After securing their place in the end of season play-offs with their 1-1 draw at Trafford on Tuesday, the Hillmen kept the momentum going with a comprehensive victory at Ossett Town, effectively clinching the game in the first half with a dominant showing.
The opening 10 minutes set the tone. Josh Brizzell had a low and hard shot from a corner blocked and shortly afterwards Jamie Rainford forced home keeper Tom Beaupaire into a spectacular flying save, tipping his flicked header over the bar.
Glossop made the breakthrough on 15 minutes when Brizzell clipped a lovely pass down the right touchline behind the defence. Mark Reed latched onto it and thanks to a defensive error had time to get to the byline, look up and pick out Rainford in the middle, and the leading scorer swept the ball home from 6 yards.
On 25 minutes they made it two. Martyn Andrews won the ball at the edge of his own area and charged forward to the edge of the Ossett area, riding every challenge. He played the ball through for Reed who was brought down for the penalty. Rainford stepped up and netted the spot kick, sending Beaupaire the wrong way.
More pressure game, and on 37 minutes a long ball forward was mis-read and Rainford was behind the defence. He passed wide to Reed, who tried to return the favour with a ball inside that was stopped by the hand of the defender. Another penalty, and Rainford sent the ball the other way to make it 3-0.
Ossett were virtually chanceless until injury time when a long throw dropped in the box, but Danny Frost shot over the bar.
In the second half, Glossop North End were content to hold onto what they had, which was probably the right decision as the wind had whipped up against them, and the ball was turning back towards Andy Robertson’s goal in the air. He was forced into a flying save from Steve Ridley’s 53rd minute shot across goal, pushing the ball wide.
For all that the elements pinned Glossop North End back, Ossett were not breaking them down often, and as a result the half became attritional. Chris Willcock used all his substitutes and one of them, Jason Carey, wasted the best chance of the half for Glossop when blazing wide when played in at the angle.
In the 77th minute Ossett finally breached the defence, and it was a corker. The Hillmen failed to clear their lines and the ball eventually fell to Ridley at the edge of the box and he lashed into the net. He hit it so hard it’s doubtful Robertson saw it until it was past him.
The home side tried to rally for a barnstorming finish, and Andy Hawksworth missed a good chance when heading over, probably getting too much on the ball when a flick was all that was required. The Frost hit a shot over the bar, but the last word was Brizzell’s, whose fierce drive was well saved by Beaupaire.
In the next week the Hillmen play Northwich Victoria twice, away on Wednesday and at home on Saturday to close off their regular league fixtures. The odds are that those two teams will face each other in the play-offs too, and these games could decide who will be at home. The team that finishes third in the league will clinch it.