Lilywhites lose out on home soil

NPL West: Mossley 0-2 Runcorn Linnets

Mossley gave an untypically uninspired performance as the under-strength and out of sorts Lilywhites last remaining hopes of reaching the play-offs more or less ended with this defeat to rivals Runcorn Linnets at Seel Park on Saturday. 

With Freddie Sass and Andy Keogh added to the list of absentees, the Lilywhites squad was down to it’s bare bones and unfortunately it showed.
After a reasonably bright opening period with Fawns and Banister prominent, the team collectively appeared to allow referee Matthew McQuillan’s interpretation of the rules affect their performance.

The problems began with Runcorn’s opening goal which saw a clear foul by Doyle on Fawns to go unpunished and within seconds the visitors had scored as Iwan Murray’s shot flew in off the foot of the post.

Runcorn proved adept at winning cheap free kicks and Mossley players regularly faced the wrath of the referee that saw seven Lilywhites booked to just one Linnet. Ben Richardson (9 minutes), Dec Evans (33), Devon Matthews (45), Bailey Marsden (53), Mason Fawns (54), Connor Morris (89) and Jordan Butterworth (90) were all brandished yellow cards as the referee appeared to over-react to every incident as Runcorn players squealed and screamed and hit the floor in just about every challenge.

The Lilywhites rarely found any attacking cohesion. The Lilywhites best chance of the first half saw Devon Matthews effort headed off the line from a Fawns corner with the keeper beaten. There was otherwise little action in either goalmouth save a game of pinball ijn the Mossley box and the moment when Runcorn added their second goal on 32 minutes. Marsh-Hughes’ low cross from Mossley’s right wing was turned home at the near post by ex Mossley man Ryan Brooke to put the visitors firmly in the driving seat.

There was to be even less goalmouth action in the second half. The most controversial moment coming when Fawns was brought down in the box as he bore down on goal only for the referee to award Runcorn a free kick and book Fawns for allegedly diving.

The game petered out thereafter. Mossley had plenty of possession but mostly in their own half and in midfield but had precious little attacking penetration and never really looked like staging any kind of comeback.