Catch-up #4 - Stalybridge Celtic v Gainsborough Trinity

Two-goal hero Chris Simm ...

... crazy stuff - always the beauty of the last match of the season ... especially when there's something riding on it !!!! 1-0 up - 3-1 up - and it finishes 4-4 (unless you were somewhere else checking out BBC or Sky final results which had the game as 4-5 (heart attacks in Stalybridge and celebrations in Colwyn Bay - err no !)).  Certainly a damn sight better performance from Celtic than on Tuesday though.  Must admit that's the beauty of Facebook/Twitter/Tellyweb these days - you can keep totally up to date on what's going on elsewhere.  At the end of the day - Celtic stay up - who'd have thought that 6 weeks ago ???  Much praise to Manager Liam Watson for pulling it out of the hat.  Pics from the game at

Stalybridge Celtic 4 Gainsborough Trinity 4 

Next game for me is Tuesday evening up at Hurst Cross - and THAT promises to be a good 'un - Ashton United v Curzon Ashton in the Evo Premier Play-Off semi-final.
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Catch-up #3 - Laura Marling

... last seen at Kirkwall Cathedral whilst on holiday in the Orkneys three years ago - now it was a Friday night at the Albert Hall in Manchester - what an amazing venue !!! Excellent gig - a little more rocky than last time as well (nice Rickenbacker as well !!).

Some crummy cameraphone pics below ..

Catch-up #2 - Mossley v Curzon Ashton

 Mossley goalscorer John Bennett

... in the Manchester Premier Cup Final

The game got off to an explosive start with John Bennett scoring after just 15 seconds !! I was still walking round to the "correct end" so bloomin' well missed it !!  From then on it was pretty much the Alamo for the Mossley defence ... holding out until three minutes from time.  No extra-time so it was straight to penalties with Mossley coming out on top.  Pics from the game at

Curzon Ashton 1 Mossley 1 (1-3 on penalties)

Some well deserved silverware from what has been an excellent season for Mossley - only missing out on the play-offs by a couple of points (oh that Brighouse away game - aargh !!).  Curzon now have to ready themselves for the Evo Prem Play-Off Semi-Final.
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Catch-up #1 - Stalybridge Celtic v Bradford Park Avenue

Trying to find a a way through ...

... with just a point required for safety - Celtic choke ... confidence was high after recent results, but unfortunately it was a bad night at the office.  Some pics from the game at

Stalybridge Celtic 0 Bradford Park Avenue 1

... so it's all down to the final game of the season against Gainsborough Trinity ...
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Severe Backlog Building Up ....

Aaargh !!!!

OK - Stalybridge on Tuesday ... less said about that the better ... Mossley v Curzon on Wednesday ... the more said about that the better !!! Just haven't got round to pics yet because of above ... Thursday was Wedding Anniversary - so out with Mrs Smiffy (a very nice meal at the "Old Original" in Scouthead) ... tonight we're off to Manchester to see Laura Marling.  Therefore the pictures are there - but not yet sorted/tweaked etc etc.  See what time we get back tonight.  Two for starters tho' ...

Stalybridge v Bradford PA on Tuesday - Michael Potts getting surrounded ...

Andy Keogh lifts the Manchester Premier Cup for Mossley on Wednesday ...

Tomorrow ... it's got to be Stalybridge v Gainsborough - I'm sure they WILL get that point (apologies to Ashton United - but I'm sure they'll be well sorted for snappers !!).

It'll all be sorted by Sunday - promise !!!

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Mossley v Clitheroe

Putting your head into mortal danger - Clitheroe 'keeper Callum Jacovlevs ...

Last home game of the season against old foes (and friends off the pitch !) Clitheroe ... thought I'd leave the Curzon game to others (!!).  Half-time - Mossley 4-1 up (OK a minor hiccup at 2-0 when Clitheroe pulled one back) ... all comfy.  To be honest the second half was a bit of an anti-climax (apart from the crazy sending off of John Bennett by referee Mr Carratt ... might as well be Jasper as he was a bit of a comedian with his cards).  Still - a good end to the home season - pics at

Mossley 4 Clitheroe 1

For Mossley - it's on to Wednesday ... the Manchester Premier Cup Final against Curzon Ashton (at Oldham Athletic).  I bought a ticket for the game a fair few weeks ago (at Curzon ironically !!) - buggered if I can find it !!  The "upcoming ticket pile" contains Joanne Shaw Taylor (Uppermill Civic Hall 10th July) and Seth Lakeman (Holmfirth Picturedrome 24th October) ... but no Mossley/Curzon ticket - might have to buy another (unless there's some kind of photographer's blag I can use !).

Before that ... got special dispensation for two midweek games - so off to Bower Fold tomorrow night to see if Stalybridge Celtic can get that one point they need for Conference North safety ... although the way it's been going recently three points should be a cert - but we'll wait and see.
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Odds and Sods from the Midweek

...When the wife's away Mr Smiffy will play - well that's the usual plan - but unfortunately work is not that simple - I could have gone wild this week - Oldham Boro on Wednesday and Curzon Ashton on Thursday - hang on ... I did get up to the Oldham Boro v Daisy Hill game - 15 minutes late (to be told Oldham 2-1 down) - no more goals in the first half - and the club was shut - I buggered off to be honest !!   Anyway here's a pic of Nick Alexander who scored the equaliser after I'd gone  ...

Thursday - a chance to go to Curzon Ashton ... but no - I'm just knackered ... crazy really - wife's away but I'm just not up to it ... Thursday's  photo is not pretty - trains do travel at fast speeds ... just outside of Mossley station ..

We reckon it's a fox ..

Anyways... to cheer you all up - here's Mossley AFC on Wednesday at half-time ...

Saturday football ???  Curzon Ashton at home to Halesowen - the fight for play-off positions continues ... or Mossley v Clitheroe (a meaniningless end of season game) - we'll see what time I finish work ...
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Mossley v Harrogate RA

"Hong Kong Phoey" puts a stop to Rio ...

...  'twas the nght when Mossley's play-off ambitions fell away ...

Pics at 

Mossley 2 Harrogate RA 2

Hey ho - when you weigh up money - which sadly at even Evo 1 level talks - Mossley have had a tremendous season - we could sit down and pick out the games where points have been lost (Brighouse away springs to mind for me - because I was there !!)  - but hey ... a team with pretty much none of that money that Salford City, Darlington 1883 and Spennnymoor have got ... have done very very well.

Scary thing of course this time of the season is ... you hope that they can keep the same squad together for next season - but the pessimist will always say that players will be poached ... even managers can be poached ... and then it's start from scratch all over again - we'll see ....
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Stalybridge Celtic v Boston United

 Michael Powell has just equalised for Celtic ...

... and onto the next "cup final" !!!

Worst possible start for the home team - as in a "Golden Goal" time of 1 (one) Minute !!!  For a while it looked like it was going to get even worse - Boston well on top and creating chances galore.  However as it moved towards half-time - and remained at just 0-1 - thoughts were moving towards the second half (probably after a half-time toasting from the boss of course !) when Celtic would be playing downhill.

And so it was - Celtic got back into the game - a triple substitution brought on more attacking options as well - and the equaliser from Powell was no more than they deserved.  Pics from game at

Stalybridge Celtic 1 Boston United 1

Still not out of the woods yet - some surprising results meant Celtic slip one place - just outside the bottom three.  However they do have a vital game in hand, and two of their final three games are at home.

We shall see ...
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Mossley v New Mills

 

Mike Fish lets fly ...

A Monday off work - however there was a leg of lamb in the fridge - and Mrs Smiffy doesn't do roasts (!!), so travelling was out of the question (my excuse for not being at Guiseley !!!).  A long day out locally mind - I went for the "Seven Hour Slow Roast" option, thus enabling pre- and post-match refreshments !!!

A lovely spring day as well - gloves not required !!  Mossley needed the points after the Saturday slip-up at Lancaster - but relegation-haunted New Mills did not make it easy (a few ex-Mossley players in the team made it that much more "personal" I guess - however it took most of the first half before Mossley finally made the pressure tell with a goal from (eventual MOM) Tom Pratt.  A second goal early into the second half made the points safe - it was pretty comfy after that IMHO !!!  Pics from the game at

Mossley 2 New Mills 0

(Plus a few from the apres-Match tipple down at the "Britannia" ... when a couple of immaculate Harley Davidsons turned up).  Left before the Man City debacle - but the lamb was perfect - just fell off the bone !!!
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Easter Sunday Walk ...

 Looking down on the fast-flowing Strid ...

A dry day - so why not ??  A quick drive up to the Yorkshire Dales - park car at Bolton Abbey (£8 ?? A touch pricey !!!) and a wander "over the tops" before descending and returning along the River Wharfe.  Pics at

Wharfedale Walk 05Feb15

Back to football today - Mossley v New Mills is the "order of service" ...
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Stalybridge Celtic v Harrogate Town

Celtic match winner Aidan Chippendale ...

... the latest in a "short line" of cup finals for Celtic in their attempt to avoid relegation ...

A fairly even - if low-key - first 20 minutes sparked into life with two goals in six minutes ... with Michael Powell turning from hero to villain in that short time !!  All square at half-time and Celtic kicked off downhill knowing that only a win would do.  It came - eventually - with what has been described a a "freak" winner by Aidan Chippendale with only a couple of minutes left (although if you actually look at my picture of the "cross-cum-shot", the facial expression - to me anyway - says that he meant it !!).  So ... three more points for Celtic - and with Brackley, Leamington and Colwyn Bay all losing - the "great escape" is still on ... pics from the game at

Stalybridge Celtic 2 Harrogate Town 1 

Easter Monday sees a trip to Guiseley (never a happy hunting ground for Stalybridge) - but who knows ?? If they show the same fight and passion that was shown on Saturday - you never know.

Mossley's play-off aspirations took a bit of a nose-dive with a 1-4 away defeat at Lancaster City - similar for Curzon Ashton with a surprise 0-1 home defeat to Nantwich Town.  Ashton United meanwhile continue to make progress with a 2-0 win away at Stamford.  Droylsden suffered a 2-5 reverse at Darlington - no game for Hyde.
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