The biggest difference between Mossley and Bamber Bridge in Saturday’s less than flattering 4-1 defeat proved to be the classy set piece skills of former Blackpool and Fleetwood Town star Jamie Milligan.

Mossley went into the game without the injured Caldon Henson and Dougie Carroll while Kyle McGonigle was unavailable for selection.

However it was the Lilywhites who made the brighter opening, taking the lead with less than two minutes on the clock.

Scott Cheetham launched a first time deep cross from the left, home keeper Lee Dovey could only palm the ball away under pressure from Andy Keogh and leading scorer Dave Short was in the right place to blast home the loose ball from 12 yards.

Short went close again soon after as his well struck shot flew inches wide of Dovey’s left hand post.

Mossley were rocked back on 12 minutes. Bamber Bridge won a free kick some 25 yards out. Milligan’s set piece shot hit Mike Fish on end of the wall on the shoulder and the referee awarded the home side a rather dubious penalty, ably stroked home by Milligan himself.

The home side, buoyed by the goal then put the Mossley defence under a couple of lengthy spells of pressure as the Lilywhites struggled to regain a foothold in the game.
It looked like the sides would go in level at the break but that wasn’t to be.

A minute before the interval referee Aaron Jackson awarded Bamber Bridge another free kick, his time against Sam Howell. Mossley were infuriated that the home side finished up taking the set piece several yards closer to goal than were the incident took place and were angered further when the deadly accurate Milligan curled a beauty of a free kick into the Mossley net.

The game settled into an end to end pattern in the second half with neither side creating much in the way of chances but the next goal was obviously set to have a large bearing on the outcome.

Unfortunately for Mossley that breakthrough went the home side’s way on the hour mark. The tricky Alistair Waddecar slipped a through ball to substitute Regan Linney and he finished well to give ‘Brig’ a two goal cushion.

Mossley had chances to get back in the game. Short’s deflected shot hit the bar, substitute Sam Robinson missed a glorious chance when he headed wide from a great position and Mike Fish elected to pass rather than shoot from a great position and the chance was gone.

Salt was rubbed in Mossley’s wounds five minutes from time when yet another home free kick saw Milligan’s effort tipped onto the post by Liam Flynn only for the rebound to fall kindly for Waddecar to score from the rebound.

Wiz