TEAM: SUTCLIFFE,HAIGH,MORGAN.M,VERITY,MORGAN.R,RILEY,
WALTERS,DUNNE,JONES,DOWNING,LITTLEFAIR.
SUBS:ETIENNE,RYAN.S,BOSHELL,CAROL,FLOWERS

With one or two changes made from last Saturday Dave Morgan was hoping to pick up 3 points from a resurgent Mossley. In what I can only describe as a fiesty opening 10 minutes 3 players were booked (Dan Verity,Matt Morgan for Rail - Graham Kay for Mossley) Things eventually settled down and both teams started to play some football. Chances were very limited with Mossley probably playing the better football with Rail looking a bit hesitant at the back. Once we settled down we looked a lot better and our first real opening came just after 20 minutes when a ball was squared across from our left and was sweetly hit by Walters at the edge of the area but Higgingbotham in the Mossley goal was equal to it and he palmed the ball out for a corner. Mossley came back at Rail and if wasn’t for a fine save after 30 minutes by Sutcliffe Rail would have been one down. Most of the excitement came with 5 minutes to go before half time when we should have gone at least one nil up when Damien Dunne went through twice on goal - the first chance was probably the easier of the two but unfortunately tripped over the ball at the wrong time and the second he was only denied by a fine tackle by a Mossley defender. Seconds before half time a nasty clash of heads meant the end of the game for James Riley who after several minutes treatment was taken to hospital with a nasty cut above his eye that required 8 stiches. On in his place came Joel Etienne who moved into midfield with Dan Verity moving alongside Rob Morgan in central defence. After several minutes injury time the referee blew his whistle for half time. Rail 0 Mossley 0
There were no changes by either team at half time.
It was Rail who came shoooting out of their blocks at the start of the second half and within seconds of the restart they took the lead. Both Joel and Rob Morgan beat the Mossley offside trap and Joels shot was well blocked by Higgingbotham but it fell kindly to Rob Morgan who cooly slotted the ball home from 2 yards. Rail 1 Mossley 0
This seemed to lift Rail for a while but then Mossley came back into the game just on the hour mark. A free kick on the right hand side of our area was hit in hard and low and was neatly flicked in to the back of the net by Danny Dignan. Rail 1 Mossley 1
On 70 minutes Rail were awarded a free kick just outside the area after a late challenge by Daryl Weston which earned him a yellow card. Matt Morgan took the resulting free kick but fired wide of the right hand post. Mossley made a double substitution with Ben Wharton and Rob Parsonage coming on for Michael Fish and Dave Prout. Rail made one further sub with the injured Walters being replaced by Flowers/or Carol. Rail had another free kick on the edge of the area shortly afterwards but a woeful attempt by Ben Jones went wide of the mark and didn’t trouble the wall or the keeper. At this time it looked as though Rail, who were pressurising the Mossley defence, would get the winner as Joel surged forward on the left and managed to get in a decent cross only for the Mossley defender putting it out for a corner. Yet another booking and this time it was Mossley’s no.3 - Leon Henry who got the yellow card for what I thought was for persistant fouling. With only 2 minutes injury time left it looked as though the game would end one-a-piece but Mossley had other ideas. A free kick was awarded 30 odd yards down our right hand side and as the ball was floated into the near post our keeper clearly called for it and unforunately never came and with all our defenders waiting for him to collect the ball Mossley’s ‘Super sub’ - Rob Parsonage nipped in and hit the winning goal. A minute later it was all over. Rail 1 Mossley 2

RAILS MOTM: ROB MORGAN
MOSSLEYS MOTM: LIAM HIGGINGBOTHAM

I think a draw would have been a fairer result but hopefully these last minute goals we are conceding will be cut out. It was end to end stuff in the second half and although we got beat I am sure that things will be put right and the right results will start coming.