Two penalties from Declan Evans and Jack Banister’s second half strike condemn Marine to a 3-0 home defeat to Mossley.
After the recent drop in form, the Mariners lined up with a change of shape, as Neil Young reverted to a familiar 4-3-3 formation. Mark Howarth partnered Dean Winnard in central defence, as David Lynch, Steve Irwin and James Devine all came in to make up a combative midfield.
Goalkeeper Aidan Dowling also made his debut for Marine, after joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers.
Marine started slowly and were duly punished for their lack of energy in the eighth minute, when Jack Banister was toppled in the penalty area and referee Nathanael Cox awarded Mossley a penalty.
Captain Declan Evans stepped up and calmly fired his spot kick past Marine’s debutant ‘keeper to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
The Mariners responded well to going behind however and began to attack with more intent and zip than had been evident in recent home matches.
Top goal scorer Neil Kengni came close to levelling the scores, after he cut inside and looked to curl one into the top left corner, but Mossley stopper Tom Scott was equal to it, producing a fine stop to keep the away side in front.
Despite an encouraging flurry towards the end of the second half, Marine found themselves a goal down at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half and Scott was once again in top form between the sticks for Mossley, as he kept out Cummins and then Newell with an excellent double save.
Things went from bad to worse for Marine a couple of minutes later, when a defensive mix up saw Howarth attempt to shield the ball back to Dowling. However, the on-loan goalkeeper was hesitant when coming to receive the ball, which allowed Banister to sneak in and tap the ball past Dowling, who consequently brought down the attacker.
Evans stepped up to take the second penalty of the match, once again making no mistake.
The Crosby side’s misery was compounded just after the hour mark, when a long ball over the top of the Marine defence fell to Banister, who slotted past Dowling to make it three. Mossley’s number 11 had been lively all evening, getting in behind on several occasions.
In a night of few positives for the Mariners, one highlight would be Steve Irwin completing a full 90 minutes for the first time in 20 months. Irwin has recently re-signed for the club after taking up a job opportunity in April 2020.
Marine will now quickly turn their attention to Kendal Town, who are currently 19th in the NPL West.
Attendance: 860
Marine: Dowling, Teale (Hughes), Barrigan, Howarth, Winnard, Devine (Reilly), Lynch (Wignall), Irwin, Cummins, Newell, Kengni
