Last game ends goalless!
Mossley 0 Wakefield 0
UNIBOND LEAGUE DIVISION ONE NORTH
Saturday 26th April 2008 @ Seel Park, Mossley

Mossley (White)

 

Wakesfield (Yellow)

 
1. Ashley Connor
-
1. Woods (c)
-
2. Mike Fish
-
2. Nicholson
-
3. Leon Henry
-
3. Turner
-
4. Martin Allison
-
4. Normanschild
-
5. Lee Connor
-
5. Milnes
-
6. Nicky Thompson
-
6. Laight
-
7. Dave Boardman
-
7. Ferguson
-
8. Paul Garvey
-
8. Denton
-
9. Lee Blackshaw
-
9. Marchant
-
10. Richard Conway
-
10. Howarth
-
11, Danny Ryan
-
11. Jackson
-
12. Gareth Hamlet (for Blackshaw)
-
12. Hitchings (for Marchant)
-
14. Steve Sheil (not used)
-
14. Rothera (not used)
-
15. Daryl Weston (for Conway)
-
15. Lavery (not used)
-
 
Half Time: 0-0
Full Time: 0-0
Goals:
Goals:
-
-


With promotion and relegation no longer on the thoughts of both Mossley and Wakefield, there was a concern amongst the supporters present that this would be a game that contained little of note.

And sadly those instincts proved to be correct as the final match of the season looked, for the most part, like the first pre-season friendly of the 08/09 campaign.

What little action the opening period saw was dominated by the home side but their season old problem of converting that superiority into shots and, ultimately, goals once again came to the fore. This meant that despite the ball spending a considerable amount of time in his box, Wakefield keeper Andy Woods had little to do other than pluck the odd cross out of the air or restart the game with a goal kick.

Only twice was he called upon to actually making a save and they both came from shots outside the area. The first was a straight forward catch from a long range effort by Martin Allison but the second, a 35 yard snapshot by Michael Fish, forced him into making a sprawling save to turn the ball away for a corner.

If Mossley shaded the first half, the visitors edged the second, even if it was only by the length of a gnats eyelash. Wakefield were more than content to defend deep and hit Mossley on the break and as the home side laboured in attack, it was a tactic almost paid dividends for them.

Fortunately for Mossley they had goalkeeper Ashley Connor to thank for the final time this season in keeping the scores level, pulling off three good saves to stop the Yorkshire side from notching their third successive victory over the Lilywhites within the space of two months.

As the game slowly lurched towards its conclusion (so slowly in fact that you could have sworn time was going backwards) Mosley almost snatched a dramatic winner in added on time at the end of the match. Some good work by Gareth Hamlet set in motion a chain of events that forced Woods into making three saves in almost as many seconds at his near post to deny Hamlet and Allison twice.

More goals have been scored in games involving Mossley than any other club in the Unibond North this season. Therefore it was somewhat ironic that after 41 games which had seen a total of 160 scored, the 42 nd and final match should end without one.

And while Mossley would have undoubtedly liked to have finished what has been a turbulent season with a bang, the result did at least ensure that they go into the next one unbeaten in three league games, as well as giving them their first clean sheet since the end of November.

Report by SJNR

Pics to Garry Hadfield