Mossley hit back to snatch victory

MOSSLEY produced another show of determination to record a 3-2 win at Wakefield in UniBond League division one north.

A sublime piece of skill from Lee Blackshaw — the winger side-stepped three challengers on the edge of the penalty area before shooting home — clinched a third straight come-from-behind triumph for John Flanagan’s in-form team.

Trailing to Tom Denton’s 18th-minute effort, the Lilywhites equalised just before the half-hour mark when birthday boy Ben Richardson — he was 21 on Saturday — found the back of the net through a posse of players.

But Mossley were behind again by the break after Ryan Pleasants, who was earlier denied by a post, was afforded too much space.

Denton, on-loan from Huddersfield Town, hit the woodwork and also head over as Wakefield chased a third goal.

However, Mossley were much-improved in the second half and got the goal their play deserved with nine minutes to go when Chris McDonagh scored for the fourth time in the last five games with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area.

And, with less than 60 seconds left of normal time, Blackshaw took centre stage to claim another maximum points haul for Flanagan’s men.


CHADDERTON were angered by their Vodkat North-West Counties Division One Cup exit at AFC Blackpool.

The only goal of the quarter-final tie came courtesy of Mark Ashall’s 50th-minute strike, but the Broadway outfit claimed the scorer used a hand to control the ball.

Chadderton’s appeals were waved away by the referee and, to add insult to injury, they were denied what they thought was a perfectly good equaliser when James Curley’s effort was ruled out for offside moments later.

Curley also hit a post and Chris Pauley struck the crossbar in the last-eight clash, but Blackpool also had their moments as they too were denied by the woodwork on a couple of occasions.


OLDHAM Boro stretched their unbeaten run to five games in division one of the NWCL after staging a second-half comeback at title-hopefuls Leek CSOB.

Two goals adrift at the interval, Tony Mills’ side recovered to draw 2-2, this despite having midfielder Tom Hughes sent off.

Boro dominated the first half, but mistakes by Lee Deakin, who swung and missed the ball, and Damian Schofield — he gave away a penalty — put Leek in the ascendancy. Anthony Tarr was on target in the 21st and 41st minutes.

The visitors came out with all guns blazing in the second period and Duncan Philbin headed home a Hughes free-kick five minutes after the restart, before the latter was shown a red card for disputing a decision to rule out a ‘goal’ for offside.

But Boro kept pressing and were full value for their equaliser. Sean Roscoe played a neat one-two with Matty Hampson before sliding the ball beyond the Leek ’keeper with 13 minutes to go.