2005 v Unibond Champions 2006. The previous encounter in Division 1 on Humberside saw an entertaining game resulting in a 4-2 Mossley victory. From my memory, we were hammered for the first 20 minutes when we could have been about 5-1 down and then Bradshaw was sent off. A similar victory would be great tomorrow but the lively Bradshaw will provide the Mossley rearguard with another stern test. I reckon another point will be earned although I reckon a score draw rather than another 0-0. Well that's the kiss of death!!

Wet Wet Wet.........again

Mossley 1 Lincoln Utd 2

No, not the Scottish pop group, but sadly the Mossley weather for the third successive home game, and this is the summer. God help us once we enter Autumn and Winter. Unfortunately, the performance was rather a damp squid again as Mossley dropped points at home again. Many supporters may have hoped that the rather fortunate 3 points on Bank Holiday Monday could have given the team some confidence. In fairness, the team started fairly well but when possession in the first 10 minutes or so failed to open up Lincoln, the visitors took control and started to dominate proceedings. The difference was that the visitors managed to open up the Lilywhites defence and Sam Wilkinson opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a firm header (although he did appear to be unmarked at the time.) Mossley had loan signing Marvin McDonald (from Macclesfield Town) making his debut and on occasions started to show promise but despite his endeavour the Lincoln goalkeeper was having very little action. Mossley seemed like they would go in at the interval just a goal adrift, but a rare Danny White error resulted in him commiting a foul and the resulting penalty was slotted home by Jonty Hawley on the stroke of half time.


The second half saw Lincoln more than happy to hold onto their lead, although some of their time wasting was rather verging on what you sadly see at World Cups as players went down as if shot, and Lincoln have some strengths but acting certainly isn't one of them. The grandstand finish finally materialised when Terry Bowker headed home with just 8 minutes remaining, but in all honesty Mossley got what they deserved, although substitute Steve Sheil headed over with a couple of minutes remaining.


Most of Mossley's goals are coming from set pieces and at the moment the defence seem more capable of scoring than the attack. Lessons need to be learnt quickly as the obvious difference in this league is that mistakes generally are punished. Despite leaking goals, the defence is looking very steady but more protection is going to be needed and Mossley need to start taking the game to the opposition, especially during home games.


A real test is due on Tuesday night at AFC Telford if some of these problems aren't ironed out, as from reports received AFC Telford are quite a formidable outfit, but it wouldn't be a bad place to bounce back from Saturday's disappointment.

Bank Holiday Bonus

Mossley 3 Burscough 2

Mossley recorded their second win in three days with a battling win at Seel Park on Bank Holiday Monday. The game seemed rather similar to the previous home game against Ilkeston Town with some awful weather as torrential rain struck the game to leave a greasy surface. Burscough were possibly seen as one of the favourites in the Unibond Premier this season, and they also have an excellent past with a 2003 FA Trophy success to their name, and last season they conquered League One Gillingham in the FA Cup.



The game started with the Lilywhites seemingly aware of who they were facing as they were pinned almost entirely in their own half, although the first Mossley attack of note almost opened the scoring as Anthony Bingham struck the bar with a thumping header. However as in the last home match, losing the ball in midfield proved costly as Price gave Burscough a totally deserved lead. However, Mossley soon fought back and Bingham banged home the leveller when his shot squirmed through the fingers of McMillan. Now I know it was raining but the Burscough keeper will be jolly glad Liam hasn't been let loose with the video camera this season.

Sadly the game saw a horrifying incident minutes later and was possibly caused by the greasy surface when Burscough defender Liam Bowen crashed head first into the concrete perimeter wall. He hit the wall so hard that it broke in five places and the shock also caused him to have a seizure. Luckily his injuries don't sound as serious as seemed at first and the player discharged himself from Tameside Hospital later on Monday evening. He obviously knows the reputation of the NHS in Tameside.

The second half started with Burscough dominating proceedings and it only seemed inevitable that they would take the lead. However, Danny Trueman had other ideas as he pulled off multiple wonder saves to defy the visitors and Mossley took the lead when a Melford Knight header flew into the net to give Mossley the lead. However, there was still almost 20 minutes remaining which gave Burscough more than enough time to get back in the game but Trueman was still defying them. Burscough levelled in spectacular fashion when Price hit a rasping shot high into the Mossley net. Mossley sides in the past may have folded and even lost the game, but this side were showing some excellent spirit, and Danny White netted the winner with another header from a freekick.


This was an excellent win for the Lilywhites against a very good side. To be brutally honest it was undeserved but it's nice for once to commit daylight robbery as often we seem to be on the receiving end of it. However, 3 points are 3 points and this win sees the Lilywhites tucked in behind the pacesetters in 10th place and after a shaky start the team is looking a lot more confident playing in the Unibond Premier League.

Off The Mark

Grantham Town 1 Mossley 2

Mossley finally got their first points of the season. (Maybe I'm a jinx as I didn't attend the game due to being at Lords watching Lancashire in the C&G Final.) I was a bit despondent when a text came through with the half time score of being 1-0 down. At the time the cricket was still going well but I thought anything can happen in 45 minutes and it obviously did. Changes to personnel were made at half time resulting in Martin Allison's first appearance of the season and he equalized with Mossley's very own Peter Pan in the form of Andy Thackeray netting a last minute winner. What is it with Thacks and scoring in Lincolnshire as he also netted at Spalding a couple of years ago. (I was late for this match and missed his goals, so maybe if I stay away from matches he will become a prolific goalscorer!!!)

Anyway, the result hopefully kickstarts the season, and there's an an opportunity for points tomorrow with a home clash against Burscough who recorded a 4-0 home win against Ossett Town on Saturday and currently lie in 5th place in the table. This gives us a chance to test ourselves against one of the pacesetters. Also, tomorrow sees our match on the pools coupon so I wonder if Mossley will be pronounced correctly.

Ilkeston Today Quotes

Scott pointed out that Saturday's win at Mossley had an important psychological effect because last year's away record was so poor.

"Last season, we hardly won away and now we have played one away and won it," he added.

A good pre-season was translated into an opening day victory to the delight of Ilkeston Town manager Nigel Jemson

Although Mossley made it close at the end, he pointed to Ilkeston's first half control when he felt they could have scored three times.

Jemson was happy with the approach of his squad, who kept playing the passing game he preaches.

And in the final minutes, they never looked like ending up with just a draw.

That was a big change on last season, when a poor away record was a blight on the campaign and kept alive the relegation worries.

After the win at Mossley, Jemson said: "It has been a hard pre-season but a good one.

"This was never going to be an easy game. Mossley had nothing to lose but we gave a professional performance and did our job.

"We were comfortable winners. We had chances in the first half and it could have been 0-3 by half-time."

Jemson outlined his disappointment to concede two goals, saying the second was the result of giving Mossley too much time to cross the ball.

"That is something we have got to cut out. We put ourselves under pressure," he said.


What does a touchline ban mean?

The manager completed a touchline ban on Tuesday, declaring it was "hard work" to be forced to watch from the stands.

I didn't see him watching from the stands on Saturday!

Still pointless

Marine 1 Mossley 0

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. That was a little better as Mossley showed that maybe they do belong in the Unibond Premier. Jason Beckford shuffled the side round possibly deciding that stopping leaking goals can help pick up points sooner rather than later. Danny Trueman made his debut in goal and showed a really commanding performance with confident handling of crosses into the Mossley penalty area, which does seem to have been a problem recently. Mossley seemed more than capable of holding Marine but still seemed to lack a little confidence going forward. The pitch looked great on the surface but some bizarre bounces told a different story. As the first half progressed Mossley seemed to grow a little in confidence as the new formation appeared to be working. Kenny Mayers played a lone role up front with able support from the livewire Bingham whenever Mossley attacked. As the second half progressed there was even the possibility that Mossley could snatch a result but the attack seemed to lack the confidence to push forward, possibly bearing in mind that a point in their first away game wouldn't be a bad result. As the game entered the latter stages it seemed that only a mistake was going to decide this game. In fairness to the hosts, the winner was a cracking goal as Lee Mulvaney thumped a 25 yard drive past Trueman with just over 10 minutes remaining. Mossley tried to force an equalizer with Chris Downey coming on to try and force an equalizer but sadly it was not to be, with the best effort being Danny White's header which was cleared off the line. All in all this performance whilst not free flowing and entertaining contained a lot more positive moments than last Saturday. Hopefully it will be third time lucky at Grantham on Saturday.

Weekend Roundup

Well after Saturday's damp squid of a start (on and off the pitch) it's time to have a look round the leagues. I'll try to do this each week if I can be bothered.

The two clubs who came up with Mossley both made flying starts to their campaigns with Kendal beating Radcliffe Borough 3-1 and Fleetwood recording an excellent 4-2 win away at Ossett Town. Adam Morning marked his debut for Woodley with an early goal in their 2-2 draw at Belper. Our old friends Clitheroe won 3-1 at Kidsgrove which was all the more remarkable after sacking their manager on Friday night. Back in our old surroundings FC Utd lead the way with a maximum 9 points from their opening 3 games in the NWCL. Stone Dominoes struggle at the bottom with just 1 point. Whilst, Silsden, Glossop and Formby lie below them pointless, mention must be made of Stone's defensive record , having conceded 18 goals in 3 games.

Droylsden top the Conference North after a maximum haul from their first 3 games with Hyde pointless near the bottom. Also worthy of mention is Danny Meadowcroft who has played the last two games for Morecambe in the Conference.

Looking ahead to this week, tomorrow sees a trip to Marine and hopefully a better outcome and performance than Saturday.

Mossley 2 Ilkeston Town 3

Oh dear!!

Well that was a great welcome to the Unibond Premier League. It was the first day of the season when supporters don their new shirts and turn up in garish shorts etc. Well it poured down and instead of Tshirts and shorts, it was time to get out the coats and umbrellas. So, that was the first change from the usual start to the season and the next one is that we have started the last two Unibond campaigns with 5-0 and 7-0 wins. Sadly that was nowhere near today.

Ilson started well and it was looking like men against boys, although listening to Nigel Jemson's rants (more of that later) it was no wonder they played like men. Sadly Mossley just didn't look at the races in the first quarter of an hour but Mossley suddenly realised that by playing football (ie. pass the ball to a team mate instead of hoofing it in the air) things could work. It was a shame that it took centre half Terry Bowker to show the way as he decided he was our right winger as well. The cross he put in could well have given Mossley the lead but Andy Thackeray failed to put away a great chance. Why our right back was suddenly our striker God only knows but at least it was a chance.



After losing the ball in midfield, Mossley probably found the difference between Unibond Premier and Unibond 1, as a curling shot from McSweeney gave Ilson a deserved lead. Mention must be made here to Nigel Jemson, who older fans may remember as the striker who Brian Clough signed for Forest (someone correct me if I'm wrong) after a recommendation from his grocer. Maybe Becks should start walking round the local shops in Mossley!! Anyway back to Mr.Jemson. He was serving a touchline ban, but presumably this ban only meant he couldn't stay in the dugout as he certainly wasn't banned from the Bus Shelter touchline. He paraded up and down screaming abuse at his players, but to be fair to him he gave out a lot of banter, as well as taking a fair amount. The thought of Grant v Jemson made us chuckle.

Anway Mossley started the second half with a fair amount of lethargy, and the content of the half time tea is rather disconcerting. It came as no surprise when Ilson doubled their lead as hesitancy from Bracey allowed a simple tap in for Muller on the hour mark. This at least brought a change as Bingo came on and halved the deficit with his first touch after a combination of White and Knight headed the ball on.



This could have given a foothold into the game but the lead was extended when Bowker sent a thumping header past Bracey but sadly at the wrong end. At this point it seemed that the Lilywhites may suffer a rather heavy defeat on the opening day but Bingham reduced the arrears with just over five minutes remaining, but Ilson never really looked liked conceding another goal which would have given Mossley an undeserved point.

At last!!!!

It seems to have taken ages although it's not that long since the World Cup final, but it's time for real football. What's going to happen? Who knows.........

Well we know we are Mossley so we will probably top the table in the next fortnight and then things will go pear shaped, although that didn't happen last season.

The one thing I can definitely predict is plenty of finger nail biting and comfortable half time leads that degenerate into hanging on during the second half.

The games I have seen pre-season leave me full of optimism but we are going up a league. In all honesty I would settle for mid table but let's get the show going.

Oh and if any of the players find this, relax and enjoy your game as Grant isn't back from Crete for a couple of weeks.

The last two years have seen 5-0 and 7-0 opening day victories, but it's Ilson tomorrow (Ilkeston Town) so I'd take any win. Go on then. I'll put my head on the chopping block.....

Mossley 2 Ilkeston Town 1 (after going 1-0 down!!!!)