Trafford retained their third place in the Northern Premier League West Division despite a desperately disappointing 3-0 defeat by Mossley on Tuesday night.
The visitors made a dream start when, after just six minutes, a cross from the right ricocheted to Joe Berks who volleyed neatly home from the edge of the penalty area.
Ryley Smith rounded off a slick move with a drive straight at Mossley keeper Finley Madigan who then expertly pushed a goal-bound shot by Damola Sotona past his right hand upright.
Brad Byrne saw his shot from 30 yards deflected just wide and Smith fired just over but Mossley finished the first half strongly with danger-man Obua Mugalula cutting in from the left and blasting his shot into the side-netting.
The second half began disastrously for Karl Marginson’s side when, just thirty seconds after the re-start, Mossley striker Eric Yahaya burst through and was upended by home keeper Ollie Culkin. Former Trafford midfielder Mason Fawns stepped forward to confidently convert the resultant penalty and put his team 2-0 ahead.
Brad Byrne fired over as Trafford desperately sought a way back into the game but on the hour mark the outstanding Mugalula left three defenders in his wake in a brilliant run from the half-way line and coolly clipped the ball past the advancing Culkin.
Rio Clegg shot well wide and Matty Morgan saw his volley cleared off the line as the well-drilled Mossley defence restricted Trafford to long range attempts at goal and the closest Marginson’s team came to snatching a consolation goal arrived seven minutes into injury time when Kanye Nisbett glanced a header just wide.
This was undoubtedly Trafford’s poorest performance of the season to date but they can take heart from the fact that they trail league leaders Vauxhall Motors by just three points with a game in hand and can rectify matters by getting back to winning ways on Saturday when they travel to play Nantwich Town, kick off 3 p.m.