REPORT | Mossley 1-0 Widnes

Widnes left Seel Park pointless and with a tinge of frustration after a narrow defeat at Mossley on Tuesday night.

Jack Banister’s 29th minute goal was enough to condemn the Whites to a second league defeat of the season despite an evenly matched contest in the foothills of the Pennines.

Manager Michael Ellison felt Widnes that had done enough to earn at least a point and was aggrieved at the decision not to award his side a second half penalty.

He made three changes to the side that beat Trafford in the FA Cup in a bid to freshen things up at the start of a run of three games in six days.

Widnes reverted to a back four and there was a first start of the season for Kai Shorrock at right back while captain Steven Irwin and Eddie Servuts earned recalls.

Mossley edged the early proceedings although Nicky Clee would have breathed a sigh of relief that neither the referee nor the linesman on the near side spotted his flagrant elbow that caught James Steele in the face after just five minutes.

Oumar Camara headed over with the hosts’ first real sight of goal while Bailey Marsden really should have done better when he latched on to Will Shepherd’s cut back, blazing over.

Widnes responded well, however, with Servuts forcing a good save out of Chris Thompson after racing on to a Jack Byrne through ball.

And the Whites spurned a good opportunity to take the lead on the stroke of the half-hour when Steele wriggled free but he shot straight at Thompson when he really would have been better served squaring for Sean Miller.

Less than one minute later, Mossley were ahead.

Kane Hickman floated a deep cross towards the back-post where the former Widnes man Banister ghosted in just ahead of Shorrock to finish emphatically.

Widnes never really got to grips with Mossley’s diamond midfield in the first half and the Lilywhites went in at the interval in front.

Ellison rolled the dice following the second half restart, reverting to a 3-4-1-2 formation with Louis Isherwood brought on as a centre-half which gave Miller greater licence to roam in between the lines.

And the Whites really should have been awarded a penalty midway through the half.

Steele challenged Josh Dickin and drove at his man to the byline where he was tripped by the defender’s dangling leg but referee Andrew Daniels, who had a great view, waved away the incensed Widnes appeals.

The points were slipping away from Widnes and they were inches away from a stoppage time leveller.

Irwin floated a free kick into the area that found the unmarked Isherwood, but he could only glance wide with the faintest of headers as the Whites fell to defeat.