Brighouse Town’s caretaker manager Paul Quinn narrowly failed with his side to return from Cleethorpes last Saturday with a valuable point or three!
The former manager was abroad when he got the call to take over until the end of the season from Vill Powell and neither he or his assistant Steve Waide had had the opportunity to work with the players on the Thursday night session, Under-23s manager Mark Ellis and skipper Josh Grant taking on that task.
The squad had a good, fresh pre-match drill under messrs Quinn, Waide and Ellis in warm sunshine but with a strengthening wind coming down the pitch.
Brighouse for the first half had to defend with the wind in their faces and the ball was ballooning all over the place. However, they could have been in front inside the first five minutes when the ball fell to Jack Crook some twelve yards out, he made good contact on a bobbly pitch but his shot just cleared the crossbar. Town had another good chance to open their account moments later when Mo Qasim weaved his way up the right and then fired in a great cross but his teammates had not anticipated and the chance was lost.
The hosts moved ahead in the 13th minute when a loose ball in the box wasn’t cleared although the visitors were asking the referee about offside and a foul on Jamie Allsop, but Josh Walker poked home.
Town after the early excursions into the home half were finding it hard against the elements and the defending of left back Adedapo Adelman, who was a real thorn in their side and particularly Jack Normanton.
The sides went in at the break with just that one goal separating them and there was real optimism among the Town fans that they could take advantage of the wind at their side’s backs.
Brighouse went a second goal down in the 58th minute when Walker bagged his brace, running through the Town defence and beating Jamie Hassall in the bottom corner of his net.
All credit to hard work Town they came back strong and Jack Wilson was unlucky to hit the bottom of a post after the ball had run across the goal line, Crook hit a rising shot over from outside the box, before substitute Myron Gibbons found the target in the 67th minute. Town worked hard for an equaliser but were not helped by two dubious offside decisions and then in time added on Gibbons came into the box to go for a ball and was taken down by home keeper Ben Bottomley. All the Town players appealed and their supporters but referee Gavin Scott waved their appeals away.
So, it was a 2-1 defeat and with Grantham Town’s 94th minute winner over Consett they moved to within two points of Town but Winterton, five points off and at the foot of the table lost 3-0 at Pontefract Collieries who Town host on Saturday (3pm).
The match is being sponsored by past players and teammates of the late Peter Gill.
