Dave Parker

BRIGHOUSE TOWN’S striker Eli Hey has in the past week returned to former club Pontefract Collieries. The Mytholmroyd-based cattle farmer apparently wanted to make more starts than coming off the bench which he had been doing for most of Town’s league and cup games before the December pause in the season owing to the pandemic.

A prolific scorer for Pontefract ahead of breaking a leg ironically against Town two and a half years ago, new manager Craig Rouse, who has left Worksop Town to take over from Andy Monkhouse, has made him his first signing. Rouse is a former player and assistant coach at Pontefract and said he knows fully what Hey is capable of. Before joining Town, Hey played at Eccleshill United to get back his match fitness and then for a short spell at Colne before Vill Powell moved in to capture him.

This departure could see a return to the Yorkshire Payments Stadium of striker Joe Jagger who left the club in November on a dual registration to play with Toolstation Northern Counties East League Division One club Campion. Ahead the league pausing later in December he helped the Bradford club into second place behind leaders Emley. Town’s reserve keeper George Clarke is also out on a dual permit at Campion.

With the return from over a year out through injury of Mohammed `TJ’ Ibrahim plus Hey, Laurence Sorhaindo, Eddie Church, Jack Boyle and Alhassane Keita, something had to give up front and it was Jagger who moved out.

Town’s manager also has a couple of irons in the fire for two new players of his own for when football is allowed again after putting seven day notices on them.

Former FC Halifax Town and Ossett United wide man Shiraz Khan is looking likely with a closure of the season imminent to go into next season still serving four matches for two dismissals ahead of the League pausing. He did clear one with the Workington game on Saturday, December 19.

Town will also be awaiting news from Keita’s Leeds-based solicitor to see if he has finally got his clearance to work and play football in this country after over two years of nothing positive coming to fruition for the former French Guinea resident. Although Kieta is now fluent in English,his sponsor for this season, former Elland Brooksbank teacher Martin Pearmain does converse with him in French while encouraging him to tie up the loose ends while there is inactivity out on the pitch.

THERE WAS some good news for Brighouse Town on the financial front over the past weekend as the Government finally turned their original £10 million offer of Winter Sport Survival aid loans into grant-aid.

Now Steps 3-6-Town are Step 4-will have to send in claims for their grant aid and Town’s treasurer Dave Wormald has been busy this week filling in the forms and hoping his work will bring the club the maximum for the step Town are in of £15,000. Clubs at Step 3 can send proof for a maximum of £27,000, Step 3 the £15,000 and Step 5 £10,500 and Step 6 £7,500.

“I have had a word with Ray McLaughlin on the ground grading expense we may well run up this month including refurbishing our hospitality room until we get something better and then there are other issues like the stand roof and pitchside advertising board maintenance through weathering,” enlightened Wormald.

“It is obvious a lot of work went on behind the scenes by the FA and our League heirachy to alter this into grant money rather than loans which did not appeal at all, especially when there is no date soon about a return to having spectators back in the grounds to see some football start the income streams running again,” he added.