Andy Is Talk Of The Town - (Lily)White Light Extinguished.....

And so to the Acoustafoam Stadium on Coppice Green Lane in Shifnal for a Northern Premier League Division One West match between Shifnal Town FC and Mossley AFC. Acoustafoam - 'The Sound of Silence' - apart from the 30 or so Mossley away diehards...

Although clubs with similar names have played in the town since Victorian times the modern incarnation of Shifnal Town FC was founded in 1964 as St Andrews Youth FC, based at Idsall School and playing in the Wellington & District League. The Reds soon changed their name to Shifnal Juniors, then became Shifnal Town in 1972.

Having won the Shropshire League in 1976 Town joined the West Midlands (Regional) League. The club, now playing at Admirals Park, won promotion to the Premier Division and were champions in 1981 and 1982 - but were denied a Southern League place due to a lack of floodlights.

The lease on Admirals Park was terminated in 1985 forcing Shifnal to resign and revert back to Idsall and the Shropshire League. A new ground, Phoenix Park, was acquired and success in the Shropshire League saw the Reds step up to the Midland Football Combination in 1993.

A successful first season enabled Town to become a founder member of the new Midland Football Alliance. The club finally succumbed to relegation in 2003, back to the Midland Combination.

A reorganisation of the leagues saw Shifnal return to the West Midlands (Regional) League in 2006. The Reds joined the Midland League in 2021 and achieved promotion as runners up last season to take their place in the Northern Premier League Division One West this time. They are currently 6th of 22 with 22 points from 13 matches.

Mossley AFC, The Lilywhites, from Seel Park, was formed in 1903 as Park Villa, changing their name to Mossley Juniors and then Mossley AFC in 1909. They moved into Seel Park in 1912, which at 850 feet above sea level was the fourth highest non-league ground in the country.

Their history covers various local leagues and disbandments twice, reforming in 1919 and becoming a founder member of the Cheshire County League. The Lilywhites moved up to the Northern Premier League in 1972 and were champions in 1978/79 and 1979/80 but were prevented from entering the new Alliance Premier League due to ground grading requirements not being met... A familiar story 🤔 

As non-league giants in the 1970s Mossley featured in the Granada ITV show 'Mossley Goes To Wembley'... Ultimately it resulted in defeat in the FA Trophy Final in 1980 to Dagenham - as legendary Leo Skeete spearheaded the attack.

But Mossley overreached themselves and only avoided financial oblivion by selling their ground to the local council, who leased it back to them. In 2009 two floodlight pylons collapsed and the rest were condemned....

The club was relegated in 1993 and again to the North West Counties in 1995. The Lilywhites ascended, rejoining the Northern Premier League Division One in 2004 and achieved promotion to the Premier in 2007 but were immediately relegated back to Division One where they remain - 13th, of 22, last season and this time they lie 12th - after surprisingly beating Bury 2-1 at home on Tuesday in front of 1,032.

Of recent times the club hit the headlines in April 2015 when Jay Hart of Clitheroe FC was caught having sex, after the match, in the Seel Park dugouts with a female Mossley fan following a 4-1 defeat. He was sacked and kicked out of his home by his girlfriend....

Under a brooding sky with showers and sunshine the keen wind turns increasingly raw. Numberplates this time are SU51SAY, C1RCA and F11LET (Fillet Construction).

Past Dunham Forest, Flame n Spice and the Dog & Partridge it's a return visit to the M6. Today's graffiti is LUPO 22 KAZU 🤔....

Then beyond a Hog n Cracklin van, a Buffaload lorry and Phantom Motor Company hoardings, we hit congestion at Arclid. After Mitchell Spray Booths we join the A5, Watling Street, at Gailey.

Then White Pump Farm, Weston-under-Lizard, Crackleybank and the back roads takes us to Idsall School, adjacent to the ground. £10 is the admission fee and the crowd is 222 today.

Inside there's the club shop, Players Bar, Legends Bar and changing rooms on the near side. The far end is a walkway with pub tables, backed by a steep bank and a new housing development.

The main stand is on the far side, with a warm up pitch behind; the near end abuts Idsall School. And all around a plethora of advertising hoardings, including Jaspers Arms, The Ugly Duckling, The Winking Frog, Severn Volts and Querky Developments.

Town are, for no discernible reason, in their away kit of yellow and blue, sponsored by KEA Automation. The Lilywhites, unsurprisingly, are in white and black, sponsored by Hyde Accessible Transport.

It's an abject opening half hour with Mossley's Obua Mugalula flashing a shot across goal and Mason Fawns hitting one well over. But the match livens up on 32 minutes as Shifnal keeper Andy Wycherley makes an astonishing save from Reece Webb-Foster's header.

Seconds later the Reds (Yellows today !) have their first meaningful effort but Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham disappointingly pokes wide. However four minutes late Town take the lead; some penalty area pinball results in Kev Monteiro smashing the ball past an unsighted Fin Madigan and it's 1-0 to Shifnal at the break.

Straight after the restart the Lilywhites' Rio Alston fires one straight at Wycherley. But the visitors draw level on 56, Wycherley making a fabulous save from Mugalula's effort, but the ball is diverted to Webb-Foster and he taps in for 1-1.

Seven minutes after a horror story in the Mossley rearguard, both centre backs leaving the ball to each other and Monteiro nips in to get a shot away. But in the aftermath he is clattered by Matt Kardacz - the result is a yellow card and penalty kick.

Eventually 39 year old veteran Matt Barnes-Homer tucks the ball, er, home, sending Madigan the wrong way. Barnes-Homer then has a fierce strike tipped over by Madigan.

At the other end Webb-Foster fails to hit the target with a quarter of an hour to go. Then on 84 Wycherley produces another terrific save, clawing Fawns' chip beyond the post.

But with a minute left the game is over - a neat Shifnal team move puts Jack Loughran through on goal. Madigan gets a hand to his rasping shot but there is sufficient impetus for the ball to nestle in the corner of the net: 3-1 to the 'Reds'.

Still time for Wycherley to make two good reaction saves in injury time, but it finishes Shifnal Town 3 Mossley 1. Town move up to 3rd, the Lilywhites fall to 15th.

Comedy Keeper Seels Ammies' Triumph !

And so to Seel Park, home of Mossley AFC, The Lilywhites, for their eagerly awaited clash with much hyped Salford City, The Ammies.

Mossley AFC was formed in 1903 as Park Villa, changing their name to Mossley Juniors and then Mossley AFC in 1909. They moved into Seel Park in 1912, which at 850 feet above sea level is the fourth highest non-league ground in the country.

The club were non-league giants in the 1970s, featuring in the Granada TV show 'Mossley Goes To Wembley' but overreached themselves and only avoided financial oblivion by selling their ground to the local council, who leased it back to them. In 2009 two floodlight pylons collapsed and the rest were condemned....

Salford was set up in 1940 as Salford Central, becoming Salford Amateurs (hence the Ammies nickname) in 1963 and then to City in 1989. Earlier this year they were bought by five of the Class of 92, Butt, Scholes, Giggs and the Neville brothers - and not surprisingly changed the club colours from tangerine to red !

Over new tram tracks, past the Crystal Methodist's Pyramid and it's off the M60 at the sign for 'Tameside tourist attractions'. Skirting Staly Vegas and passing Frisky Meadows Cats Hotel, it's into Mossley with Seel Park on a tiny side street, next to the Highland Laddie pub, alongside the Bottoms area of the town.

There's an impressive tree house in the front garden of the property next to the ground, and a blue plaque commemorating the club inside. To the left is a small main stand, and on the right the boardroom, Bob Murphy Suite and a bar with balcony, from which several people sit watching the entire match.

The Park End is a covered terrace, but there is no sign of the Mossley Ultras - just one freeloader watching from the trees. On the far side is another part covered terrace, framed by panoramic hill views, and the top end is raised terrace, complete with one tangerine and black SCFC flag, and an emergency exit open into the local primary school. In the corner is a tractorway onto the pitch and a curious brick wall, the last remnant of a building pulled down.

The image is of a ground chiselled into the hillside, an undulating pitch and some quite glorious views. In keeping with the setting, the tannoy is no match for the church bells that start pealing before kick off !

Mossley, in white and black naturally, start on top and hit the bar twice early on, once from a downward header from a corner and the other a sweetly struck free kick. Salford, in change dark blue, cannot make head nor tail of the offside trap. Then completely against the run of play, the Ammies' Ashley Dunn scores low into the corner with a deflected shot from a partially cleared corner.

Salford then grow into an injury punctuated half and lead at the break. Half time sees several youngsters take the opportunity to take selfies with Gary Neville, there with his father, Neville Neville - brother Phil presumably on Match of the Day duty, although he was at the midweek game at Warrington.

The second half has the Lilywhites starting well again, although there are chances at both ends. And then Danny Webber, himself from the Class of 92 but largely overshadowed today by his much travelled strike partner, Gareth Seddon, has his moment in the sun. Andy Smart's clever ball holds up in the wind and Webber pounces on it, drawing the keeper and then deftly curling it into the corner, past three defenders on the line, for 2-0.

Salford think they have won the game and withdraw their strike force. This backfires when they concede a daft penalty that sub Douglas Carroll confidently sweeps home.

Hopes of a Mossley fightback come to naught however as with three minutes left that comedy moment arrives. The Mossley keeper attempts to launch a long clearance from by the corner flag - it goes all of 30 yards and straight to Ammies substitute, Jamie Rother, who rolls it into an unguarded net for 3-1 finalizado to leave Salford top.