Mossley had demolished Garforth 6-0 just a month earlier, but still went into this game a little confused about their opponents thanks to the visitors’ surprise 4-1 win at Warrington a week earlier.  They had 6 new names on their teamsheet too, so the pre-game question was whether they had recently picked up some new players that had moulded them into a dangerous team? The answer was no.

Mossley demolished them again, with seven goals from seven different scorers, an event that will surely have historians reaching for their statistic books.

That said, rather like that famous game in San Marino where England went 1 behind before scoring 8, a sleepy start nearly saw The Lilywhites concede within 30 seconds of the opening whistle when Moke’s shot from an angle forced a full length save from Pearson and the ball fell into the path of Blair who looked certain to tap in.  It took a brilliant sliding tackle from Kiel O’Brien to deny the Garforth man.

From there though, Mossley took over and won at a canter.  Sam Madeley opened the scoring on 7 minutes when Adam Mather floated a ball between full back and centre half.  Madeley outpaced the back line and lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper.

The second goal came on 20 minutes when another angled pass, this time from Chris Rowney, split the defence again.  Kayde Coppin collected the ball at the edge of the ‘D’ and cut back, selling a dummy to Villerman, and passed the ball into the corner of the net.

Jay Gorton & O’Brien both went close and Madeley had the ball in the net again only to be ruled offside.  However, much of the momentum went from the game when Madeley suffered a serious looking injury and was stretchered off.  Madeley went down off the ball so the majority of the attendees are not sure what went on, but they will be anxious that the in-form striker’s injury is not as bad as initial impressions.

It took a while for things to get moving again, but in the fifth minute of injury time Gorton did get the third when Ash Young curled a ball into the area.  Gorton had ghosted behind the defence and angled his left foot shot across the keeper into the net.

Just four minutes after the break, Garforth were again the first team to threaten in the half when Moke bamboozled two players on the left and cut inside, his 25 yard blockbuster cannoning off the bar.  That kick-started the home side and a minute later substitute Shaun Williams grabbed his first Mossley goal, receiving Coppin’s pass and angling a shot across the keeper.

Dave Young made it 5 when a corner was cleared but Mather spotted Young free on the left side of the box.  He passed it to Young who had time to take a touch to steady himself and pick his spot in the far corner, placing the ball there with aplomb.

More chances came, for Gorton (twice) and Coppin before the inevitable 6th goal.  Rowney curled a free kick over the wall that looked a comfortable save for the keeper, but he fumbled it and Yearwood pounced, poking it in.
At this point there were still 20 minutes left, but with Curzon Ashton at Seel Park the following Tuesday, Mossley backed off and it became a training exercise, witnessed by Chris Brown, a centre half, popping up on the right wing and later dribbling the ball through midfield past players.

However, as the game came to an end, Ash Young added the 7th.  Coppin jinked on the left and drilled a low cross along the goal-line.  Young could not miss.

The victory will put the home side in good heart for the visit of their local rivals.  Given they are still 8 points clear at the top, they could barely be anything else.

Report by Jonathan Haggart

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