After conceding four goals in the last seven minutes of their previous game, there were some anxious looking faces on the terraces of Seel Park when Mossley found themselves two down within the first fifteen minutes of their top of the table clash with Bamber Bridge.

And what made matters worse, if that was at all possible, was that the visitors goals had come courtesy of their only two attacks up to that point.

Admittedly the first was more down to a comedy of errors from the home side rather than any great play from Bridge, not that the ridiculous nature of the build-up to the goal concerned Sean O'Neil as he fired his side into a 6th minute lead.

Prior to Bridge's opener, Mossley had looked the side more likely to get on the score sheet first with Michael Fish drawing a good save out of Andy Banks and Lee Blackshaw hitting the crossbar with an inswinging corner. Even after going behind they were still the team who were posing the bigger threat with debutant Danny Self proving to be a particularly prickly thorn in Bamber Bridge's left hand side.

Then in the 14th minute came that second goal. This time, rather than something self-inflicted, Mossley were undone by a swift and well executed counter attack but the end result was the same, O'Neil applying the finishing touch to send Alex Porter's low cross from the left past Liam Higginbotham and over the goal line.

In the few minutes that followed it looked as though the Lilywhites were going to implode for the second match running as heads dropped and their opponents piled forward in search of further goals.

However, in weathering Bridge's brief storm Mossley rediscovered their fighting spirit and suddenly they began to look the stronger and more capable of the two sides on display, despite the deficit; a deficit that was halved just after the half hour mark when Danny Dignan dived full length to head home a perfectly weighted cross from the left by Blackshaw.

Having regained a foothold in the game, Mossley's pressure on the Bridge goal for the remainder of the period was near relentless. Their efforts deserved the reward of going into the break on level terms and in stoppage time at the end of the first half, Michael Fish ensured that they did.

A long throw from Darryl Weston pinballed it's way through a host of players crowded into the Bridge penalty area before it finally reached the feet of Mossley's leading scorer and from twelve yards out, he thundered the ball into the roof of the net.

The equaliser set-up what promised to be an exciting second half and what followed after the interval didn't disappoint.

In weather that ranged from the merely bad to the downright terrible, both sides almost ran themselves to a standstill in their attempts to win the game. The greater number of opportunities to secure the victory fell the home sides way but try as they might, Mossley just couldn't find a finish to compliment some of the superb attacking (and condition mocking) football they were producing.

In the end though, even if they couldn't manufacture the win their second half performance merited, Mossley deserved all the kudos they received from the crowd at the final whistle for not only managing to claw their way back into a game that looked hopelessly lost after quarter of an hour, but into a position where they can feel disappointed not to have taken all three points as well.

report by SJNR

Mossley AFC - Fair Play Team of the Month September 2008                pic by Aaron Flanagan

Nick Challinor on the ball               pic by Aaron Flanagan

Lee Blackshaw shields the ball            pic by Aaron Flanagan

Danny Dignan dive to head Mossley back in the game                pic by Aaron Flanagan

Bit of a tangle                pic by Aaron Flanagan

Debutant Danny Self goes close with a diving header                pic by Smiffy

Substitute Scott Holt on the ball                 pic by Smiffy