By David Foy

The Orange Army kicked off their second Friendly of the 2021/22 season with a comfortable 1-0 away win again fellow Yorkshire side Penistone. Though a score line of ‘just’ 1-0 is rarely credited as being comfortable this indeed the case in a rainy, overcast South Yorkshire. 

Vill Powell opted to field six trialists from kick off with the only recognisable faces being Goalkeeper Brett Souter, Wingback Mike Starkey (the first half Captain also), Darius Smith, Laurence Sorhaindo, and Shiraz Khan. Brighouse utilised a possession based strategy from the start; between playing the football from side-to-side in defence the trialists playing numbers five and six were more than capable of keeping the ball moving sometimes introducing the footwork of ‘keeper Souter into proceedings. With Smith one side and Starkey the other The Orange Army pressed down both flanks with very little end product. Penistone tried out Souter’s handling soon after with a left footed curling shot that he gathered in his midriff central to goal. 

The only goal of the game came in the twenty eighth minute as from a free kick out wide on the right Starkey expertly crossed the ball deep into the back post area, it beat the goalkeeper and Sorhaindo was there to nod into the back of the net. Moments later the ball was moved quickly from side to the other affording Brighouse trialist playing in number eleven the chance to double the lead. Cutting in from the left onto his right foot he curled an effort low and hard rattling the Penistone post.

The second half brought four changes for the visitors as on came Tom Haigh (Captain for the half), Javelle Clarke, TJ Ibrahim, and Alhansanne Keita. The ten minutes further in Souter made way for a trialist goalkeeper and it was he who was between the posts for Penistone’s best and only dangerous chance. The Church number two had time and space outside on the right of the box, took a touch, set himself, and fired low across goal and just wide of the far post. By full time Brighouse fielded an entire signed up team but the second half all-in-all was as dour as the weather.