We’ll all recall our mothers’ advice; ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all’.  However, that wouldn’t make for a comprehensive report on this game, as it was largely a drab affair, played in miserable conditions and lacking in quality.

It’s not that there was a lack of effort from either side – there was plenty of endeavour from both -but we found two defences absolutely determined not to concede and a little bit of luck deserted both teams when it was required.  The driving rain, which started almost as the teams came out of the dressing room and didn’t stop, also played its part.

Mossley’s best chance of the game came in the opening minutes, when Coppin dispossessed McCartnen and outsprinted the big centre half into the box.  He looked to cut a pass to the unmarked Haslam, but the ball was deflected and headed towards goal, only to hit the post and bounce to safety.

Mossley’s best chance of the game came in the opening minutes, when Coppin dispossessed McCartnen and outsprinted the big centre half into the box.  He looked to cut a pass to the unmarked Haslam, but the ball was deflected and headed towards goal, only to hit the post and bounce to safety.

A minute later Haslam threaded a ball down the right side for Coppin and again his pace got him behind the defence, but this time he shot to the near post rather than square for Mather and Robertson pushed it around the post.

On the quarter hour a foul by Gee at the edge of the box gave Warrington a free kick in a dangerous area.  The kick hit Kiel O’Brien and rebounded into the path of Reid, but he shot well over.

Action was at a premium from that moment on, indeed the best effort on goal for the next 25 minutes game from Robertson, whose big goal kick nearly bounced over his opposite number Pearson in the Mossley net.  Pearson had to stretch a bit, but it was hardly edge-of-the-seat stuff.

On 40 minutes Collins fell over in the Mossley box when meeting a Warrington corner but somehow managed to keep the ball at his feet as he got up and turned 360 degrees before putting his shot over the bar, whilst Mossley produced their best move in the final minute of the half.  Coppin switched play from left to right to Haslam, who in turn crossed to the far post where Mather knocked it back into the central area for Gorton to run on to.  However the midfielder’s shot went over the bar when he should have hit the target.

The second half mirrored the first with an early flurry of action before the defences took over.  Once more in the first minute Coppin got behind the back line, running onto Mather’s through ball.  He was very wide though, and although he rounded Robertson the angle was so tight he had to do it again, and Robertson could get enough on the ball second time to smother the chance.

Meanwhile, on 52, a ball behind the full back allowed Reid to get a shot in, playing it across Pearson only to see it bounce off the inside of the post.  The ball was scrambled away, only for a low cross to be drilled across the face of goal that any touch would have converted, but it eluded everyone.  On 55 a back pass put Robertson under pressure and his weak kick fell to Gee, but his attempted lob shot, with the keeper stranded, went over the bar.

The next danger to either goal came on 82 minutes when a Warrington corner was punched to the edge of the area, but returned with interest by Flynn, whose volley had to be headed off the line by Richardson, possibly with the assistance of the crossbar.  Warrington looked the more likely winners at this stage and O’Brien was forced to block a shot after Townson took time to control a ball, and Miles hit the follow up wide.  In truth though, the referee’s whistle was greeted with relief.

Report by Jonathan Haggart