Despite a 5-0 reverse at Worksop Town last Saturday in their third pre-season friendly, Brighouse Town manager Grant Black was still pleased and came away with a smile with the performance against the Northern Premier League Premier Division outfit.
“Despite two sloppy goals, and being 4-0 down at the break, and minus several players through holidays,I thought the players on view performed very well indeed,” he enthused.
Town were without central defender Matty Nebard and midfielder and last season’s skipper Josh Grant against a side that has been strengthened over the close season and looks certain to do well this coming season. Cameron Bedford showed up well in midfield and new striker Danny Edwards worked very hard without reward. Jamie Hassall also made three exceptional saves to also keep the score to 5-0 and those who travelled to the game thought a scoreline actually flattered the Nottinghamshire side who have signed former Town favourite and leading goalscorer in his time with them, Aaron Martin. The cousin of former manager Vill Powell, who since his Town days has been with Harrogate Town, FC Halifax Town, Gateshead and South Shields, was away holidaying in Dubai. Actually playing against Town on Saturday was their former goalkeeper Tommy Taylor who has since been with Scarborough Athletic and Darlington.
Town were away on Tuesday night this week to south Yorkshire club Frickley Athletic who at the end of the 2022-23 season were relegated into the Northern Counties East League from the NPL East Division. After a training session tonight (Thursday) they are at Wombwell Town on Saturday.
Last season’s custodian Hassall has been between the posts for all the games as new experienced signing Kyle Trenerry arrived at the club with a damaged hand
received at work which needed an operation. He trained for the first time last Tuesday without doing any work in the goals.
Town’s last pre-season friendly on Saturday week, July 27 at home to Stocksbridge Park Steels, will now kick off at 1pm as after the game both sides separately are having nights out as bonding exercises.
In the meantime with their pitch extension and new floodlighting at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium, Town have had some more lights fitted this week to cut out some shadowing that was taking place after the lights had been tested at 10.30pm at night last week. The FA ground grading officer has given the club permission to leave the dugouts where they are until further work is carried out possibly at the end of this coming season.
Town will be running a coach to Barnoldswick Town on Saturday, August 3, for the Extra Preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup which will leave the Dusty Miller at 12 noon.
Former Town star wide player Ryan Hall who has since played for Spennymoor Town and Curzon Ashton, has signed for Golcar United.
FOLLOWING on from their first two pre-season friendlies, against Athersley Recreation and Tadcaster Albion, Brighouse Town have already said goodbye to one player and signed another who impressed in the games.
Striker Kieron Ceesay, 23, who was signed midway through last season from Wakefield, where he was their leading goalscorer, has left for Pontefract Collieries after last Friday night’s 2-1 win over Tadcaster where he was a goalscorer. Ceesay had previously played for Guiseley and Horbury Town and it is thought that Pontefract had scouts at the game.
Manager Grant Black has kept the squad numbers up by signing midfielder Curtis Senior from Horbury Town and is delighted with the capture.
Athersley 0-4 Brighouse Town
Leading supporter Maurice Dyson who led a decent following last Tuesday to Athersley, said it was a game for the players to get to know each other and was good that manager Grant Black used a further eight players in the second half. It was 2-0 at half-time and Town added a further two in the second half.
The first goalscorer was close season signing from Knaresborough Danny Edwards with a finish into the bottom right corner after a lay-off by Sam Drake. The second came from Cameron Bedford after some nice play; the ball fell to him on edge of the box and he put it in the top right corner. Into the second-half and the third came from another new face, Rhys Plater with a tidy finish into the bottom right corner after some good work from Ceesay to draw away defenders. The fourth goal scorer was Ezio De Santis from the penalty spot after he drew a foul. The former Accrington Stanley and FC Halifax Town player excelled with his pace and skill.
Tadcaster 1-2 Brighouse Town
Town’s first goalscorer at Tadcaster was Jack Normanton, who can play in pre-season games despite being suspended, played a good one-two Danny Edwards and it allowed him to score a looping header.
Tadcaster scored in 89th minute through Luca Bolino after a good first initial save from Jamie Hassall. However, the ball wasn’t cleared and he snuck it in past the keeper to score at the near post. In the 90th minute, Ceesay picked up the ball on half way line, dribbled through, and rounded the keeper and tucked it away for a last-minute winner.
Last season’s vice-captain Curtis Peters was the outstanding man of the match for Brighouse who deserved the win for a tireless performance.
Manager Black commented on the two games:”
For the first game with Athersley it was great to get the team together and see things we had looked at so far in pre-season training. Athersley are a team in the NCEL who are physical and fit, so it was a great test for the first game
“We showed a lot in large parts of the game of we want to play this season with possession and we used the ball well. To score four good goals and a keep a clean sheet gave us lots of positives but also showed us we still have lots to work on.
“Tadcaster was a different game and against a team I always play pre-season as they give a real test in all areas. They keep the ball well, which allowed us to get some practise on our press,
“And they have good movement so challenged us in regards to defensive shape and we dealt well with that for most parts of the game. Again, we kept the ball well but were a little too slow to move it at times but as we are inputting a new way to play than they have been used to that will take time. Again, the group showed quality and resilience so early on and with lots of changes to players and formations throughout the game it shows they as a group can adapt well in game time scenarios.
Preparations for the 2024-25 NPL East Division League and FA Cup/FA Trophy season are well and truly up and running for Brighouse Town after they kicked off on Tuesday night at Athersley Recreation FC in south Yorkshire for their first pre-season friendly and also heard they would be taking part in the Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round tie on Saturday, August 3.
Town’s strong squad of some 22 players, many of whom manager Grant Black and director of football Charlie registered on Monday-the first day they were allowed to do so for contract and non-contract players- are also in action tomorrow night (Friday), July 5 (7.00pm) at Tadcaster Albion.
Black and his assistant Mick Norbury also held a 11v11 game on Town’s reserve pitch last Saturday morning and the management team were delighted with what they saw.
“I am very pleased with the way things are coming together and the bonding of the players,” added Black, who also was pleased with how all the players stayed behind after training last Tuesday to watch the Euro 24 Group game between England and Denmark.
Town will also be away next Tuesday to Worsborough (7pm) as their pitch edges closer by the day and week now to being a playing surface for good football to be played on it.
Groundsman Wally Hemingway says he is delighted with the way it is coming along aided by the unsettled weather encouraging grass growth.
“I have rolled several times the newly laid turf at the quarry end and also the re-turfed goalmouths and Saturday I gave the whole pitch a good spiking to let air in and also the fertiliser to work along side added grass seed,” further informed Hemingway.
This season will see 745 hopefuls in non-league football take part in the Emirates FA Cup, with 123 taking part on August 3. Town will be one of them including NPL newcomers Emley and Garforth Town and established East Division clubs Bridlington Town, Cleethorpes Town, Grimsby Borough, Grantham Town, Liversedge, Ossett Town, Sheffield FC and Stocksbridge Park Steels.
It is understood that Town could well hear who their opponents are next Monday lunchtime.
Their season commences Saturday, August 10 and the preliminary round should they progress will be on Saturday, August 17.
One player who will not be taking part in the first three games will be Halifax-based striker Jack Normanton who collected a three-match ban from the last league game of the season against Carlton Town.
Emley kicked off their pre-season friendly programme last Saturday with a home game against Huddersfield Town in front of a very healthy crowd. New Terriers boss Michael Duff gave virtually all his squad a run out in 5-0 win against a newish-looking Emley squad from the one that got them promoted last term from the NCEL Prermier Division. Refereeing the game was Premier League match official Bobby Madley.
Off the pitch work continues to be done in getting the pitch lengthened to meet the FA requirements and upgrade the floodlights in line with this. A mixture of volunteers and very friendly contactors are ensuring that this gets done to the required standards but as cost effectively as possible. This work has impacted on our ability to host early home pre-season fixtures, but we are still hoping to get a couple of these in before the start of the season. The official league starting date is the 10th of August, and the full programme of league fixtures will be available in early July. We may begin our competitive start a week early if we are one of the few clubs from our level who are selected to play in the Extra Preliminary of the FA Cup that begins on the weekend of the 3rd of August. If not, we will start with a league fixture on the 10th of August with a mid-week game during the following week and our entry into the FA Cup Preliminary Round on the 17th of August.
On the playing front we are delighted to have secured the signings of Spencer Harris and Cole Wildin. Spencer is a local player based in Sowerby Bridge who has a wealth of experience with clubs at our level and above including Guiseley, Buxton Town, Matlock, Ramsbottom and Bradford Park Avenue. He brings vast experience to the squad and will be a key cog in ensuring the team gels together quickly and achieves success. Cole comes to us from Knaresborough Town and is viewed by Grant and Mick as a rising star. His physical presence, tactical awareness and general all-round play make him a central defender who will dominate the role. Although only 22 he has already exhibited a maturity and stature beyond his years and will be a central figure of the success of the club. Both join a squad of retained and new signings who are already creating a positive squad atmosphere.
We are only one week away from the first pre-season friendly of the new campaign and the feedback from both management and players is that they can’t wait to get started. Players have all talked about the camaraderie in the squad and Grant and Mick the quality and commitment already shown. Everything is very positive and whole club is now looking forward to an exciting and entertaining new season.
As always, we are looking for additional volunteers to help with jobs around the club – be it offering help on match days with car parking, stewarding or in hospitality, or on non-match days with ground upkeep, minor repairs, cleaning, rubbish collecting, weeding and much more. If you have any spare and would like to offer help to a welcoming and inclusive football club, please don’t be shy at coming forward. Contact can be made [email protected]
As pre-season training got underway last Saturday for Brighouse Town’s playing staff, there was a familiar face back in the fold to take on the hard session management team of Grant Black and Mick Norbury were set to put the players through.
Strong and assertive centre-back Jorge Sikora, 22, was a surprise addition after saying only in the lead-up week he was not for coming back if Town were once more possibly looking down the barrels of another relegation season.
However, he had given his manager a telephone call to say he was impressed with who he had signed and who had been retained and had decided, if still wanted, to resume with Town for the 2024-25 season in the Pitching-In NPL East Division season.
Black assured him he was more than welcome to come back and fight for a place in what is looking to be a strong squad already.
Sikora from Harrogate has already seen plenty of action with Bradford City’s academy, loan spells with Ossett United and Spennymoor Town and with full registrations at the likes of Step 3 clubs Guiseley and FC United of Manchester and former club Marske United who then manager Graham Lee, now at Spennymoor, loaned him to Town before calling him back ahead of them going bust in mid-season.
Town now have Sikora joining the likes once more of central defenders Josh Dacre, Matty Nebard and Jamie Allsop, who is also a playing member of the Great Britain Police team and West Yorkshire Police side.
Update from Vice Chairman and Director of Football Charlie Tolley
The reign of Grant Black and Mick Norbury started in earnest on Saturday when most of the newly assembled squad attended the first pre-season training session. However, the hard work for Grant and Mick had started much earlier immediately after their appointment was announced, with phone calls, face to face meetings and extensive negotiations in targeting the existing squad and new targets for the forthcoming season. The result of all that hard work was apparent on Saturday.
The first get together produced a fantastic turn out of existing and new faces and a committed and thoroughly challenging session. The respect both Grant and Mick are held in was clear immediately from the whole of the new squad. Expectations relating to hard work, commitment and teamwork are always expected but the immediate buy in from all to what they expect from the squad and the demands for a unity that will lead to success were also clearly apparent.
The session was hard and more will be expected on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as the preparations for the new season continues. Grant was clear that every shirt is up for grabs and the efforts and results achieved in pre-season will determine who deserves to make the starting line up in early August. Although at the immediate end of the session there were grimaces on a lot of the squads faces these soon all turned to smiles when they appreciated what they had achieved and who they had achieved it with. This all points well to a great squad spirit and desire to succeed. More new faces are expected to come into the squad to challenge for those places and on the evidence of Saturday we will be looking upwards towards the top of the table rather than down.
In Grant and Mick, we have acquired a management team who have achieved success wherever they have been, and we have no doubt that they see Brighouse Town as another opportunity to do the same. Onwards and upwards. Charlie Tolley.
Update from First Team Manager Grant Black
As we arrived Saturday at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium to torrential rain it didn’t have a usual feel of pre season with the normal early summer blazing sunshine, something the lads appreciated as we got into the hard work
We had a good chat with all the players before we started, setting out our expectations from them from the first day of our management. The players all took that on board and produced a fantastic session, one in which they looked in great physical shape and completed everything asked of them to a great standard
We emphasised we would make a snap decision on anyone who dropped out of any running which we feel would show us a weak mentality.
Not one player dropped out and it was great to see players pushing themselves and each other to get over the line
A session like that, as I said to the players after, can quickly build a bond when you look at the player next to you and he’s willing to not let you down in pre-season, then he is someone you can trust throughout the season
A very positive start and with some players still away, and will have to earn that session from the ones who were there which will build competition.
All in all a very good start.
Update on Pitch Extension
With the extension to the pitch it means the floodlights are not near the corners of the new pitch markings and it means phase two will see new lighting on the pylons and to also meet the Lux requirement.
Kevin Allsop, father of the club’s defender Jamie Allsop, and managing director of Wakefield company Living Smarter Limited, trading as Eco Energy Saving Solutions, has been on site to work out with his electrical engineers what was needed. This, and the cost of it, has been given to the club and with the lights in stock, it is hoped they can commence work next week and complete before the end of June.
There had been fears that the project could be a timely affair and that was why all pre-season friendlies for July had been fixed up away from home and a pitch-hiring contract sorted with Pontefract Collieries for a league or cup game had it not been ready intime, but now by mid-July the pitch could well be playable.
Project manager Ray McLaughlin said he was delighted with the progress and with the rainy weather over the past weekend the turf was already bedding in and also pleased Kevin Allsop , had sorted the new lighting.
“Its really coming together on and off the pitch and with new additional major sponsors in the pipeline its certainly given everyone at the club a major boost, added McLaughlin.
Town have also learned in the past few days that the early rounds of the FA Cup and the FA Trophy will be made in the first week of July and so they will then know if their temporary relegation has cost them by having to play an extra-preliminary round tie of the two major national competitiAny….ons in question.
Manager Black is not bothered and neither are the committee or supporters. They are all just craving action in the cup and league.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy
