Train (Manc-Mossley) = £4
Toilet = 20p
Entry = £8
Programme = £2
Tea = £1
Bovril = £1
Sandwich = £2
i-Paper = 40p
Total = £18-60
I'm now on the mid-winter carousel, and set off today with a list of 4 possible games, not knowing which one I would end up at. Thanks to a positive tweet from Mossley ('Match is ON!'), and a postponements at Ashton Town, I headed up to Seel Park. Mossley is 3-4 miles north of Stalybridge, and from Piccadilly it is accessible by 2 trains. Changing at Stalybridge brought back happy memories of August 2008, when King's Lynn had visited Bower Fold - the game which felt like the start of our Blue Square North adventure.
After a short train ride from 'Staly', I ascended a steep hill and turned left, cutting through a few side streets to reach the ground. The map showed the station pretty much next to the ground, but the Manchester A-Z does not include contour lines, so I had no idea that this was actually perched on a hill! The scenery was stunning, with the town nestled on the edge of the Pennines, near Abraham's Chair and Alphin Pike. The vista from the ground certainly rivalled that of Colne and Ramsbottom.
Seel Park was a beauty. Entering through the (rather stiff and rusty!) turnstile led out onto the top of some steeping terracing. To my left was a stand held together by what appeared to be girders, and to my right the terraces swept down towards a covered standing area, where supporters were beginning to gather. The old-school feel of the ground reminded me of Methyr's Pendarren Park and Chorley's Victory Park.
Today's game pitted Mossley (10th) against Burscough (12th), with 4 points separating the two sides. In my experience this league offers a lot so I was looking forward to this one. As the game kicked off, the vicious wind worsened, and I took some shelter with my back to the valley. This made no difference, and it was absolutely freezing up there! Mossley started more brightly, with Rio Ahmadi stretching for an early shot which drifted over on 8 minutes. Sam Robinson then forced a near-post paw from Calvin Hare in the away goal from a tight angle. Burscough looked like the away side, and were most effective when launching swift counter-attacks. Early on Jordan Williams twisted and turned to get a shot away, but to no avail. Again, Mossley's Ahmadi came close, firing a snap shot narrowly wide. Bizarrely the ball went out for a throw-in, such was the power of the wind. Burscough sent a warning on 33 minutes when Darren Schofield's flicked header nearly went in, and then took the lead on 37 minutes with a free-kick from Williams. At this point, it began to snow, and with the wild wind turning into a gale, I don't know how the players made it to half-time.
It was now freezing and I headed to the bar to get warm and check the Premiership scores. This wasn't quite as cold as Workington in 2008, but came close. When the second-half came, and I stuck my head above the parrapet, the wind and snow had completely disappeared. Mossley had the better of the chances in this half, with Robinson at the heart of the early action. First he had an angled shot saved, then was involved in a 3-way collision with a couple of defenders. The ball drifted clear, and the keeper was stranded off his line. Arron Hevingham hesitated, and despite the crowd shouting 'shoot', decided to pass to someone else. The moment had passed.
Robinson again had another chance, this time flashing a header wide. Tom Pratt looked like he would equalise when he hit a volley with plenty of time on the ball, but again it went wide. Mossley finally and deservedly equalised when Kyle McGonigle's superb free-kick flew into the net. Game on. Mossley - or Mozzley as the locals seemed to pronounce it - were determined to score, but they were somehow prevented by some stout defending, missed chances and some smart passing from Burscough. Caldon Henson in their right-back position looked dangerous coming forward and frequently caused problems on the Burscough left. Burscough admittedly threw in several questionable challenges, to the anger of the home crowd, and the game was increasingly characterised by some fierce midfield battles. In all, 8 yellow cards were shown (4 to each side).
Burscough, to their credit, never gave up, and somehow held on for a point. Mossley, despite a strong performance (particularly in the second half), were disappointed to come away with only a draw with their close rivals. As the game finished with the floodlights on full blare, the wind picked up again, and sleet started to fall. I was glad to get moving after this one, but I have to say well done to both sides on a cracking game on a potentially miserable winter's day.
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