Having your ground at the top of a huge hill can be a disadvantage in winter as the cold bites earlier and harder.  However, on a day where fixtures country-wide have been decimated by rain, the excellent drainage that having one of the highest grounds in the country provides was to Mossley’s benefit.  They took full advantage of their rivals’ unplanned day off to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.

For a half though, neutrals who turned up to the only game taking place in the area might have wondered why they bothered.  For all Mossley’s neat play around the box they failed to find a telling ball into the box whilst Ossett’s direct approach was easily snuffed out by the Lilywhites’ back line.

It might have been different had the referee taken an alternative view of Lewis Nightingale’s tumble in the box in the 3rd minute when his jinking run was baulked by a shoulder –to-shoulder challenge, but Mr Hunt’s call was probably the correct one.

Mossley’s leading scorer Kayde Coppin nearly broke the deadlock on 25 minutes, but his snapshot after clever play by Rowney and Loftus was the wrong side of the post.  Meanwhile, Ossett’s Shane Kelsey tried a wicked curling effort that looked well wide when it left his foot but in the end shaved the outside of the post.

Keir Hannity was the closest to scoring when his drive from the edge of the box was tipped over the bar by Martin Pearson in the Mossley goal.

Initially the second half was little better than the first as Mossley’s passing game broke down, and their profligacy with the ball was causing frustration in the home ranks.  Ossett plugged away, meanwhile, and nearly took the lead when from a corner a Kelsey low header was hooked off the line by Chris Brown.

However, the game changed on 63 minutes when a hopeful Mossley punt down the left saw Wes Milne make his first error of the day and miss his header.  The ball fell into the path of the speedy Coppin who advanced to the goal before squaring the ball cleverly, leaving the keeper stranded at his near post and giving Connor Loftus a tap-in on his debut following his midweek loan move from Huddersfield Town.

Ossett tried to rally, and Pearson was forced to make saves from Hannity and Luke Sharry, albeit comfortable ones, before Mossley doubled their lead in the 70th minute.

This time it was Loftus who was provider as he slid an angled pass through the defence.  Coppin had held his run well to beat the offside trap and took a touch before sliding the ball past the keeper.

Ossett nearly hit back straight away when Hannity headed goalwards and the ball was again cleared off the line, this time by Cavill Coo.

The visitors did get one back in injury time when Kelsey’s shot took a deflection and nestled in the net, but it was hardly celebrated as the players knew that time was up, and indeed the referee blew his whistle as soon as the kick-off was taken.

Report by Jonathan Haggart