Fish treble puts Mossley in second

MIKE FISH enjoyed three bites of the bait as the striker’s hat-trick helped Mossley leap into second spot in the UniBond League first division north following a thumping 4-0 victory at Salford City, writes Tony Bugby.

Far from being a Fish out of water, there was no stopping the front man whose treble took his season’s total to eight as he remains the division’s leading marksman.

But, with more clinical finishing, the Lilywhites could conceivably have hit double figures against the league’s bottom club.

They had what appeared two perfectly good goals disallowed for offside while home keeper Martin Campbell made half a dozen super stops.

Yet Mossley manager Chris Willcock was far from satisfied declaring his team can play even better.

“We have passed the ball better and retained the ball better, though we wore Salford down with some good-quality play,” he explained.

Salford would have taken an early lead but for a brilliant save from Mossley keeper Liam Higginbotham who turned a goalbound shot from Mark Dwyer on to an upright.

It took Mossley half an hour to make a breakthrough and that was down to a piece of charitable defending as Fish curled a free kick from outside the penalty area around a dreadfully constructed defensive wall.

Mossley doubled the lead shortly before half time after another defensive howler as Campbell allowed a long-range drive from striker Danny Dignan to squirm through his grasp and trickle over the line.

It was the only success Dignan had in front of goal as he ought to have matched Fish in scoring a treble.

Fish made it 3-0 shortly before the hour mark with a well-placed header from an inch-perfect cross by Nick Boshell who had only been on the field for barely one minute.

And Fish completed his treble with 21 minutes left with a low shot from a Dignan cross.

Late on Boshell, Danny Egan and Dignan all had chances to give Mossley an even bigger win.

Mossley are preparing for their biggest league game of the season tomorrow when FC Halifax Town visit Seel Park.

Nigel Jemson, who scored the match-winning goal for Nottingham Forest against Athletic in the 1990 final of the Littlewoods Cup, is player/assistant manager for the Shay men.




THE matches involving Oldham Town and Chadderton were called off due to waterlogged pitches.