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.