The Metrolink "extensions" are big in Manchester - one might even come our way (well Ashton) by 2009, but experience of the existing system makes you wonder if it's gonna be worth it. Single from Man Vic to Radcliffe was £3-10 (one reason why I walked to Vic rather than getting on at Picc). 20 minutes to Radcliffe - it's bumpy, it's noisy and certainly not as comfortable as a "real" train. Oh well, wristy got his exclusive pix !!
It was a 15 minute walk from the tram station up to the "Inn2Gether Stadium" - well it doesn't sound as daft as "KitKat Crescent", but I think the last time Mossley played there it was just plain Stainton Park. £7 in and £1-20 the programme (one of the better ones this season - glossy and with something to read !).
I then went to the Social Club - or should I call it the "Bombsite Bar" - going back to the 1990s when we last went the club was closed for renovation - and it looks like they're going full circle. Tony Robinson and the "Time Team" would have had a field day - a DNA analysis on the tiled beading in the gent's bogs would have probably revealed 1988 I'm sure. And to make matters worse the keg Boddies was served in PLASTIC GLASSES !!!
Twas certainly a night for "celebrities" - Ian Senior (ex-Mossley, ex-every other club in the Western Hemisphere !), Mark Halsey (Prem ref), Danny Meadowcroft (ex-Mossley, now lording it with Conference Morecambe), Tony Coyne (ex-Mossley - still ginger) - and Paul Challinor (ex-Mossley now at Ashton United - lives round the corner - last seen 24 hours earlier at Hurst Cross) all there - a veritable night of the stars....
To football - Mossley were certainly "out of the blocks" early, pushing Radcliffe back and after 7 minutes a great ball to Joe Shaw (well offside I thought - in fact they had an extra raffle in the club at half-time about "how far" !) who put in a great low cross for Peter Wright to turn in for Mossley to take the lead. Instead of building on this there was a period of relaxation, and 5 minutes later Ian Kearney scored "one of those goals" - lovely deep cross that was met with an absolute bullet header that gave Trueman no chance. It was "wake up" time now and the rest of the first half was a farly even affair - Radcliffe had more of the possession, but chances were few and far between.
The second half continued in the same vein - but then with about 15 minutes to go, Mossley suddenly thought "we can win this" - and starting pushing on - and playing a bit of football. A corner from the Mossley left saw Melford Knight steal into the box to plant one past Danny Hurst for 2-1. Five minutes later sub Steve Burke started to cause havoc down the Mossley right which culminated in Christian Cooke getting felled in the box. Peter Wright steeped up to put the resultant penalty low to the keeper's wrong side - at 3-1 the game was safe !
The penalty - honest (resplendent with ghostly images and general "blur" !) Now you see my problem vis-a-vis night games and an old digicam...
Better - but unfortunately only a distant Mossley substitution to see !!
Cadged a lift home back to Mossley - thanks to Lynn and Andy - and a quickie in the "Rag" made it all "all-keg" eveing for me - but a satisfied football punter for the second night in a row. A much better performance from Mossley which dragged thenm out of the bottom three and has hopefully instilled as much confidence in the team as there was in the massed ranks of Mossley fans who applauded them off.
Curse these ju-jitsu exams - no seaside trip to Whitby, or any other football on Saturday (unless by some miracle I get back to Tameside in time for something - even if it's 20 minutes of Stalybridge Celtic Reserves vs St Werburghs in the "Cheshire Something Cup"), petrol to and from Fazakerley - a 30 bills for the grading as well !
Remember - it's not just football ....
No comments:
Post a Comment