Mossley march into play-offs with Colls win

Mossley reached their season’s nadir on October 5. A gruesome 1-0 defeat at basement dwellers Atherton Collieries had manager David Fish questioning his players and the Lilywhites' fans questioning him.

The ten games between then and Saturday's reverse fixture saw Mossley win six and draw three, propelling them from flirting with the relegation zone to the brink of the play-offs. 

Under returning boss Michael Clegg, Colls have also prised themselves out of the bottom four, humbling high-flyers as they went, including Vauxhall Motors, the only side to have beaten Mossley in the past two months. 

Played in tempestuous conditions thanks to Storm Darragh’s unwelcome appearance, the Lilywhites – without the talismanic Mason Fawns and his flurry of goals - battled into the wind for the first half, wild gusts keeping Fin Madigan on his toes in the Mossley net.  

Tom Bentham came closest for the visitors, but a Matt Kardacz clearance caused almost as much consternation for the Mossley backline when the gale blew the ball back from whence it came. 

The home side made the most of having the wind at their backs after the break. 

Gee Baltazar tested Atherton keeper Sol Honor’s mettle early on, but the bough soon broke when Obua Mugalula made the most of Bailey Marsden’s creativity to notch his 3rd goal in four games to put the Lilywhites ahead on 55 minutes. 

The traffic followed the wind toward the Colls goal, with Marsden and Berks forcing Honor into evasive action, before Mossley doubled their lead with just over 15 minutes left. 

Sean Kgwakgwa, on his first start for the club, smartly dummied into path of the better placed Baltazar, with the Portuguese winger burying the ball for his debut goal in white and black. 

“I thought we dealt with their threats really well,” said a delighted David Fish. “The front two are big and strong and awkward, but we did a really good job of limiting them to just the one shot from outside the box and a couple of crosses flashing across the six-yard box. 

“In the second half, I thought we created a lot, we moved the ball well, we asked a lot of questions and we were good value for our goals. Young Sonny Reeves [signed on loan from Chorley] had a couple of chances, too, and he was unlucky not to score on his debut. 

“I spoke to the ground crew this morning, we had a precautionary inspection, and the message came back saying the pitch was pretty much perfect, which it was. 

“Hats off to the ground crew. I know they spend countless hours up here, working really hard for the love of the game and the love of the club. 

“It’s down to their hard work that we’ve been able to get this on, and from a playing perspective, keeping this momentum going is vital.” 

The 2-0 win moved Mossley into 5th place in the Northern Premier League West, one spot above Stalybridge Celtic on goal difference, whose game at Hednesford Town – who visit Seel Park next Saturday - was called off.