Mossley gained an invaluable three points with an extremely hard earned victory at fellow strugglers Leek Town this afternoon thanks to two excellent first half goals.

Leek opened the more dangerous but despite some early pressure failed to get an effort on target. Mossley finally settled down with David Eyres orchestrating from midfield and the effective Joe Shaw and James Turley causing Leek a number of problems on the flanks. Shaw in particular was a menace as Leek's only way to stop him was to foul him and they did that with alarming regularity.

The Lilywhites deserved the lead when it came on 25 minutes. Mossley won a corner on the left and James Turley's inswinging flag kick was headed home at the near post by Peter Wright.

Eyres was unlucky not a score with a peach of a drive that Collinge only just got down to while at the other end Steve Wilson saved at full stretch from Towey who was shooting from anywhere pretty much every time he got the ball.

Mossley doubled the lead on 42 minutes. Shaw won yet another free kick some 28 yards from goal and David Eyres fired a thunderbolt free kick that Collinge couldn't keep out despite getting both hands to it.

The Lilywhites lost concentration for a moment though on the stroke of half time and Leek halved the arrears. A misplaced pass found Rendell who chipped against the post over the stranded Wilson and the ball came back to Steve Brannan to score from the rebound.

The second half saw Leek force the issue with any number of long balls played into the Mossley box, but Jonathon Smith and Steve Sheil were equal to everything in the air and Mossley again began to control the game.

A long ball into the box on the hour by Eyres was handled by Hawthorne and Mossley were awarded a penalty. Unfortunately Peter Wright placed his spot kick wide of the left hand upright and Mossley fans were forced to continue sweating as play switched from end to end with a high degree of regularity.

Eyres again tested Collinge who was forced to tip over as Mossley won a couple of corners to keep Leek penned in but the home side cheered on by a highly vocal crowd wouldn't give in and kept pumping balls into the Mossley box at every opportunity and saw one effort come back off the far post and clear.

The game had just entered stoppage time when Mossley failed to clear a throw in from the right and with bodies everywhere in the box a Leek shot from close range seemed destined for the net until Steve Wilson made himself a Mossley hero with an incredible stop as he flung himself in front of the goalbound effort to make what proved to be the match winning save and earn Mossley, who made a real fist of it today, an absolutely vital three points in the fight to avoid the drop.