Mossley move up to third in table

Mossley YM 3

Bangor Amatuers 1

MOSSLEY Young Men leapfrog over Bangor Rangers back into third place in 1C, though, with only one match remaining, the two promotion places have already gone to Derriaghy Cricket Club and champions Ardglass.

It was only Mossley’s second outing since Christmas, and while they ultimately were comfortable enough against bottom club Bangor Amateurs at the new Glade, manager Glen McIntyre wasn’t happy. “We made it hard for ourselves,” he admitted. “We should be beating teams near the bottom more comfortably than that. We were alright in patches, but we’ve lost a bit of fitness and momentum after having so few games lately. We were rusty and we’ll need to get that sharpness back we had earlier in the season.”

Mossley made most of the early running, with Brian Ramsey and Willie Ross linking up well down the left, but the best offering fell to the basement side, who might well just have manned the trenches had Dwayne Jenkins not sprang to the rescue in an inviting one-on-one.

Instead, it was McIntyre’s men who finally got up and running on 35 minutes; Ross feeding Gary Orr who cut inside before squaring the ball over for strike partner Dee Montgomery to do the rest.

With Montgomery screwing one wide just after the restart, there was an hour on the clock before Mossley secured what was surely that decisive second goal; Harper slipping the ball through for Ross to swirl into the bottom corner.

Granted, but for the amateurs’ keeper pulling off an excellent save to defy Orr, Mossley would have been home and dry, yet there was some fleeting hope for Bangor when they reduced the leeway, with a goal that had more than a hint of offside about it.

However, especially after the introduction of substitute Glyn Boyd, Mossley asserted their authority and dominated the final quarter, ending the argument once and for all with a well taken goal from Orr seven minutes from time.

Next Saturday, Mossley complete their league campaign with a trip to champions Ardglass.

Mossley YM; Jenkins – McCord, Armstrong, McIlvenney, Ramsey – McKinney, Costello (Boyd), Harper, Ross – Orr, Montgomery. Subs (unused) McIntyre, Scott.