Mossley
1. Jonny Diba Musangu
2. Ben Richardson
3. Dieter Downey
4. Elliot Harrison
5. Adam Jones (c)
6. Declan Evans
7. Liam Ellis
8. Logan Jeffs
9. Max Leonard
10. Steve Mason
11. Mason Duffy
subs
12. Matty Kay (for 5 - 62)
14. Adam Latham (unused)
15. Ben Halfacre (for 7 - 66)
16. Danny McLaughlin (for 3 - 77)
17. Kyle McGonigle (unused)
18. Izzy Miranda (unused)
Yellow card: Leonard

Kidsgrove Athletic
1. Dominic Kurasic
2. Adam Freeland
3. Alex Morris
4. Lee Williamson
5. Shaun Rhodes
6. James Butler
7. Kyle Diskin
8. Peter Williams
9. Chris Budrys
10. Anthony Malbon (c)
11. Jordan Cole
subs
12. Rumeno Valido Barai (unused)
14. Will Saxon (for 10 - 85)
15. Jacob Twyford (for 7 - 82)
16. Lewis Bergin (for 11 - 74)
Yellow cards: none

Referee: Mr D. Baines

 

Mossley bowed out of the Emirates FA Cup in heartbreaking fashion at Seel Park on Saturday as a season’s best gate of 439 witnessed Evo-stik League rivals Kidsgrove Athletic steal the show with a 2-1 win that denied Mossley £9,000 in sponsorship prize money and a place in the 3rd Qualifying Round draw.

Mossley were without the unavailable club skipper Andy Keogh and were still shorn of the services of the injuredGodwin Abadaki and Mike Fish, while Adam Jones took over the captaincy following the completion of his 3 match ban and Steve Mason started the game in an unaccustomed midfield berth.

Kidsgrove were a big, experienced and well drilled team and were clearly going to provide the Lilywhites with a massive challenge, and so it proved.
Mossley created the first opening but Liam Ellis’s effort flew narrowly wide. At the other end the powerful pair of Malbon and Budrys were proving a handful.

The first real chance of the half fell to Max Leonard but keeper Kurasic made a great save to deny him and after the game swung from end to end Leonard was denied again when a clever chipped shot saw the back-tracking Kurasic scramble the ball out for a corner.

The second half began badly for Mossley as they conceded just three minutes after the restart. A cross from Mossley’s right somehow found it’s way to the far post and Kyle Diskin pounced to fire into the top corner.

Rattled but unbowed Mossley began to force the issue. Kurasik again the hero with a tremendous save to deny Leonard as the Lilywhites piled players forward.

Kurasik was soon in action again to keep out another Leonard effort, this time the ball broke kindly to Mason Duffy but his effort came back off the post and was cleared to safety.

Mossley lost Adam Jones to injury and a formation reshuffle saw Matty Kay as his replacement.

Some more last ditch defending was keeping an increasingly frustrated Mossley at bay while several referee decisions went against the Lilywhites in and around the Kidsgrove box.

Ben Richardson saw a corner come back off the far post and Kurasic made another impressive save to deny substitute Ben Halfacre's header as the traffic went one way.

After all the Mossley pressure it was from a breakaway that the visitors doubled their lead. Mossley thought they had won a throw in on the right wing but it was awarded to Kidsgrove, Budrys’ pass found ex Kidderminster star Anthony Malbon who hammered home from the edge of the box.

Mossley again threw players forward and after several close calls finally got the reward their efforts deserved when Richardson was pulled back in the box and Max Leonard blasted home the resultant penalty with just two minutes of normal time remaining.

Last ditch stuff ensued as Mossley tried desperately to equalise but the goal wouldn’t come as a mixture of poor final ball and Kidsgrove time wasting ran the clock down on 4 minutes stoppage time and Kidsgrove silenced the vocal and hugely supportive home crowd as they clung on to their narrow lead to the whistle.

Wiz

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