Play off chasing Mossley took a while to get going against lowly Prescot Cables at Seel Park on Saturday, but when the Lilywhites did click into gear they proved far too strong for the Merseyside visitors.

In recent games Mossley have flown out of the blocks, but the Lilywhites opened sluggishly on this occasion and it was Prescot who enjoyed the early pressure, though a header over the bar by the veteran Carl Furlong was the closest they came.

Mossley's best chance came when Kayde Coppin opened the Prescot defence down the left wing and his low cross saw Chris Denham fire narrowly wide when well placed. Mossley then had the ball in the net on the half hour but Gary Gee's well planted header was disallowed for off-side.

The Lilywhites finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time following a spell of pressure. Denham's cross from the right found Kayde Coppin unmarked at the far post. Coppin took a touch to control before blasting past keeper Adam Reid from ten yards.

If Prescot had designs on finding an equaliser after the break their plans were well and truly scuppered within two minutes of the restart as Gary Gee strode forward and rifled a great shot from 20 yards that whistled past Reid and into the bottom right corner of the net to give the Lilywhites a comfortable two goal cushion.

Mossley were now in total control without really threatening the Prescot goal. However, that all changed in the 69th minute. Substitute Lewis Nightingale, back after injury for his first appearance since January, tricked his way past a couple of tackles but was brought down for a free kick some 25 yards from goal. Dave Young stepped up to fire home Mossley's third of the afternoon with a well placed set piece that gave Reid no chance.

Young was denied a second when his placed header was cleared off the line and Reid made fine saves to deny Chris Brown and Nightingale as Mossley found the space to open the visitors up.

A flash point occurred in the 84th minute. Prescot captain Liam Hollett had been yellow carded for a challenge on Danny Broadbent but hadn't fully regained his composure when a further outburst near the Mossley bench saw Hollett receive a second yellow and therefore red card. Hollett did himself no favours with his reaction as he disappeared up the tunnel and was still trying to pick a fight in the bar after the game. Very disappointing behaviour for a team captain.

Two minutes after Prescot had been reduced to ten men they surprisingly pulled a goal back when Furlong flicked home a near post header from a right wing corner for what proved a mere consolation. However, Mossley hadn't finished quite yet and the Lilywhites added a deserved fourth goal deep into stoppage time. Chris Denham battled brilliantly on the right dead-ball line to win possession and he laid a pass inside to Nightingale who calmly slotted the ball past the stranded Reid from the corner of the six yard box.

Report by Wizard

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