The Pitmen's horrendous run of losing form shows no sign of abating this afternoon as an early strike from Oumar Camara earns hosts Mossley all three points at a drenched Seel Park

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Four defeats on the bounce so far in September had seen Danny Glover's team slide into the bottom three of the Northern Premier League West table, leaving them susceptible to dropping to the foot of the table today if results went against them. Glover had reacted to the mounting pressure on him to fix the leaky and error-strewn defence with three new faces coming in ahead of today's trip up to Lancashire; veteran centre-back Ritchie Sutton had arrived from Whitchurch Alport, whilst right-back Lucas Yeomans had returned to Keys Park after leaving Redditch united. Finally, young goalkeeper Ryan Brown had been loaned to the Pitmen from league rivals Kidsgrove Athletic for the next three months as Glover looked for more continuity and consistency in what had become a highly problematic position for the club in recent weeks. All three new boys came straight into the side as Glover rang the changes from the side that had been beaten by Hanley Town two weeks ago as Brown came in for Jack Richards, Sutton replaced Sam Paddock at centre-back and Yeomans replaced Callam Mendez-Jones. Further up the pitch, Tom Thorley also returned to the side in place of the suspended Desean Martin in midfield, Joe Thompson made his full debut as he was preferred to Jacob Gwilt and Reinaldo Forbes was rewarded for a bright cameo against Hanley Town with a start as he replaced the now-departed Rivel Mardenborough

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Mossley - sitting in ninth place in the table ahead of play - had also sat out last weekend's round of matches after being knocked out of the F.A. Cup the previous week after a replay at Emley. Manager David Fish made two changes to his Lilywhites side for their return to Seel Park as Josh Dickin replaced Luke Barlow and Camara came in for Eden Bailey

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Incessant rain fell upon the Seel Park pitch ahead of kick-off as the two sets of players and supporters were greeted to soggy surroundings. The Pitmen's team coach had been late arriving at the ground and had allowed the Hednesford players and management under half an hour of preparation before kick-off. This seemed to be a major factor in the away side's slow start to the game as Mossley attacked from the off and pushed their visitors back with regular early attacks down the left wing. In the second minute, Joe Richards made a run down the flank and looked to pick out Camara in the six-yard box at the near post, but saw the low ball in from wide collected by Brown at his near post

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A minute later, former Guiseley and Bradford (Park Avenue) man Nicky Clee put in another low cross from the left that was aimed in the general direction of the incoming Camara, only for Michael Williams to scoop the ball clear on this occasion

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However, Mossley's early pressure down the left saw them grab the all-important opening goal of the game in the fourth minute; Banister picked up a clearance from Sam Griffiths and played the ball out to Mark Lees on the left-hand side of the box. His low cross looked like bread and butter for Brown at his near post, only for the debutant to make a terrible hash of the claim and spill it straight into the path of the incoming Camara, who had the simple task of turning the ball home underneath the goalkeeper's body from a matter of inches out. A terribly soft goal to concede so early on in the game and was perhaps indicative of the Pitmen's rotten season so far

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The Pitmen looked to create an immediate response but Jez Abbey's over-willingness to try and take the ball past Joe Richards as he attacked down the right saw the Dutchman concede a soft foul and handed the ball back to the visitors

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Neat build-up play from the Pitmen in the eighth minute saw Jack Kelly and Thorley link up to switch play from left to right as they found Abbey in space on the right flank. His ball back inside to Joe Thompson saw the former Newcastle Town man thread a clever first-time ball through towards Glover, only for Clee to make a covering tackle and clear before Glover could get a shot away

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Two minutes later, Mossley went close to adding to their advantage as they struck the woodwork through Camara; Kane Hickman's long ball forwards found Camara in space, running at a retreating Hednesford defence. His well-struck effort from just outside the penalty area beat Brown but cannoned off the outside of the post and away from danger. A let-off for the visitors, who yet again looked all at sea at the back

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Forbes looked to be the Pitmen's best bet for an early breakthrough as his bright and adventurous wing play on the left saw him dance past several Mossley challenges in the opening quarter of the game. The excellent Williams sent him away down the left on fourteen minutes with a fine run and pass of his own, with the winger jinking inside a couple of challenges but seeing his cross towards Joe Thompson hacked away

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The Pitmen's set-pieces this season had largely been woeful in their delivery, with Kelly producing another frustratingly wasteful cross a minute later as he floated a ball into the box which was easily claimed under no pressure by Mossley goalkeeper Chris Thompson

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The rain intensified somewhat as the half progressed, with the pitch becoming slick and difficult for the players to keep their feet at times. The Pitmen - playing down the slope in the first half - saw several punts forward run away from the likes of Abbey and Forbes and out of play before they could take advantage

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A quick break down the left once more for Mossley on twenty-two minutes saw Joe Richards get the better of the nervy-looking Yeomans and send over a fine cross into the box that was headed narrowly wide of goal by Camara

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A rare foray into the Mossley half from the all-red Pitmen on twenty-five minutes saw Forbes do well as he drifted in from the left and laid the ball off to Glover, who saw his initial effort blocked by Clee. The ball ran to Joe Thompson, whose follow-up effort from eighteen yards out was also blocked and cleared. Williams also tried his luck with a long-range effort after wrestling the ball from Clee but drove his effort high and wide of goal

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A corner kick for Mossley on the half-hour mark was cleared by the head of Glover as far as Shepherd, who played it back to Clee on the edge of the box. His cross to the far post was met by ex-Guiseley man Shane Killock, whose header ended up in the side netting as he beat Kelly to the cross

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Joe Thompson felt a little aggrieved with referee Mr Clayton on thirty-two minutes as he felt that Josh Dickin had pulled him back by the shirt to stop him from breaking into the penalty area. However, the match official was unimpressed with the midfielder's complaints and play continued

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With ten minutes of the first half remaining, Mossley made another good move down the left as Clee played the ball out to Richards in space, with the left-back picking Clee out once more with a return pass. The ball ran to Hickman, whose first-time shot from twenty yards out flew well wide of goal

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A deep outswinging cross from Kelly on the left on forty-one minutes was flicked on by Glover to Abbey, who did well to rescue the ball on the right and pull the ball back to Joe Thompson, whose first-time effort was deflected behind for a Hednesford corner kick

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Banister picked up a Killock header on the right a minute later, running at Kelly before taking a shot at goal on the run but firing well wide of Brown's far post as he cut across the ball

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It had been much of what we have come to expect from the Pitmen in the first half so far at the break; sloppiness at the back costing them a goal and a lack of cutting edge at the other end meaning Mossley were having one of the easiest forty-five minutes of the season so far against an impotent Hednesford attack. There had been very little for the drenched Hednesford supporters to get excited about, despite them yet again travelling in great numbers to follow their side

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A quick break from Moseley looked to catch the Pitmen on the counter-attack on forty-seven minutes as Chris Thompson claimed yet another poor corner from Kelly and launched the ball up to the run of Keaton Mulvey, only for Thorley's quick thinking to turn the ball away for a corner before the former Rochdale striker could get his shot away

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From the resultant corner, the ball was worked short to the edge of the box where Clee's first-time effort came back off Brown's right-hand post and into the path of Dickin, whose rebounded header was claimed by Brown at the second attempt

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Good play from Forbes on the counter-attack saw the winger drift infield from the left, taking two Mossley players with him before being brought down by Will Shepherd just outside the penalty area. Joe Thompson took the resultant free-kick but drove his low shot straight into the wall to claim another Hednesford corner kick

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It had been a scruffy and disjointed start to the second period from both sides, with corner kicks at both ends being wasted as crosses were easily cleared or overhit on the sodden turf. Forbes continued to look a threat for the Pitmen down the left, making another one of his jinking runs inside on fifty-one minutes and looked to pick out Glover with a cross, only for Dickin to clear his lines well

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Mulvey had two sights at goal in quick succession for the hosts on fifty-six minutes, firstly hitting a curling shot at goal from the right-hand corner of the penalty area that was parried away by Brown in an unconvincing manner before Griffiths completed the clearance. Mulvey picked up the loose ball once more and drilled in a low shot that was blocked by Sutton

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Shortly after the hour mark, Kelly and Mulvey had a coming together on the edge of the Hednesford penalty area after the Hednesford left-back had cleared the ball away from the striker, prompting an angry response from the striker and earning him the game's only yellow card

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The Pitmen's first change of the afternoon came midway through the second half as Joe Thompson's indifferent full debut for the club was brought to an end as he was replaced by Wembanvuanda Star Mayemba. This move saw the Pitmen revert to a 4-4-2 formation that proved to be a more effective set-up for the shot-shy Pitmen in the final quarter of the game

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Mulvey looked to break free of Sutton's clutches on sixty-six minutes as he raced onto Camara's flick, only for an offside flag to be raised against him by the official on the far side of the pitch

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A superb driving run from Williams saw the veteran make a slalom-like run from his own half into the Mossley half on sixty-eight minutes, taking on three men in white before being brought down by Clee thirty yards from goal. Sutton took the resultant free-kick, but more wastefulness ensued for the visitors as Mossley cleared with ease

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Yeomans looked to play Mayemba in on goal with a fine through ball sixty seconds later, only for the young striker to be deemed offside as he made a run into the penalty area

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On seventy minutes, Mossley made their first change of the afternoon as Bailey made a swift return to the side as he came on in place of Banister in attacking midfield

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Three minutes later, the men in red made their second substitution of the afternoon as Abbey - who had struggled to get going all afternoon long - was taken off and replaced by the fit-again Max Dixon

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Patient play from the hosts with fifteen minutes to go saw Clee advance on the Hednesford penalty area and play the ball to Mulvey, whose return ball to Clee saw the midfielder's shot cleared off the line by Griffiths for a corner kick

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From the resultant corner, Brown flapped at the cross from Shepherd as the ball landed at the feet of Camara, who turned the ball into the net. However, the goal was chalked off for an earlier foul on the young goalkeeper in the build-up

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Good play from Forbes two minutes later saw the winger get to the byeline on the left and pull the ball back to Mayemba, who got the ball caught under his feet as he tried to turn the ball goalwards, giving Mossley time to get themselves into position and clear

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Dixon was handed the best chance of the game to level matters for the Pitmen on seventy-eight minutes as a superb threaded ball from Thorley sent the striker away into the Mossley penalty area, with Dixon drawing Chris Thompson off his line and forcing him into a fine save at his near post as the substitute tried to chip the ball over him. In the melee that followed, Glover tried to nod the ball home but could only hit Mayemba before Mossley somehow managed to clear their lines

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A quick break down the right from Mossley a minute later saw Shepherd break and send Mulvey into space in front of him down the flank; he pulled the ball back to Hickman, whose cross was claimed by Brown under pressure from Camara

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With ten minutes remaining, the Lilywhites made their second change of the afternoon as veteran Clee was given a well-earned rest as he was replaced by Andy Keogh

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Brown had to be alert to deny the lively Bailey a chance down the Mossley left flank on eighty-two minutes, racing out of his box to make a clearance as the Mossley substitute broke past Yeomans and looked to get himself in on goal

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A free kick from Shepherd two minutes later was clipped high into the Hednesfortd penalty area, with Brown once again finding it difficult to claim the greasy ball as he required two attempts to catch it alongside a referee's whistle for an earlier foul

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A great run and cross from Dixon with four minutes remaining saw the forward create a pocket of space for himself down the right before delivering a fine cross into the box that no one in red was able to take advantage of

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In the first minute of added time, Mossley's final change of the afternoon saw Shepherd taken off and replaced by Jack Grundy for the final few minutes on the right

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All in all, yet another miserable afternoon for the Hednesford supporters, who are gradually losing faith in the project being put before them as their side continue to look woefully short of all of the basics required to compete at this level; once again, they were eased out of a game by a stronger, more aggressive side that lacks in any real refined play but is simply more aggressive in its approach. Trafford's draw at Newcastle Town sees the Pitmen avoid the ignominy of dropping to the foot of the table, but a repeat of this kind of display and the ones that have seen them lose every game in the month of September next week against a mid-table Runcorn Linnets side next weekend could well see this become a startling reality

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Mossley: C. Thompson, Shepherd (Grundy 90), Joe Richards, Clee (Keogh 80), Dickin, Killock, Hickman ©, Lees, Camara, Mulvey ▆, Banister (Bailey 70)      Subs Unused: Leigh, Sherratt

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Hednesford Town: Brown, Yeomans, Kelly, Thorley, Sutton, Griffiths ©, Abbey (Dixon 73), Williams, Glover, J. Thompson (Mayemba 64), Forbes      Subs Unused: Morley, Gwilt, Jack Richards

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