By John Devine.
If there’s one thing this game will be remembered for it will be the sudden and dramatic departure of Mexoc’s foreign manager, John Fiorentini. Some nice football was played in the club’s typical fashion, but this wasn’t enough to defeat the Combination leaders and cup favorites, or even prevent the resignation of “Fioro”. However, if the previous round is anything to go by we’ll be thinking about the semi-final by the end of the week!
The first half started with a period of possession for Mossley Hill and some long distance ball retrieval by the Mexoc bench. In a half of few chances it was Mexoc who created the first with a flowing move down the left through the hard-working Reynolds who enjoyed his box-to-box forays down the left flank. Reynolds it was who played the ball through to Causley to shoot from a tight angle, the effort smothered by the Mossley keeper.
The Mexoc defence stood like the Berlin wall for almost 40 minutes when the Mossley Hill bulldozer finally broke through. Simon “Rustu” Steff saved a shot that came through a crowd of players but was only able to parry the ball to the edge of the six yard box, it was a Mossley striker who reacted first to slot the ball home past the sprawling Steff. One felt had he not been carrying the weight of so much hair and beard he might have been able to react a little quicker.
The most entertaining moment of the first half as far as the travelling supporter was concerned was the game of head tennis played inside the Mexoc penalty area which petered out amidst shouts of “head like a thrupenny bit”.
At half time Mexoc felt the second half had something good in store for them, the goal was the opponent’s only real chance of the half, and the possession was fairly even. What the second half had in store for O’Donaghy, though, was substitution for being limp-wristed. However, the return of Devine to competitive action signalled a capitulation of Mexocesque proportions. The team went in search of the equaliser that never came leaving wide-open spaces at the back for Mossley Hill to play into. The second goal came courtesy of some biblically poor tackling – the defence parting wider than the Red Sea. Unfortunately it was actually Moses stranded in goal.
As Mexoc poured forward looking for a response it was Mossley who struck again breaking through the paper-thin offside trap set by Devine – quite a bit of match fitness lacking there.
Mexoc threw caution to the wind in Keegan fashion and were rewarded for the attacking play with a knock down from Smith that landed at the feet of Niall????? and he placed the ball well past the stranded keeper. The only other realistic chance to score in the half fell to Faulkner – from the kick-off Mexoc played some nice stuff, working the ball through the midfield with crisp passes out to the winger whose decision to strike the ball first time troubled only the tennis courts beyond the goal.
Pressing forward for further goals left Mexoc hopelessly exposed at the back and the inevitable fourth goal was followed quickly by the fifth – a howler from Rustu. Normally so assured with the high ball the under-shaven keeper misjudged a poor cross that somehow evaded his fingertips and nestled in the far corner of the net.
The scoreline was harsh given the first half performance, but when you’re piling forward looking for goals against a quality outfit like Mossley Hill the defence is always going to be exposed to being caught on the break. The league is the club’s only remaining competition now and the players will be hoping for at least one more win to give them their best ever points haul. Let’s hope the new manager can make a Redknap-esque impact and get the team converting the nice football into three points.
