Mossley 1 , Glossop North End 0
The Hillmen can have no complaints about this derby day result at Seel Park on Tuesday night. In attack and midfield they failed to deal with the direct and physical style of the home side, nor with the dreadful conditions, and struggled to make any kind of impact in the Lilywhites’ half. The defence largely dealt with most of what was thrown at them, in a scrappy game, but their one moment of hesitation cost them in the second half.
That said, they might have been one down within 5 minutes when the home side missed as clear an opportunity as a team can have. Tom Pratt’s shot from the edge of the area was blocked by Matt Russell’s arm, and the referee didn’t hesitate to award the spot kick. The ball may have been going wide, as Russell was only yellow carded. Pratt himself took the kick, low to the left corner, but Luke Pilling got down athletically to push the ball around the post.
Almost all the pressure came from Mossley, who with players with the ability to deliver long throws playing on both sides we’re making the Glossop North End centre halves work extremely hard. There were few clear cut chances, although Pilling had to be alert when a near post flick from a thrown nearly snuck in at the near post.
Glossop’s chances were limited, although through balls for both Astley Muholland and Jamie Rainford forced Liam Flynn to sprint off this line to make timely sliding challenges to deny the strikers. Then right on half time Kyle McGonigle sent in a snap shot when the ball fell to him at the edge of the area that struck the top of the bar and bounced to safety.
The second half was more of the same, with a large amount of ball turnover, but most of the pressure coming from the home side.
The Glossop defence was defending it’s 18 yard box well, until the 71st minute. A corner was cleared routinely, but went back out to the take, John Bennett. He delivered a second curling cross that seemed to freeze the North End defence as they left it to each other. A Mossley striker ducked under the ball, and the cross curled directly into the net.
The Hillmen could find no answer to the concession. Despite having a little more pressure around the box, the Mossley defence dealt comfortably with everything thrown at it. It was a defeat to a time who potentially might pip them to a place in the play-offs, and they will be determined not to find themselves with the same problems when they visit Clitheroe on Saturday.
