The Seasiders led 2-0 at half-time thanks to a Stephen Walker brace, before a 79th-minute strike from Bailey Marsden was backed up by Mateusz Kardacz’s leveler in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

In extra-time, the visitors gained the lead four minutes from time with Luke Barlow firing home inside the box, before Walker’s 119th-minute penalty crept home to make it 3-3, despite Finley Madigan initially saving.

Haslam’s side would eventually exit in the resulting penalty shoot-out, with Madigan’s heroics seeing the Lilywhites through to host Chorley in the Second Round Qualifying.

And the Whitby Town boss was unhappy with how his side squandered a 2-0 lead in the replay.

“It’s disappointing,” Haslam reflected.

“It’s a real low point for me and for us as a group.

“For 65 minutes we’ve dominated the game and they looked all out when we were 2-0 up.

“We didn’t get the third. We probably weren’t good enough in front of goal considering we’ve had a lot of opportunities.

“When Mossley scored their first goal, we just absolutely collapsed.

“It’s the thing that’s reared its ugly head over the last four games. We’re massively struggling with the direct game.

“We’re not dealing with it at the back and it’s something we were used to in the past, where we would see those kinds of games out.

“At this moment in time, we’re very weak mentally and physically against experienced teams who play direct football and it’s been our undoing.”

Early on it was the visitors looked to strike first, with Aderemi Efunnuga firing wide on the volley following a free-kick, while Reece Webb-Foster drilled a low effort just off target moments later.

The Seasiders responded through Walker, whose flick towards goal was saved, before Aaron Haswell was denied by a strong defensive block.

And on twenty minutes it was Walker who would open the scoring for the Seasiders. Haswell won the ball well in the middle of the park, allowing Joe Wheatley to slip a neat ball through to Walker. The forward chopped the ball inside before drilling a low effort past Madigan.

Walker continued to cause problems for the visitors, with a low effort forcing Madigan into a save.

The Lilywhites - despite being a division below the Seasiders - had chances to level matters with Mason Fawns firing over and Obua Mugalula curling narrowly wide.

Walker - a constant thorn in Mossley’s side - came close again for Whitby, drilling a low effort narrowly wide of the mark.

He would soon have his and the Blues’ second of the evening though. Alfie Doherty gratefully capitalised on Madigan’s poor clearance on the edge of the area. He cut the ball back to Walker who takes a touch before firing home.

And it could’ve been three on the stroke of half-time, though Joe Gibson could only fire over the bar following a miscommunication between Madigan and Mark Lees saw the ball drop to him in the box.

The second half saw Whitby look to extend the lead and establish themselves on the front foot. Gibson cut inside onto his right foot, though saw his effort denied by Madigan who was able to gather before Alfie Doherty can get to the loose ball.

Lewis Hawkins was the next to go close, hitting the target from distance, though the Mossley gloveman was right behind the shot.

Chances continued to come for the Seasiders, with Priestley Griffiths going close when shooting off balance, and Gibson firing over the bar after a free-flowing move.

But ultimately an all too familiar pattern of profligacy in front of goal coupled with an inability to defend against the direct game of a physical side became Whitby’s undoing once again.

The warning shot across the Seasiders’ bows was Mugalula heading powerfully wide from close range, before the visitors found their way back into the game. Reece Webb-Foster squared to Marsden who smashed it into the net.

And with that the visitors kept going in search of their leveler. Eric Yahaya forced a save from Shane Bland, before Bland got a hand to Fawns’ cross before the hosts cleared.

The equaliser would come, deep into second-half stoppage time. Madigan’s direct ball forward bounced to Marsden, he beat Darcy to the ball and prodded it into the path of full-back Kardacz, who gratefully fired home inside the box to force an extra thirty minutes.

Connor Smith could have put Whitby back in front four minutes after the game got back underway, though he could only poke his effort wide from close range.

The visitors smelled blood, however, following their spirited comeback, and had chances of their own to win the game, with Yahaya dragging wide before Nathan Thomas saw an effort
blocked at the other end.

Yahaya again went close, smashing over the crossbar before Mossley eventually found the goal that put them in front. Marsden’s free-kick from deep dropped to Barlow, who turned the ball home inside the box.

With the game heading to a conclusion, Mossley looked to hold out. There was hope for Whitby, however, moments from time. Nathan Thomas found a way into the penalty area before being felled, with Liam Smith pointing to the spot.

Walker stepped up and stroked the penalty towards the bottom-left corner. Madigan saved the spot-kick, though the ball spun from his grasp and found a way into the opposite side of his net to make it 3-3 and force a penalty shootout.

From the spot, both sides netted their first three spot kicks, before Madigan made himself the hero, saving Haswell and Jassem Sukar’s efforts from twelve yards, with Marsden’s penalty - Mossley’s fourth in the shootout - ensuring the visitors’ progression to the Second Round Qualifying.

Whitby Town: Bland, Griffiths (Thomas ‘95), Collins, Darcy, Sukar ©, Haswell, Hawkins, Wheatley (Smith ‘62), Walker, Gibson, Doherty. Subs not used: Parkinson, Cranston (GK).

Goals: Walker ‘20, ‘42, ‘120 (P)

Yellow Cards: Wheatley ‘29; Hawkins ‘70; Haswell ‘89; Doherty ‘115

Mossley: Madigan, Marrow, Kardacz, Brewster (Williams ‘108), Lees ©, Barlow, Webb-Foster, Efunnuga (Marsden ‘56), Yahaya, Fawns, Mugalula. Subs not used: Mialkowski, Sherratt, Masindo.

Goals: Marsden ‘79; Kardacz ‘90+5; Barlow ‘116

Yellow Cards: Webb-Foster ‘19; Fawns ‘70; Fish ‘72; Brewster ‘82

Referee: Liam Smith
Assistants: Matthew Carroll, George Roberts

Attendance: 348