Lancaster City 4-1 Mossley

Lancaster City halted Mossley’s play-off charge with an emphatic win at Giant Axe on Saturday.
Sam Bailey.Sam Bailey.
Sam Bailey.

Goals from Sam Bailey and Aaron Taylor gave the hosts a two-goal half-time lead before fine team goals from Matty Poole and Ryan Winder made sure of the points late on.

Michael Fish scored a late consolation from the penalty spot in stoppage time but the game was long since over as a contest.

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The Greater Manchester side arrived at Giant Axe having won their last three and only lost two of 18 since Boxing Day but Darren Peacock and Trevor Sinclair saw their Dolly Blues side win with relative ease in glorious spring sunshine.

Billy Akrigg had the game’s first chance and brought a good low save from Liam Flynn as he rose highest to meet Sam Bailey’s cross at the end of a flowing move on six minutes.

Mossley were bright in an even opening however and Sam Robinson’s hooked effort just before the quarter hour was inches wide with Mike Hale rooted to the spot in the City goal.

It was City who went in front however, Bailey’s effort from 30 yards taking a deflection off the head of Tom Dean on its way to beating Flynn low to his left.

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Mossley were still well in the contest at that point but despite pressurising the City area the visitors couldn’t find a way back into the game.

Garry Hunter saw a shot land on the roof of the net before Taylor doubled the Dolly Blues’ advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Josh Draycott’s searching ball found Akrigg on the left with the midfielder feeding Taylor who on his return to the side cut in on the left corner of the area before unleashing a fierce shot that found its way through the legs of Flynn and in.

The expected Mossley response after the interval didn’t materialise as the second half drifted for long periods.

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Akrigg saw a fine effort from distance tipped round the post just before the hour mark by Flynn but it had turned into a scrappy affair as a limited Mossley side tried to find a way back into the game.

City’s third was a rare moment of quality 15 minutes from time as Peacock’s side made sure of the points.

Taylor laid the ball off for Draycott who dinked the ball into the area where Poole took a touch before firing past Flynn one-on-one.

Mossley showed fleeting signs of life, Fish firing over and Kyle McGonigle curling a free-kick into the arms of Hale, before the Blues added further gloss to the scoreline three minutes from time.

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Hunter found Draycott with a defence-splitting pass and the advancing midfielder unselfishly squared for Winder to score the fourth with a low shot from 10 yards out.

City will have been disappointed that the final goal was Mossley’s, Fish making no mistake from 12 yards after Neil Marshall had been penalised for handball.

But it could take nothing away from a return to form at Giant Axe as City ended a run of two defeats on home soil.

Lancaster City: Hale, Bailey (Clark 67), Hudson (Marshall 24), Davis, Freeland, Hunter (capt), Winder, Akrigg, Poole (Pearce 77), Taylor, Draycott. Subs not used: Wearing, Donlon.

Booked: Freeland.

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Mossley: Flynn, Henson, Bennett, Dean, Hevingham, McGonigle, Robinson, Barrow (Fish 57), Keogh (capt), Pratt, Ahmadi (Warburton 67). Subs not used: Granite, McDonnell, Anderson.

Booked: Keogh.

Referee: David McNamara.

Attendance: 229.

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