Whilst it's far too early in the season to label a match a "relegation six pointer", it's difficult to see this game as anything else given the start these two teams have had.
Lets put it this way, here's a basic form guide from the beginning of the season till now:
Mossley AFC: League: Lost 2-1, Drew 1-1, Lost 4-0, Drew 2-2, Lost 3-1, Lost 4-0. FA Cup: Drew 0-0, Lost 4-0.
Ossett Albion: League: Lost 4-2, Lost 3-0, Lost 3-0, Lost 2-1, Lost 3-1, Won 3-0. FA Cup: Lost 6-0.
It's obvious that a combination of a lack of goals and leaky defences is a problem for both teams, and this combination makes it difficult to know what to expect - whilst there's every chance that poor finishing will lead to two poor teams cancelling each other out in a boring game with few goals, there's also the possibility that both defences will be so poor that each team could be gifted a number of "sitters", leading to a high scoring scrap. Or maybe after not seeing a single Mossley goal in the previous 3 home games I'm just clutching at straws!!
The poor start for both teams has left Ossett Albion 20th (third to bottom) joint with 3 other teams on 3 points, with Mossley bottom of the table on 2 points.
Both teams could argue they've had a difficult start, having both already played against Witton Albion, Skelmersdale United, AFC Fylde and Curzon Ashton. Some at Mossley pointed to this as the main reason for being bottom of the table, but after being humiliated 4-0 at Runcorn Linnets from the division below it's increasingly looking like it could be a long hard season.
Ossett Albion are used to this scenario in recent years, having finished second to bottom in the previous two seasons. Both times this should have seen them relegated, with two teams supposed to go down each year, but due to reprieves because of teams folding, not going up or down into this league etc, they've remained in this division.
The worry for them and any other struggling team in the Evo-Stik Division One North is that the previous two clubs that've finished bottom of this league and been relegated - Leigh Genesis and Rossendale United - have both ceased to exist shortly after.
The early signs are that this season will be another struggle for Ossett Albion, who until the latest league matches on Monday August 29th had lost every game. Mossley were taken by surprise on that day, as after Curzon's 4-0 demolition job at Seel Park, news filtered through that Ossett Albion had beaten Durham City 3-0 to put Mossley bottom of the league.
Optimism from this victory has likely been stifled in the following weeks however, with Ossett Albion being ripped apart 6-0 at home to Witton Albion in the FA Cup, made all the worse by current top scorer Richard Tracey (scorer of Ossett Albion's 4 games in their past 2 league games, including a hat-trick in their 3-0 win vs Durham) going off with a hamstring injury which may keep him out tomorrow.
In the past 2 seasons when Ossett Albion have finished in a relegation place, Mossley have twice beaten them at home, 2-1 in 09/10 and a 4-0 trouncing in 10/11. But at home Ossett Albion have caused Mossley problems, a 1-1 draw last season and they beat Mossley 2-0 the season before. With Mossley obviously a much weaker team than last season, Ossett Albion will surely be hoping to take at least a point from their visit to Seel Park this time round.
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