Lilywhites land victory

Pre-Season Friendly: Mossley 1-0 Pontefract Collieries

A first half Mason Fawns goal was enough to earn victory over a physical and direct Pontefract Collieries side in Saturday's first home friendly.

With the new season only two weeks away, the game had a more competitive edge to it than the earlier games as two sides from the same level of the non league pyramid came together.

Pontefract employed a high energy pressing game in the first half keeping Mosley pinned in their own half for lengthy spells but Dale Latham's goal was barely troubled.

Both sides had the ball in the net but both times the whistle had already gone for off-side offences. 

When Mossley did forage forward it was the trialist #9 who was asking the biggest questions of the visitors' defence. It was his presence that had a direct bearing on the game's only goal on 32 minutes when he chased down a back pass that saw the keeper slice his clearance to the feet of Mason Fawns. The ex Ramsbottom star first controlled the ball before firing a perfectly placed shot over the stranded keeper and into the net from around 35 yards.

The competitive edge came close to blowing over more than once in an equally competitive second half. Pontefract wasted a few good chances with some wayward finishing that troubled the school roof more than it did Dale Latham's goal.

The trialist substitutes David Kuba-Kuba and #17 both showed some good touches with the former coming within a whisker of scoring while Harry Pratt saw his clever shot cannon back off the woodwork and Kane Dean's effort from the rebound flew narrowly wide.

There was time for one final Pontefract raid but once again their shooting was off target and latham's goal remained intact.