Mossley relishing underdog status

Ask Mossley manager David Fish if he’s confident ahead of the new season, which starts for the Lilywhites in the FA Cup away to Colne on Saturday, and the answer might surprise you.

“Probably not,” the former goalkeeper told the Reporter on Monday. “But if you ask me at 9 o’clock on Thursday night, I think I’ll say yes.”

“It’s been a tough pre-season. We’ve had quite a few trialists in and with the turnover of players it means that we’ve not been able to do as much on the training ground as we’d have liked.

“We need to spend a little bit more time working on things. We had a really good session last Thursday, that showed on Saturday (Mossley beat fellow Step 4 side Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0) - then we have another couple of sessions this week. Those two are vital.”

It’s been a turbulent few months at Seel Park, where a dip in form during the second half of last season, combined with the departure of key players over the summer, has led to a squad rebuild.

“We needed to refresh,” said Fish, who has been Mossley’s boss for four years. “Last season wasn’t what we expected. If you look at the previous two seasons, we improved year-on-year and kept largely the same squad, but last year it just didn’t work.

“I got to the point where I felt we needed to start again and try something different, so we’ve changed the core and brought in a couple of experienced players.”

Former Ashton United and Stalybridge Celtic captain Michael Brewster is the big name among the new intake, while the return of forward Mason Fawns after a season away ignited the hopes of the Lilywhites faithful.

“I spoke to Mason after we played against him last season and you could see he wasn’t quite enjoying his football. He was open to coming back and we worked very hard over the summer to try and make something work for him and for us.

“He’s playing with a smile on his face again, and when he’s happy I think he’s as good as anyone in the league.

“Mason probably wasn’t afforded enough time at Bootle, where he was a big name signing in a side of big names and they wanted instant returns. Then there was a change of manager (Dave McNabb left for Bury, being replaced by Mick McGraa), his face didn’t quite fit, and that can happen in football.

“He knows what he’s getting with us and the fans are absolutely made up.”

Alongside the experienced spine of Fawns, Brewster and new captain Mark Lees, is a dusting of unproven and untested youngsters.

“We’ve got to work with a pretty small budget for our level, and you’re not going to be able to attract those big-name players.

“We’ve got to do our homework and bring players in who want to play and want to progress. Then we can point to the likes of Ben Darby, Devon Matthews and Dec Evans; players who have all been with us and moved on up the pyramid, so we can use that as a way to recruit and bring players in who want to emulate that.”

He picks out two 19-year-olds in midfielder Remi Efunnuga and pacy winger Loui Williams to potentially make an impact, as well as Bailey Marsden, who is on the cusp of a return to action after a year out.

Mossley is a football club that could dwell on past glories. They were one of the leading non-League sides in country at the tail-end of the 1970s and start of the 80s, reaching the FA Trophy final in 1980 and the FA Cup First Round in six of seven seasons from 1977.

This was despite being denied entry to what is now the National League due to Seel Park not passing the ground grading.

Their powerhouse status dwindled as the 80s wore on, and the club continues to cut its cloth with sustainability to the fore. As a result, success for Mossley looks different to success for Stalybridge Celtic, their Northern Premier League West neighbours.

“I’d love to win every game, but you’ve got to be realistic,” said Fish, who turns 44 this Sunday. “If we can get ourselves in the top half, well away from that relegation zone, compete somewhere around mid-table and have a good cup run, I think that’d be a good season.

“It’d be good to have an FA Cup run, it’d be good to have a Manchester Cup run – we've not had one of those in my time at the club, but we have a really rich pedigree with that trophy. Bandy (ex-Mossley boss and now Robbie Savage’s assistant at Macclesfield, Peter Band) won it a couple of times, and it’s a competition we’re going to take seriously this year.”

Mossley travel to Colne in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday, before they begin their league campaign the following Saturday at Newcastle Town.