Mossley were sucker punched by fellow strugglers Goole at Seel Park on Saturday as the Yorkshire side stole away with the points with a solitary second half goal.

Mossley gave a debut to new signing Mo Ali and he had a steady first Mossley appearance in a defensive midfield role, but it was further up the pitch that Mossley’s problems lay. With striker Liam Ellis sidelined with injury, the Lilywhites lack physical presence at the top end with Tom Pratt and Jordan Bove interchanging the central attacking role.

Goole were equally stunted in attack and were hardly any threat at all in a scrappy first half.

The best chance of the opening 45 minutes came when Goole keeper Beaurepaire spilled Pratt’s right wing cross only for Bove to fire straight at the chest of the only covering defender with the goal at his mercy.

The aforementioned sucker punch came in the 56th minute. Pratt had just screwed a shot wide from a good position when Goole broke down Mossley’s left wing. Nathan Modest crossed and Bobby Johnson rose to plant a perfect header between Will Jones’ reach and his left hand post. It was Goole’s first effort on goal in the entire game.

Mossley lacked both ideas and penetration in trying to restore parity. Pratt clipped a shot off the top of the bar and Mason Duffy fired straight at the keeper when well placed as Mossley threw more men forward with Tom Dean joining Pratt up top leaving Mossley with a back three. A situation which Goole almost took advantage of as breakaways saw Will Jones twice save brilliantly at the feet of marauding Goole forwards.

Goole were reduced to ten men when skipper Rob Constable received a second yellow card for a foul but Mossley’s day was summed up when Pratt was caught off-side as he found the net from Dean’s flicked header with around five minutes left on the clock and Goole hung on for a three point return which seemed to surprise even themselves.

Wiz

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