Former Mossley defender believes decision was right to leave Lilywhites

Former Mossley defender Ben Richardson admits it was difficult to leave the Lilywhites in January, but feels his intentions were in the right place and justified.

Ben, who teaches at Canon Burrows Church of England Primary School in Ashton, re-joined the Lilywhites for another spell last summer and was relishing the chance to join a promising squad under then manager Dave Wild.

The former Glossop North End man, who helped the Hillmen reach the FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium in 2009, enjoyed a promising start to life  at Seel Park with the Lilywhites winning four, drawing four, and losing two of their opening ten games in the BetVictor North West.

Ben popped up with his first goal in the 2-2 draw at Widnes on October 1, before adding another in the 2-0 victory over Marine on January 18. The goal itself, a thunderous strike from the left hand side of the 18-yard box, proved to be Ben’s last kick in a Mossley shirt as he signed for Ramsbottom United just 72 hours later.

In doing so, Ben linked up with former Glossop boss Chris Willcock, who had the Rams in second place and one point behind leaders Workington. At the same time, Mossley were 10th in the table and eight points outside playoffs. Despite the obvious difference in league positions, Ben, who had scooped December’s Player of the Month award, said it was a wrench to leave Mossley for the title-chasing Rams as he had unfinished business at Seel Park. Speaking to Reporter Sport, he said: “It was hard to leave and it was something I didn’t want to do. As results weren’t going our way, I felt we had to change our style of play to be more defensive. It was made clear that I might not feature as regularly as I’d like towards the end of the season but that’s just football and decisions have to be made.

“The squad that was built over the summer at Mossley should have no doubt been challenging for the title. Dave signed players like Adam Morgan, Ryan Brooke and Simon Lenighan who had dropped down a few levels to play for Mossley, so I knew the ambition of the club was huge. On the other hand, we had injuries to lots of key players like Godwin Adabaki, Astley Mullholland and Paul Marshall, but I still felt we had enough quality to be successful. 

“Looking back at last season at a whole, I feel as though we underachieved.”

Upon hearing that former boss Willcock had shown interest in re-signing him, Ben endured conflicting emotions. He knew how well Ramsbottom were doing but, on the other hand, he wanted to end the season with the Lilywhites and mark a personal milestone.

But he made the tough decision to leave the club and believes the decision, based on personal reasons, has since been justified. “When Chris had seen that I had been on the bench for a couple of games he approached the club to see what the situation was” said Ben.

“I’ve played for him for a number of years and always maintained a good relationship with him. However, when I found out that Ramsbottom had approached the club to sign me, considering how well they were doing in the league, I still didn’t want to leave Mossley as I still had unfinished business in the season and was approaching my 200^th game for the club. 

“I ended up having an honest chat with Dave where I felt the decision to leave would be the best for me personally. It was a good opportunity to go to a team challenging for a title and playing for a manager who I have played for before and been successful with.”

Unfortunately for Ben - and everybody connected with Ramsbottom for that matter - he was unable to help his side to a potential promotion as the Northern Premier League made the decision to null and void the season following the coronavirus outbreak. The decision drew mixed responses with many suggesting it was made in haste. 

Ben said he was gutted but, given the current situation, understands the reasons for doing so - despite it being hard to take. “We’d just beaten Marine at their place not long after beating Workington at home and felt we were the form team going into the final third of the season. But, looking at the bigger picture, the Bet Victor North West is the least of anyone’s worries when so many people are fighting for their lives. 

“It’s about making sure that everyone stays safe, together and comes out the other side of this virus healthy.”

Owing to the current situation, Ben and the majority of non-league players are now classed as free agents, but with no indication as to when next season will begin, he has no idea who he will be playing for. But he says that given the current climate, football is the last thing on his mind. 

Ben says there are more important things to consider, including his pupils, who he can’t take care of in school on a one-to-one basis due to suffering with asthma. However, he has been inspired by the efforts put in by his colleagues to keep pupils active from home. “The school is open to the children of key workers, so it’s hugely important to try and keep the rest of the children active with the #StayAtHomeChallenge. It might create a little competition against siblings, parents and other family members to give them something to focus towards and stay active. I’m extremely lucky to work with amazing staff who are willing to join in and set challenges for the children.” 

Picture by Martyn Nolan @BeansOnToastUK