It was the visitors from the Zamaretto Midland Division who made all the early running in this FA Trophy Preliminary Round match, as the home side struggled to find the rhythm which had seen them win their previous three games; a task not entirely helped by the very strong wind they were having to play into.

When they did finally get their bearings though, the reward was instantaneous.  Nineteen minutes had elapsed when Karl Brown received Jordan Goodeve's quickly taken free-kick and fired a 20 yard shot past Paul Shepherd in the Bedworth goal to give the Lilywhites the lead.

As Mossley continued to pile on the pressure it looked like it would only be a matter of time before they found the net again and they did so seven minutes before the interval.  A rare lull in the wind allowed Peter Collinge's long down field clearance to reach the edge of the Bedworth penalty area.  With the visiting defence seemingly more interested in observing this event than dealing with it, Steve Moore was able to take control of the ball and though his initial shot was saved he forced the rebound over the line with a little assistance from the boot of Shepherd.

The actuality of going two goals behind appeared to instil a bit of fight into the Warwickshire side and Mossley had Collinge to thank for the visitors returning to the dressing room at half-time goal less; the pick of his saves being a stop with his right leg after Fazel Koriya had been put clean through on goal.

Following the break Bedworth continued to pile forward in search of a way back into the game and after a couple of near misses they eventually halved the deficit – Matty Blair becoming the first player to find the back of the Lilywhites net in over six hours of football.

However, just when it looked like Mossley may be about to undergo one of their infamous 'wobbles' Moore restored the two goal advantage; the former Curzon player finishing a great move by curling the ball around the dive of Shepherd from the corner of the United box.

Substitute Steve Settle made it four when he broke clear of Bedworth's very loose approximation of what an offside trap should look like and he grabbed his second, and Mossley's fifth, not long after with a stooping header from a Ben Richardson cross.

A perfect example of a consolation goal arrived twelve minutes from time when Jason Moore added a second for the Greenbacks but the closing moments were played out with the home side looking to extend their lead further; something they came close to doing on more than one occasion as Andy Russell had a goal ruled out for offside and Sam Walker saw a wind assisted effort padded wide by Shepherd.

Along with what will undoubtedly be a very welcome £2000 in prize money, Mossley’s reward for this victory is a lengthy trip to Spalding – a journey they’ll be able to make in some confidence if their recent upturn in form continues.

Report by SJNR

pics by Smiffy