LILYWHITES SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT
Tuesday 29th September 2020 @ Seel Park
Mossley
Runcorn Linnets
(0) 1
(2) 2
Waller (49)
Lindfield (15), Brooke (23)
Mossleyweb Man of the Match: Matty Waller


Matchday Programme pdf

Mossley
1. Liam Lovell
2. Ben Richardson
3. Sam Kilner
4. Kane Hickman
5. Jack Grundy
6. Declan Evans
7. Keaton Mulvey
8. Andy Keogh (c)
9. Harry Pratt
10. Ethan Kershaw
11. Matty Waller
subs
12. Ryan Shenton (for 4-71)
14. Jordan Butterworth (unused)
15. Jes Uchegbulam (for 7-54)
16. Dylan Fitzgerald (for 9-63)
17. Danny McLaughlin (unused)
Yellow cards:
Grundy, Hickman

Runcorn Linnets
1. Paddy Wharton
2. Alistair Brown
3. James Short
4. Louis Hayes
5. Peter Wylie (c)
6. Scott Lycett
7. Craig Lindfield
8. Jaques Welsh
9. Ben Wharton
10. Iwan Murray
11. Ryan Brooke
subs
12. Joe Nolan (for 10-60)
14. Kurt Sherlock (for 11-66)
15. Alex Turner (for 7-53)
16. Adam Barthram
17. Josh Brizell
Yellow card:
B.Wharton, Short, Sherlock, Nolan

Referee: Mr S. Robinson

 

 

 

 

Mossley lost for the first time this season as they went down 2-1 to Runcorn Linnets at Seel Park on Tuesday evening.

The Lilywhites can blame a poor first half showing for the defeat as they fell two goals behind in the opening 23 minutes and despite dominating the second half were unable to restore parity after pulling a goal back and then being reduced to ten men for the final twenty minutes.

Hickman, Kershaw and Pratt all returned to the starting line up at the expense of Butterworth, Shenton and McLaughlin respectively who were all included on the bench.

Mossley were inexplicably slow out of the blocks on this occasion and lacked the flowing football and cutting edge displayed in the earlier games.

A Matty Waller corner was tipped onto and over the bar early on, but after that Mossley struggled to string passes together as Runcorn denied the Lilywhites time on the ball and harried Mossley out of their stride.

The visitors looked dangerous on attack and, after a couple of half chances had been denied, took the lead on 15 minutes as Ben Wharton set up Craig Lindfield for a powerful finish.

Mossley responded immediately as Pratt’s goal-bound shot on the turn was deflected for a corner. However, the Lilywhites were hit again on 23 minutes. Keogh’s under-hit square pass to Richardson was intercepted by Ryan Brooke and the former Mossley man made no mistake from the edge of the box to double the visitors lead.

The Lilywhites response saw a Mulvey free kick headed goalward by Pratt but his effort was tipped onto the bar by ex Stalybridge keeper Paddy Wharton and Runcorn survived in tact to the break.

Mossley began the second half in much more determined fashion and pulled a goal back just four minutes into the half when Pratt held the ball up and laid into the path of Matty Waller who struck a great shot into the bottom left corner that gave Wharton no chance.

It was the perfect time to then introduce Jes Uchegbulam to the fray and Mossley won a corner from the young winger’s first action. However, after several failed attempts by Runcorn to bring him down Uchegbulam was finally hacked from behind by Runcorn left back James Short. Unfortunately, Uchegbulam reacted badly and pushed his head into Short’s face and was shown a red card. Short’s antics earned him a yellow card but he was lucky to stay on the field as further indiscretions by him, substitute Sherlock and keeper Wharton were not punished further by the referee, who failed miserably to clamp down on Runcorn’s ever more blatant time wasting and general gamesmanship.

Richardson and substitutes Shenton and Fitzgerald all came close to an equaliser as Mossley pressed hard in the closing stages with Runcorn pulling eleven men behind the ball but it wasn’t to be and the Lilywhites were left to lick their wounds and hopefully preparing a big response in the coming Emirates FA Cup tie against Tadcaster Albion.

Martyn Nolan's pics > >