Brighouse Town rounded off the festive period with a 3-2 home win over Liversedge to complete a double over their near neighbours from just four miles down the road.
Town won 1-0 at Clayborn on August Bank Holiday Monday but this was a more assured performance once they had gone down to another early goal-Liam Hardy scoring with just two minutes on the clock. Town had also seen themselves a goal down at Winterton Rangers on Boxing Day and need to switch on a little earlier!
In fact in this New Year’s Day derby game before a 387 crowd, Town went on to play some lovely football, possibly the best of the season and on a tacky pitch, and to be realistic with much tidier finishing they could have hit Liversedge for six and possibly more!
Town grew into the game after the earlier setback and began to trouble recognised central defenders Kurt Harris and Kevin Tarangadzo and their full backs Kwame Boatang and Jack Hardacre.
Town’s back four of Curtis Peters, Brandon Webster, Matty Hubard and Jamie Allsop played with assurity after the early lapse.
Sam Drake was denied by former Town keeper Jordan Porter who fumbled his shot on to a post before grabbing it before it went over the line. The Town faithful were confident a goal was coming after a header was also saved and they got their reward in the 44th minute when striker Kieron Ceesay came into the box and beat several defenders before steering his shot past Porter.
Into the second half and once Town had settled, striker Jack Normanton, who covered some ground the whole game, Ceesay, Mohammed Qasim and man of the match Cameron Bedford just took the game to Liversedge.
Chances to take the lead came and went for Cameron Bedord, Jack Crook, Normanton and Qasim but the score in the 74th minute still remained 1-1.
A minute later, however, the home crowd went wild with delight as a Normanton free kick 30 yards out on the left was blasted home by Bedford. The same player struck again eleven minutes later to put Town 3-1 up and with fresh legs on from Alex Phillipson, Ash Butterworth and Jordan Helliwell, Town continued their assault on the Liversedge goal.
Liversedge did pull a goal back in the 90th minute from a Jack Stockdill header as the board went up for five minutes added-on time. However, Town more than held out and once more finished the game on the front foot.
The seven points from the three games across the festive period have taken Town to 12th place in the table ahead of their away game on Saturday to bottom club Grantham Town (3pm).
There will be a coach leaving the Dusty Miller at 11am.
In the meantime Stocksbridge Park Steels have made an approach for Town’s No2 keeper Harry Garman who is currently on a dual registration with Maltby Main.
