After a 12 month break from blogging, for various reasons, I've decided to make a return with this pre-season friendly. I last encountered Halifax on my road to Wembley and the opportunity to watch them just down the road from my home seemed perfect as it was also a chance for a re-union with my old partner in crime from the Burnden Park years. The last time me and Dave had sat down to a pre-match pint was in 1997. Shortly after,Bolton left Burnden Park, I left the country and we lost touch and since then Dave had gone back to his home town roots following The Shaymen. As Mossley is only 3 miles down the road, it seemed a nice enough day to take a stroll down the canal, arriving the same time as the visiting fans ready to start the afternoon's drinking.
Having sunk a few pints of Millstone in the excellent Commercial Hotel, we moved up the hill to Top Mossley and into the Highland Laddie next to the ground, which is notable for a brilliant smoking area for a couple more drinks in time for the rather civilised 2pm kick-off time. This year is a special year for Mossley who are celebrating 100 years at their Seel Park ground and the visitors, Halifax are looking forward to their first season in the Blue Square North after winning back to back championships.
On entering the ground, the sun was out and to my delight it was possible to buy a pint and take it onto the terraces - a first time experience for me. It was a decent turn-out for an early July match and the Halifax contingent seemed to be in the majority. Halifax now find themselves two divisions above their hosts and certainly looked it in the early exchanges, going close a couple of times before Jamie Vardy gave them the lead. Mossley immediately pegged them back with an excellent free kick looped into the net by Joe Heap, giving the goalkeeper no chance. Mossley held their own pretty well and were a little unlucky to concede a second just before half-time when a speculative effort from Danny Lowe was deflected into the net. At half time we were entertained by a singer on the pitch with a very good rendition of Nessum Dora.
After surviving a few Mossley forays early in the second half, Halifax took a firm grip on the game and ran up a 5-1 victory with a second from Vardy before Lee Gregory helped himself to a brace - the second going in off the bar and bouncing back out but judged to have crossed for a goal by the eagle-eyed linesman. Everyone was in good spirits and Dave managed to shake the hand of Town manager Neil Aspin as we passed behind the dug-out. He proudly declared the hand would never be washed again, Aspin responded with "I'm washing mine right now. A good days football to whet the appetite for the season ahead and The Shaymen certainly looked good value for a third successive championship and promotion.
