Belper Town v Clitheroe

OK - it's not exactly part of "Six Tame Sides" - but stuff needed to be done at Mother-in-laws while she was away (like sorting out a new kitchen !), so it was to ChristChurch Meadow we went for the football fix.

Nipped into the "George" before the game - to see a large band of Clitheroe fans - including Billy who I last saw, whilst accompanying a band of Clitheroe fans on the last leg of their sponsored walk to Mossley last season - first question naturally was "How are your feet ?".

To the game - two teams in trouble - so something had to give. Belper started well, and after 17 minutes Mushambi set up Chris Davies with a golden chance to make it 1-0 - but his feet got all tangled up with the ball - and the Nailers were left to rue that chance when just before the half-hour Darrell Avery found space down the left and his well-hit shot from a very acute angle went across Carney and crept in at the far post.



First blood to Clitheroe - Avery's shot creeps in.

Urged on by the usual small, yet voiciferous "Blue Army, Clitheroe then spent a ten munute spell camped in the Belper half, with Carney making one excellent save from Jones. Just before half-time Clitheroe doubled their lead when Exton (my MOM) outstripped everyone - again down the left - before picking his spot.




The "Blue Army" - with flappy flag !

The second half saw chances at both ends - Mushambi had one great effort for Belper which fizzed over the bar, and Clitheroe had further chances to increase their lead. It was "game over" on the hour though when Belper's Ashley Foyle "saw red" for one of those "last man tackles" that don't quite work ! Ten minutes later a shot came back off the Belper bar for Sargeson to make it 3-0 to the visitors and send the Clitheroe fans happily back up the A50 - apparently they don't use the A6 version of "going home" !



Mushy's shot just clears the bar.

The atmosphere was bleak in the bar afterwards (and not just because there was no "Pedigree" in the jug !) - much of was was borne out by the announcement this morning (Sunday), that Belper Manager Ernie Moss had tendered his resignation. Also met Brendan after the game - a guy I've known for a long time - we used to share Stafford Rangers matches back in the 80s.

I slithered off to go out for a meal at the "Elaichi" Bangladeshi Restaurant with Mrs Smiffy, daughter (up from Derby Uni) and sister-in-law Judith. A fine mixed kebab, followed by Tandoori Monkfish, washed down with some Kingfisher Beer. Fell asleep later .....

Other pictures available at http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/BelperClitheroe/

Insults

Someone out there doesn't like me ...a comment below (on the "Slurp Early for Christmas" post) - a BIG comment on the "wristy" blog (http://wristy.blogspot.com) on the "Sneaked a Band in Tonight" post - hey ho - take it on the chin - and reply with vigour ....and a cheeky piccy - why not - stick it on here as well !!



Early checks imply that it's an FC United of Manchester fan - I will delve further on arrival at work tomorrow - because we have the technology !!

The Lights Go Out on Celtic ... Stalybridge Celtic v Farsley Celtic

I was going to call it something like "Holland v England - no Celtic v Celtic" - but events have led me to try to "steal a march" on local papers, message boards etc.

Arriving at 1955 (still need to time myself properly from the Buffet Bar - but hey I left there at 1814 back to Mossley, quick change, quick "hello" to Mrs Smiffy, quick run back to catch 1857 back...) - twas still 0-0 nevertheless.

On 20 minutes, Lee Ellington found some space on the left and let loose a terrific curler that the Farsley keeper just managed to put round the post. The next second all hell broke loose as the Farsley number 11 (no programme - no name !) wiped his feet all over Smith which led to a "bit of a do" adjacent to the dug-outs. When all calmed down the cards remained firmly in the ref's pockets ! It was fairly even after that but Bridge did have the better chances - a glancing header that went just wide, and shortly before half-time a Smith cross (oh he's over on the left !) saw Paul Sykes smack a a thundering header against the bar.



The "glancing header" photoshot.

0-0 at half-time - time for a snifter in the "Hare and Hounds" (Bombardier) - and time to see the Holland equaliser in the England game (from 57 different angles of course - lousy defending came to mind after the first of the 57 angles).

Back into the Fold to see Farsley take the lead when their number 11 (remember him from earlier) set up Grant to make it 1-0. Not long after that Keeling (?) got booked for a fairly innocuous challenge - this disappointed me, especially after the "kerfuffle" in the first half - if a ref chooses to let something like that go - and then pulls out a yellow for next to nothing - then in my mind he loses the respect of all and sundry - instantly.

Five minutes later an absolutely awful cock-up in the Stalybridge defence led to a second goal for Grant and Farsley - a back pass from Winn that went horribly wrong (did the keeper shout ? no idea). That was the turning point - any confidence that Celtic DID have went straight out of the window. Substitutions made little difference - the long ball (known as "hoof ball" in the Unibond and below) came into play, and as far as I (neutral) could see, that was the end of that. There was still time for Farsley to almost grab a third when a short free-kick 20 yards inside the Farsley half went horribly wrong and was quickly depatched up the other end. They missed however. And then the rain came down as if to add insult to injury.



The rain coming down .

There was still time for Pettinger to make a class save to keep it to 0-2 until - one quarter of the Stalybridge illuminations decided to call it a day. The ref dashed over to the dug-outs, discussed matters with Dickie Bird (borrowed his light meter) and said "on with the show" (the light meter/Dickie Bird stuff is of course a figment of my emancipation) It was all over bar the shouting (at the ref) anyway..



Lights out (note the lack of players attacking the lonely Farsley keeper)...

No doubt there will be recriminations all round tonight - the ref should have sent their 11 off in the first half - then he wouln't have created their first goal - the game should have been called off when the lights went out - the chants of "off" were almost immediate from the 'Bridge faithful !!) And as the players were leaving the field the "errant floodlight" started to flicker back into life - too late though - the flicker had gone out of Celtic when that second goal went in......

Slurp Early for Christmas !!

We've had the first cuckoo of spring...first swallow of summer ...how about the first Christmas beer of Christmas ?

Britannia in Mossley tonight - twas nice as well !

Mossley v Kendal Town

This should be brief !

Started the day at 0500, then went off to Stalybridge to say "Hi" to the Alfreton Town mob (I was only 14 out on their "Guess the Attendance" sweep in the end) - returned to Mossley - some might say "Why ?" - I too am asking the same question.

First 36 minutes saw good Mossley pressure - chances for Eyres, Turley and Shillito come to mind - but then it was the usual "sucker punch" moment, although it was three minutes before half-time rather than the usual three minutes from full-time. Kendal's Dave Foster received the ball on the edge of the box - turned - and just smacked it - a truly superb finish I have to say. Once again half-time arrived and Mossley were chasing the game.



An early free-kick for Kendal - spot the "hole in the wall".

The second half really contained few moments of note - a header from Wright which went just over - a Kendal effort from afar which "caught the wind" and dropped on the Mossley bar - a Turley free kick late on which hit the post - and a lot of rain in the last 15 minutes. Somewhere in the middle of all that, Kendal's Beattie found time and space in the Mossley defence to receive, swivel and score to make it 2-0. The last couple of minutes saw the ball in the net at both ends - but both cancelled out by flagging officials (they may have been tired as well - I was certainly flagging by then).



The Kendal goalmouth did see some action - but ...

Another defeat, this time by a club that hadn't won a game since September. Mossley are in deep trouble - once again there was some "tinkering" at the back re team selection - but it's not "tinkering" that's required - it's something a bit more fundamental than that. Enough of this - it's starting to hurt - serious hurt as well....



"I wandered lonely as a Kendal 'keeper" - there were 21 others - somewhere.

A New Toy !!!

0500 today - woke Mrs Smiffy up - she's gone to London to see the Queen (OK, it's some educational conference but..).

Three hours later postie arrived - with this, all the way from Hong Kong:



Yes a genuine USB cup warmer - bought off EBay for a remarkable £4-48 (the packet also contained a £3 off next order voucher !). I've tried it out and it works ! So if you're looking for an unusual/totally stupid Christmas present, try www.uxcell.com - and no I'm not on commission !!

Staly Vegas - How Many More ???

Walking back to Stalybridge Station after the game last night - OK to the Buffet Bar for a quick snifter before returning to Mossley - I spotted these as I walked down Market Street.



Two more potential bars ?? Planning permission already granted ?? When will saturation point be reached ?? Will it go the same way as Ashton ?? Already, so many of these "establishments" seem to be closed during the week - turning the place into a "ghost town". And if it ain't a bar in 'Bridge it's usually a takeaway.

Thank heavens for the Buffet Bar ....and Cosmo Bingo (if you're into that sort of thing - which I am not !!)

Stalybridge Celtic v Witton Albion

Yet another camera crisis today – taking pictures at work, when the lens just refused to come out !! “Focus Error” was the message. Once again we have to hand out the bouquets to Argos in Stockport who – for the second time in about a month – replaced with no questions asked. Still it makes everything that much later having to nip in there on the way home from work so it was a question of home at 1830 – “Hello dear” – “Goodbye dear” and back out to Stalybridge on the 1857 (the “hello/goodbye” routine was also played out at 0715 in the morning – routine/rut call it what you will !

To football – my notes tell me that Witton certainly had the better of the few chances in the first half – a header glanced wide, a free-kick cleared off the line to name but two. What did surprise me, having watched Witton earlier this season against Mossley, was how quick, and direct Witton were. They passed to feet with quick one/two touch stuff and made Celtic look slow and clumsy at times. Still it was 0-0 at half-time.



It might have only been 173 - but Witton brought a few !

It was time for tea early in the second half.. However in the time it takes to dispense a hot dog, Witton took the lead (saw it out of the corner of my eye). On their first half shows, to me, no more than they deserved. Less than ten minutes later it was 2-0 as Gaghan scored his second of the night.



Witton Assistant Benny Phillips - ex-Mossley and ex-Stalybridge of course.

Then – a substitution after a lengthy stop for a clash of heads (during this lull I even managed a quick chat with Witton Assistant Benny Phillips who I’ve known from his days as Mossley Manager back in the 20th Century (!) – and had time to compliment him on his team’s performance) . Fish came on and almost immediately got involved up front, linking well with Ellington before getting Celtic back in the game with just under 10 minutes to go. Witton were now visibly tiring, and it was Celtic who were playing the quick/direct/slick stuff that Witton had displayed earlier. Several chances came and went including a shout for a penalty close to the end – but despite five minutes additional time, Celtic were unable to pull it out of the fire.



Another chance goes begging near the end.

One of those days I guess – number of times I’ve seen Mossley give the opposition 45 minutes start this season – tonight Celtic left it until the last 15 before they came alive – and by then it was too late. I’m sure people will say “It’s only the Cheshire Senior Cup” – but silverware is silverware, and a good cup run is often the catalyst for a good run in the league. Celtic were not at full strength admittedly – Sykes at number 5 – that was a wrong ‘un for me (now he IS a catalyst !),

Another point – a crowd of 173 – I hope the “stay aways” enjoyed Man United’s humiliation on the box – I know what sort of football I’d rather be watching – and I was.

For those who follow the Wristy blog ...

Yes I know it's been quiet since Dublin/Ireland - but tonight has seen the "moment I've been waiting for" since August Bank Holiday Monday.

Check it out - http://wristy.blogspot.com - it's made my day/week/month !!!!

Engineering works at Stalybridge Station

Just to prove they were actually doing something this weekend......



Stalybridge Station 1130 Saturday morning.



Stalybridge Station 2100 Saturday evening.

Hope it's all sorted by 0727 tomorrow morning !!

Cammell Laird v Mossley

The day began with a mad dash down to Ashton to get a new tyre for the Smiffycar – however even these “small jobs” seem to take time, so the 1038 option to Cammell Laird was missed. The previous thread covers most of the trials and tribulations of transport issues, but we got to the game about 10 minutes in.

Mossley took the lead when Melford Knight found himself in space on the edge of the box. However he scuffed his shot towards goal, where the Cammell Laird keeper managed to make a right cock of it, flapping the ball out as far as the waiting David Eyres who steered it into an empty net. Mossley started to look comfortable after this – but just not threatening enough. The CL keeper was having an absolute ‘mare – missing stuff and spilling stuff – Mossley were unable to take advantage though – which was to prove fatal in the end.

Lairds' keeper flaps it out to Eyres - who says "Thank you very much" - 1-0

The impressive trophy cabinet in the Social Club

A quick drink in the Cammell Laird Social Club at half-time - what a lovely building - oh so 1930s - before back to football. The second half saw a double substitution, with Joe Shaw and new boy Fraser (Bruce ? he’s an Aussie) Robinson coming on for Eyres and Turley. This led to some re-organisation up front and in midfield, but within minutes Shaw went off injured after a couple of hefty challenges, which brought on Orr – and more re-“orr”ganisation – ha ha. All this kerfuffle was hiding the fact that Cammell Laird were getting more and more into the game. They’ve only lost one league game all season, and their quick neat passing movements – and use of the full width of the pitch was starting to put a bit of pressure on the Mossley defence. 12 minutes into the second half a swift movement down the Lairds’ right (yes the Mossley left – how many bloody times this season !) led to a close-range tap-in for McGuire to make it 1-1.

Chris Ward's shot fizzes over the top

Credit Mossley at this point – they didn’t buckle – but they didn’t do much up front either – although Chris Ward might have done better in one situation – see pic. New boy Fraser Robinson was getting involved – and wasn’t shirking the challenges either. With 5 minutes to go, despite the Cammell Laird pressure, I was seriously looking forward to the replay. Then the “kick in the teeth” moment arrived. Peter Wright got the ball, surrounded by three defenders and he was bundled to the floor – on top of the ball – no foul given. Still surrounded, he had nowhere to go – so the ref blows up for obstruction. The resulting free kick gets moved out to the Lairds’ right (the Mossley left – you know where this is going don’t you …) – and from the resulting cross, Morgan made it 2-1 – teeth suitably kicked – and that’s how it finished.
Trophy run over then (and £2,000 missed out on as well). Last week at Ossett, Mossley gave the home team 45 minutes start – and they took advantage. This week Cammell Laird gave us 45 minutes start – and Mossley failed to make good use of it. I thought they’d had probably done just enough to earn the replay, but it was not to be.

Today we are tidying up the house (Mrs Smiffy ran off to Belper with the new tyre, and the rest of the car !) and making the tea (I love slo-cookers - honey-glazed lamb folks !). But first we have a party to go to. It's happy 2nd birthday to Callum Broadbent, son of Mossley stalwart (and general rabble-rouser !) Colin "The Butcher" Broadbent and Lindsey. So it's off to Ashton now (on the bus !) to buy him a pressie. With no replay this week (ouch), it could well be Stalybridge Celtic v Witton Albion in the Cheshire Senior Cup on Tuesday night

A Rant - "Grumpy Old Man" kicking in one month early ..

I reckon my day today just about sums up “England today” – naturally some beer has been drunk today, but there’s one for starters – “heavy drinkers = d*ckheads” – I beg to differ from the start. It’s now 2337 – and I’m writing this “as it comes” – today I have had one pint at Stalybridge (Phoenix “Bantam Bitter”) @ 1145, one pint of Grolsch at Manchester Piccadilly @ 1315, one pint of Guinness at Cammel Laird Social Club at half-time, another at full-time, two pints of Hart “Ice Maiden” at Stalybridge on the way home (@ 2025-ish), finishing with two pints of Jennings “CragRat” at the Britannia in Mossley. Now in front of pc with a can of Morrisons “finest” (!) – what have I seen today to make me so depressed ? Remember I’m not including the football in here – that’s another story to come tomorrow.

You have to start with the state of the railways don’t you – no trains to Manchester today from Mossley due to “engineering works” – these “works” have been going on for several weeks – and it’s always the weekends when people suffer. In days gone by, the work they’re actually doing at Stalybrige (replacing a junction of track – on the freight line no less) would have been carried out overnight with the minimum of aggro to the punters – and would have been done and dusted in a tenth of the time. Not anymore. The replacement buses – I was aiming for the 1215 to Piccadilly – it turned up at 1239 (“sorry folks it’s the traffic”) – who worked out the timetable ?? When it didn’t turn up at 1215 the two “co-ordinaters” at Stalybridge just disappeared from the station forecourt – when it did arrive it was 99% full and the poor driver was on his moby saying “there’s no-one here !” – pure bloody laziness, hiding in their little warm office while the punters are left to rot/get cold outside.

And yes the traffic was bad between Stalybridge and Manchester – because the public transport system is so p*ss poor – and everyone seems to have an urgent need for one motor car per person (a 4x4 is a bonus of course – urgently needed on the long flat run into Manchester). There were various gridlock points as well – based around the ridiculous “out of town” shopping areas (the Snipe if you know it) – where no thought has gone into traffic management – just throw up a few warehouse buildings for MFI, Comet, Argos, B&Q et al – no worries – people will happily queue up to get there (or get pushy by lane-hopping and hoping there’s some softy who will let them in – I hate that).

We got to Piccadilly at 1308 – therefore missing the 1249 connection to Liverpool.- we’ll try a drink whilst waiting for the next train to Liverpool. Try the “Balcony Bar” – good food – good ales – good fun. Oh really ? Overpriced beer (nothing real of course) – so went for the £2-80 Grolsch – it arrived in a plastic glass. The place does not allow any glass or bottles anywhere – must be due to the fact that all alcohol drinkers are evil b*stards who will throw stuff and break stuff.



Yeah I had a great time !

At least the train to Liverpool turned up on time (thank you Central Trains) and connections to Rock Ferry worked well. I had to ask directions when I got to Rock Ferry and it was suggested “Why not get a taxi ?” Answer was “Why ?” – it turned out to be less than a 15 minute walk – has everybody lost the use of their legs these days ?? One man in a taxi is not very eco-friendly – 8 in a mini-bus not so bad (although that’s usually because the other 7 are too bloody idle !!)

After the game – a walk back to Rock Ferry and back to Lime Street. The train to Manchester was packed – hey it’s the weekend – Liverpool at home – Reading fans need to get back to Manc for connections - ever though of extra carriages ? The train was awash with what can only be described as tw*ts – gobby (why do people find the need to shout to their friend 24 inches away ?) , rude, unhelpful, smoking on the train even ! Now I’m a smoker who will stick up for smoker’s rights (God help next year !) but – you just don’t do it on trains anymore – less than an hour to Manchester – I can live with it – so why couldn’t the ignorant b*stards do the same ? Don’t think I’m just tarnishing people from Liverpool (or Reading) – try catching the 2300 from Manchester Victoria to Mossley on a Friday or Saturday night – not much different.

Back in Manchester it was a 50 minute wait for a bus – dare I try the Balcony Bar again – no, I had a look – too full, not enough staff (saves money I guess - people are happy to queue up – or get pushy – see earlier) – I just had a wander around – no doubt looking very suspicious on the CCTV - spotted a couple of signs which made me laugh though. No rubbish bins always makes me laugh – “security and safety” – sorry no “paranoia and paranoia” – plus the actual mess that is made does actually create more work There are waste paper bins in Dublin stations and in Dublin Airport – and I think they’ve coped with the “safety and security” problem for a lot longer than us over here – amazing what a 9/11 or 7/7 incident can do – think backlash. Not unlike the “oh some chap smashed a glass – therefore you’re all drinking out of plastic”. The cookie advert made me laugh too – golly 41p for one biscuit – it must be a bargain, because it’s on a big poster – and people fall for it – the “rip off” side of England is all too plain on a railway station – when just a couple of minutes away on the approach you can save large amounts of money buying anything from fags to coffee.



Blimey - give me 16 !!!

Never mind (now there’s a truly “British” attitude – sadly an outdated one it seems), we got to Stalybridge, we drank beer, we got another bus, we got back to Mossley, we drank more beer, we went home.

Can we apportion blame – no point really, the “blame and claim culture” is alive and well in England – it’s always someone else’s fault – some folks seem to live off it without thinking of actually changing some aspects of THEIR lives.

God knows what brought this on – football later today ….

Midweek Football - after a fashion !

It’s been a funny week for football. No home games for any of the “Six Tame Sides” at all this mid-week. The “ju-jitsu taxi service” which runs every Monday and Wednesday does allow me a short time in the “Railway” at Greenfield, so I caught a bit of the Man City v Middlesbrough game (including the goal) and also some of the Kobenhavn v Man United games (excluding the goal !)

I thought about Wakefield v Ashton United on Tuesday – but since the Mossley trains now terminate at Huddersfield rather than going straight through to Wakefield, the connections were a bit of a bugger. Going outside the “Six Tame Sides” zone, there was the offer of Woodley Sports (aka Mossley reserves !) v Stocksbridge Park Steels – but again transport from Mossley equates to train and bus – and can be a bit of a pain (as you may have gathered – no car was available as Mrs Smiffy was running a training course until 2100 that day). Plus of course, the weather had turned cold and my finger was giving me gyp !! So excuses aplenty there …

So Tuesday turned into a “virtual football” night – with the Barcelona v Chelsea game on in the other room. I’ve done this sort of thing before and it can be fun ! That night I “watched” the Wakefield v Ashton United game via a cute “live” website - http://www.matchdayupdates.com/team/wakefield_emley where someone from Wakefield texts in the odd one-liner which then appears on the screen – I believe Kendal do a similar thing – must check that one out. Also being updated on the web (via the club message boards) were the Leek Town v AFC Telford United game – my first ever penalty shoot-out on the web, and the Goole v Belper Town game – which had a “local slant” in that Andy Parton (on loan from Stalybridge Celtic) managed to score a hat-trick for Goole against my good friends from Derbyshire. I popped in and out of the other room to see bits of the Chelsea game – even took some photos (now isn’t that SAD !) – when Mrs Smiffy returned the Chelsea game went off (just before their late late equaliser !) – so I stuck with the Telford penalty shoot-out – I think the message board thread for that game went to nearly 250 messages !!



Look - a picture off the telly of some Chelsea bloke ...

Normality returns tomorrow with a trip to Birkenhead to see if Mossley can progress any further in the FA Trophy against Cammel Laird. This will be a tricky one I feel in more ways than one. Cammel Laird appear to be “rather good” – and also there are no trains from Mossley or Stalybridge into Manchester tomorrow because of the ubiquitous “engineering works” – obviously no-one travels at the weekend in the eyes of Network Rail – so it’s either a bus to Manchester, or a bus to Guide Bridge for a train to Manchester. – that’s my next jobbie tonight – check out the route etc. Mrs Smiffy is off to Belper tomorrow (they’re at home to Bamber Bridge – am I tempted - a little – but only a little at this moment in time..) Hey ho – off to http://nationalrail.co.uk – the course of anti-biotics is now over – so the “alcohol in moderation” rule can be relaxed somewhat this weekend !!

Hill Walking is dangerous for your health !

Reason for the slight delay today - whilst walking up above Dove Stones Reservoir, we have a slight altercation with a slippery rock, closely followed by a sharp rock.



An early Hallowe'n offering !

Had to walk down from the top of Indians Head and cadge a lift off daughter's boyfriend (aren't mobile phones wonderful !). Fortunately finger not broken - but bloody painful. Three hours in A&E at Tameside Hospital, clean all the muck out (with Nitrus Oxide to help !!), stitches in a rather nasty looking gash and a bottle of anti-biotics (which have to be paid for as well !!) - and home.

A great end to a "great" weekend. Football's a bit thin on the ground this week - might have to do Woodley Sports v Stocksbridge Park Steels on Tuesday - at least I can drive there - because I can't blooming well drink for a while !

Ossett Town v Mossley - The Words and the Pictures

Apologies for the delay - the following post will make it all clear however (and is not for the faint-hearted !!).

The trip to Ossett began in the "Commercial" around 1130 - now only keg available, so I took advantage of my new-found love for Guinness !! A train to Huddersfield, a train to Dewsbury, and into the "West Riding Refreshment Rooms" where Anglo-Dutch Best Bitter was the order of the day. Met the York Branch, now fourteen of us, so we commandeered three taxis for the short hop to Ossett.

All thoughts of a third consecutive win went out of the window very early on as Mossley were put under a lot of pressure - some good work by 'keeper Trueman and some abysmal finishing from the Ossett front-line kept the score at 0-0 for all of 23 minutes when (same old story) an attack down the Ossett right saw the ball put across for Fothergill to make it 1-0. More sitters were missed, before Ryan made it 2-0 just before half-time. And that was Mossley playing downhill, with the wind !

Atmosphere in club at half-time - grim.

Not much different in the second half until - a lifeline - Ossett's Kirk Wheeler was sent off. Mossley finally found that missing gear, and it was attack, attack, attack.



Some "synchronised crawling" in the Ossett penalty box.

On 72 minutes a cross from Lee Shillito was met by James Turley to make it 2-1 and soon afterwards Craig Furnival got up in the box to volley home an undeserved equaliser.



Turley makes it 2-1.



Furnival makes it 2-2 and Topsy "goes wild" (far right)



"Can I take this throw ?" says Pilks - "Niet" says the ref...

That'll do we thought - snatch something from nothing. But then with just a few minutes remaining, left-back Rob Edwards went "walkabout" in the centre circle - Chris Ward covering back put in a well-timed tackle - the Roger Dilkes "lookalike" referee gave a penalty - which Fothergill converted to make it 3-2. The players and fans were not best pleased.....and at full-time all hell was let loose with the Mossley players surrounding referee Wilson - and not to enquire about his cat ! In the ensuing melee, with whistle blazing, he brandished two more red cards for Melford Knight and Chris Ward - Ok it was the one red card used twice, but the damage had already been done. Osset should have been out of sight by half-time anyway.

Atmosphere in club at full-time - unprintable.

Hey bloody ho - back to Dewsbury for a snifter, train to Huddersfield, just under an hour in the "Head of Steam" before returning to Mossley and more beer in the "Britannia" - then home to sulk and sleep.



"Win or lose...." Mossley take over the bar at the "Head of Steam" on Huddersfield station !

Just for Fun - some Irish Moments..

Bits and bats - with absolutely no football connections - enjoy !!

For the train spotter - a Dublin tram - far nicer than the Manchester MetroLink ...



For the photographer - the Round Tower at Glendalough - with birdie accroutrements ...



For the drinker - the "holy water" at the Guinness Brewery ...



For the music lover - a street sign just off Temple Bar ...



Remember - it's not just football ....until Ossett tomorrow

Theme of the Week

We're back from Dublin. One picture tells most of the story...



You get the idea - Connolly Street Station Bar, Dublin

We did some (long) walking as well however (Glendalough, Glenmalur, Vale of Clara), but it always came back to the "black stuff" in the evening - hardest part was not being able to have drink and ciggy at the same time - shape of things to come in England next year I guess.

Still back on-line - with a trip to Ossett on Saturday with Mossley - back to English beer (although I did sneak a pint of Millstone "Atumn Leaves" in at Stalybridge tonight on the way back from Manchester Airport !) Normality resumes in 6 hours - yes back to work !

Mossley v Lincoln United - the Pix & the Words

Aah, the sniff of a Trophy - and at this stage the sniff of £1,350 - certainly not to be sniffed at. Got to the ground at 1415 - i.e. late cus I should have been there at 1400 prompt for the dreaded "photocall" with my sponsored player Steve Burke. Never mind the pic was took (hope my delay didn't lead to him being left on the bench !).

The game - Mossley were looking for revenge for a 1-2 home league defeat by the same team in early September ("The Siege of Mario Ziccardi's Elbow" as it was called). The first twenty minutes or so were a touch drab to say the least. However on 29 minutes David Eyres picked up the ball on the left and with Welly shouting "HIT IT !", he sold an outrageous dummy to two defenders (and and at least 30 fans) before cutting inside and delivering a sublime chip over Ziccardi's flailing hand.

1-0 - Flail Mario Flail !!



Now the freaky thing here was my Golden Goal ticket was EXACTLY the same number as the week before (i.e. 28) - what are the odds on that ? (I reckon Emma's got a job-lot of number 28s in a vain attempt to avoid payout !) Ten minutes later Chris Ward ran on the a ball through the middle - keeper came - and another chip made it 2-0 - and all I got was the empty net !

2-0 (honest - he chipped it into this very empty net !)



It was 2-0 at half-time and Mossley looked to be in total control - and for once the air of pessimism was strangely absent during the half-time tipple.

Ten minutes into the second half it was "game over" as an unmarked Chris Ward received a low ball from the Mossley right to turn it in for his second and Mossley's third.

3-0



Mossley were now rampant and giving their fans some flawless stuff to enjoy. New signing Adie Orr then entered the fray and made an immediate impact, outstripping the Lincoln defence and smacking the ball against the post. The rebound came out and between them, keeper Ziccardi and defender Hawley managed to divert the ball back in to the empty net !

4-0 (oops !)



Chris Ward then managed to miss a golden opportunity for his hat-trick, putting the ball wide with the goal looking very inviting.. feel free to "guess the words" behind the covered up face !



Then with five minutes to go we saw another edition of the "David Eyres Masterclass" when Mossley got a free-kick just outside the "D". He lined it up, picked his spot, and put it there - only one word for it - "bloomin' brilliant" !

5-0 (nearly - the ball is leaving David Eyre's "golden boot" for the net !).



There was still time for Lincoln to snatch a consolation goal through Cann (don't know about you but I always reckon 5-1 sounds more of a trouncing than 5-0 - discuss !) but today was Mossley's day - the £1,350 was dutifully trousered - roll on Monday for the draw for the next round.

In a vain attempt to find something to moan about in the club afterwards - one person said "I'd rather have the three points", another moaned "There's nothing to moan about !". The future's definitely looking brighter though at Seel Park. Tuesday sees a Manchester Premier Cup game at home to Salford City (to date the only team to have beaten the "mighty" FC United of Manchester) - so that's one to watch - except me who will be drinking Guinness in a bar somewhere in County Wicklow !

Stalybridge v Nuneaton - Best of the Pix !

And if this is the best I can hear you saying "What were the worst" - don't go there - I've seen them - and people wonder why I say "3 bananas" in inappropriate places ....anyway here goes.



"Claim Culture" is alive and kicking at Bower Fold !!



Early free kick for Nuneaton.



Trust me - this is Hume's header for the 2-2 equaliser !



"Johnny Reed's Barmy Army" !

One day - that digital SLR will be mine - all mine !

Stalybridge Celtic vs Nuneaton Borough

Sometimes it’s handy when other people help you to make your mind up for you. True to form some shambolic teamwork from Northern Rail and Trans-Pennine Express on Tuesday morning, culminating in a rather late arrival at work, made it certain that I was not going to Prescot v Mossley in the evening. Coming home was little better – you get those sort of days on the railways – all too bloody often unfortunately.

Not to worry – the “fall-back game” fell into place and when I arrived at Bower Fold a few minutes late (it’s a long walk from the Buffet Bar !) it was still 0-0. The first half was pretty much end-to-end – lots of hard work with little in the way of clear-cut chances at either end.

That was until the Celtic defence starting thinking about their half-time cuppa just a little too early and strikes from McPhee and Darby gave Nuneaton a richly undeserved 2-0 lead. Conceding one just before half-time is a real pain – conceding two ….ouch ….

The good news was that the half-time cuppa they’d been dreaming of obviously contained banned substances as Celtic came out for the second half looking like they meant business - they’d also brought Paul Sykes on for Maxfield – coincidence ?? I don’t think so…

Within 10 minutes of the restart, a corner on the Stalybridge left was finished off by Paul Sykes who bundled it just over the line – it was a case of “all eyes right” to the linesman who confirmed it had crossed the line (NOTE I’ve since been advised that the goal was credited to Keeling). Five minutes later saw the “goal of the game” – for me anyway. It was one of those diagonal crosses (from Smith) that have “HEAD ME” written all over them – Mark Hume did – a cracking header – and the comeback was complete at 2-2.

“Oh no it wasn’t” cried the audience (well some of them), as two minutes later a Nuneaton free-kick ended up bobbling around in the Celtic box, hitting the bar before Darby said “enough of this fannying around” and smacked it in. 3-2 to Nuneaton. However Celtic just “wouldn’t let it lie” and a similar goalmouth scramble effort at the other end saw Sykes apply the finishing touch to once again level the scores.

It was great entertainment for the rather sparse (308) crowd (the two Managers must have been having nightmares about some of the defensive “frailties” at both ends though !), and the Celtic Male Voice Choir erupted with a prolonged bout of “Johnny Reed’s Barmy Army” – didn’t get the stopwatch out but it was a good 3-4 minutes !!!

With a little over 10 minutes to go another cross from Smith arrived in the Nuneaton box, and in the ensuing melee, Nuneaton’s Brown, under pressure from Hume and Sykes, managed to put the ball into his own net. There was still time for Nuneaton to press for an equaliser – and they certainly pressed ! One effort just over the bar, some smart work by Pettinger in the Celtic goal were just two of several efforts. However (or should that be “somehow” considering what had gone on earlier !) Celtic held out to take a valuable three points.

It was certainly a “tale of two defences” – and not very good ones at that ! You have to credit Celtic for coming back into the game after the ‘double whammy’ just before half-time however. The arrival of Sykes certainly made a big difference, and the quality of some of Smith’s crosses was well evident. The crowd was disappointingly low – but I guess that when you’re going through a bad spell, and there is the “lure” (??) of Manchester United on terrestrial telly – it’s going to happen – plus I firmly believe that “a tenner” puts off a good many neutrals/floaters.

Home to discover that Mossley had drawn 2-2 at Prescot after conceding a late late equaliser – bugger !

I’ll have a look at the pictures tonight – and see if we can find something that’s not too blurry !