Official website of Bamber Bridge Football Club
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MATCH REPORTMossley 2 Bamber Bridge 2Northern Premier League 1st Division Northat Seel ParkTuesday 7th October 2008By Dave RowlandBamber Bridge gained a well earned point against a hard working Mossley side in monsoon-like conditions at Seel Park. It was an excellently entertaining game despite the horrendous conditions, with both sides fully committed to the cause. Two early goals by Sean O誰eil were wiped out, as the home team dragged themselves back into the match before half-time. The game could so easily have gone either way in a finely balanced second period. Brig arrived at Seel Park determined to get back on track after being knocked out of the FA Trophy in the Preliminary Round at Sheffield on Saturday. The South Ribble side, who were replaced at the top of the First Division North table by Newcastle Blue Star at the weekend, were keen to climb back to the summit, by extending their winning sequence in the league, having won their last five outings in the competition. Their Tameside hosts, Mossley, were also looking to bounce back from defeat in the FA Trophy at the weekend, and were determined to keep up with the leading pack in the league. Brig boss Phil Entwistle made just one change to his line-up from the trip to Sheffield at the weekend. Striker Sean O誰eil came in to lead the front line, with Ryan-Zico Black dropping back into midfield, replacing Mark Edmeads, who took his place on the bench. Brig were still without injured trio Dave McCann, Neil Zarac and Steve Flitcroft. Mossley kicked off on a damp and sultry evening in Tameside and were first to show when Bamber Bridge goalkeeper Andy Banks saved a drive from leading marksman Mike Fish, and from the resultant corner-kick, winger Lee Blackshaw struck the top of the crossbar. The visitors responded in the grand fashion and opened the scoring on 6 minutes. Alex Porter manoeuvred down the right before finding Ryan-Zico Black on the edge of the Mossley penalty area. The former Lancaster City man turned the ball neatly into the path of SEAN O誰EIL who powered home from close in with the home defence flat-footed. The Tamesiders responded by forcing a number of corner-kicks, but to no avail. Brig came back at them in style and increased their lead on 14 minutes. Stuart Howson found Alex Porter in space down the left and the resultant cross was quickly dispatched into the net by the lurking SEAN O誰EIL for his 6th of the season. Though stunned, Mossley worked hard in trying to rescue the situation, as Brig swarmed confidently about them. Lee Blackshaw and Danny Dignan threatened down the left with some clever interlinking play and Mitch Bailey and Ryan Cook forged a couple of openings which floundered on a resolute Brig defence. The visitors swept forward after 26 minutes and almost scored a third. Black put Porter away down the inside right position and Mossley goalkeeper Liam Higginbotham did extremely well to keep out Porters low drive, when he got down quickly to palm the shot just around the goalpost. The game began to see-saw, one way, and then the other, as the rain fell in torrents and Mossley痴 endeavours paid off just after the half-hour mark with a well constructed goal. Cook put Blackshaw away on a run down the left and the wingers swirling cross was powerfully headed home by the inrushing DANNY DIGNAN. Minutes later a Bailey blockbuster from distance was well handled by Banks as Mossley grew in confidence. At the other end O誰eil was inches away from his hat-trick when a well executed through-ball by Black found him in space, but the Brig strikers shot whizzed narrowly wide of the upright. Mossley drew level on the stroke of half-time when full-back Nick Challinor took a long throw-in on the right which caused a scramble in the Brig box. MIKE FISH reacted first to crash the ball home for his 14th goal of the season. The visitors opened brightly after the break and almost got their noses back in front when, after some good work by substitute Tom Ince, Alex Porter was denied at the back post by a quick thinking defender, following a superb cross by Stephen Brown. Brig then came under sustained pressure as Mossley poured forward looking for the winner. Dignan came mighty close when his low drive was deflected narrowly past a goalpost after a deft lay-off by Blackshaw. The homesters played with increasing determination and substitute Dan Egan was unlucky to see his well struck volley crash into the side-netting after Fish had done the spadework. Banks did exceptionally well to save a bullet header from Challinor at full stretch following a Blackshaw corner-kick, as Brig rode out the storm. The visitors hit back with some penetrating runs at the home defence, and forced a series of corner-kicks. They should have scored on 75 minutes when O誰eil shot wide when well placed from a Jamie Nay cross from the left, which caught out the Mossley defence. Both sides had chances to win the game in the closing stages in this evenly fought contest. Mossley substitute Scott Holt sent in a swirling cross which was headed just wide at the back post by Fish, whilst at the other end, Higginbotham palmed away a full-blooded Ince drive following a Tong cross from the right. A great deal of credit must by attributed to both sets of players, who, despite the dreadful conditions, contributed to a finely contested and absorbing tussle. It would have been a pity for any side to have lost. Mossley: Higginbotham, Weston, Challinor, Boothby, Coyne, Bailey, Self (Holt 70mins), Cook, Fish, Dignan (Egan 52mins), Blackshaw Unused subs: Connor, Boshell, Garmory Goals: Dignan (31mins), Fish (45mins) Bamber Bridge: Banks, Fleming (Nay 45mins), Howson, Steel, Tong, Black (Edmeads 45mins), Brown, Mahoney, O誰eil, Porter, Mason (Ince 45mins). Unused subs: Henders and Peterson (GK) Goals: O'Neil (6, 14mins) Attendance: 176
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