Brighouse Town have received a huge blow in their battle to stave off relegation by having three points deducted by the NPL.

The deduction and fine originates from the Carlton Town home game on November 30 when Town were actual 4-1 winners, but an administrative error saw them play Josh Waldram when he was actually due to serve a one match ban for five cautions. Town officials thought he had served that earlier when having racked up four league cards and one for an FA Cup tie booking.

It has gone through the FA and then the NPL and the sad outcome is that Town when sitting just outside the relegation zone of four clubs to be relegated this season are now in the bottom four of the East Division with the three below them, Liversedge, Sherwood Colliery and Sheffield FC already relegated.

Town have three games left to stave off leaving step 4 and the first begins at Bishop Auckland on Saturday (3pm) when it is hoped they play as well as they have done in the last two games but have only secured draws when victories were deserved.

Town were leading 2-1 at home to Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday when in added on time the visitors equalised to huge sighs from the 402 crowd.

Park Avenue had gone ahead against the run of play with a controversial goal by Iyrwah Gooden who looked to have handled the ball to help control it before beating Shea Callister.

Their lead last only seven minutes before a fluke goal saw Town equalise through a wind-assisted kick from keeper Callister that went fully 65 yards to bounce over the head of Park Avenue keeper Cameron Mason and into his net. Danny Edwards was backing up and made sure he escorted it over the line.

Edwards was on the scoresheet eight minutes into the second half when he followed up a shot that Mason could only parry into his path and he made no mistake to put his side 2-1 up. Town could and should have added two more through Rhys Plater and then Romario Dunne, who went on-on-one with Mason but his chance was snuffed. 

With two minutes remaining of added time Brendon Daniels equalised for Park Avenue with a speculative shot that just crept in at the foot of Callister’s post.

Town’s future in this division is now in their hands as they battle for points as watch for the results of Heaton Stannington, Bridlington Town, Ashington, Ossett United, Consett and Pontefract Collieries.

A coach will leave the Dusty Miller on Saturday at 11.15 for Bishop Auckland and Town are appealing for a good turnout on Monday for the Garforth Town game.            

Sherwood Colliery avenged a heavy defeat by Brighouse Town in emphatic fashion by flipping the result from three weeks ago on their first visit to the Heffernan Utilities Stadium.

It was 4-1 to Brighouse at Mansfield in early March and 4-1 to Sherwood last Saturday as both clubs went in search of vital relegation points.

With a strong wind behind them, Sherwood were in front after nine minutes when they were awarded a free kick some 30 yards out and Carter Widdowson sent in a screamer that had Town’s keeper Shea Callister grasping thin air. Town then lost their acting captain and centre back Matty Nebard with a dead leg which was not good news with the form he has been in. Skipper Josh Grant, back from a suspension, replaced him.  

Charlie Clements, on loan from Grimsby Town, then added two more in seven minutes to leave the home crowd silent. 

Town, against the wind, appeared clueless to break down the visitors, and they did not have a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

Alexander Duhameau made it 4-0 to Sherwood midway through the second half as Town, it could be said, were just stringing a few passes together. However they had to wait until the 89th minute for a consolation goal when leading scorer Rhys Plater turned the ball into the net from a corner.

Town now have five games in which to try and secure their place in the East Division of the NPL and it starts with a hard away game on Saturday in south Nottinghamshire against Carlton Town (3pm) who are battling away for a play-off spot. Town beat Carlton 4-1 at home in late November.

Town then have two more home games left against Bradford Park Avenue and Garforth Town and two away at Bishop Auckland and Sheffield FC.

Town’s No2 keeper Jamie Hassell has joined Liversedge just ahead of the deadline at 5pm last Thursday.

Experienced central defender Kevy Tarangadza (hamstring) was seen running after the game and manager Grant Black will be hoping he is fit for Saturday with doubts over Nebard. 

There will be another West Yorkshire Amateur League semi-final on Tuesday, April 9 (7.30) at the ground when Littletown take on Wyke Wanderers.        

There is a coach going to Carlton and it it leaves the Dusty Miller, Hove Edge at 11.15am.     

Brighouse Town outplayed Consett last Saturday to earn another valuable away win in their battle to pull away from the relegation area. Their 2-1 victory took them to 41 points and 14th in the table but there is still a long way to go yet.

Consett in12th position had been on a good run but it was Town who, for the most part, bossed the show and with more clinical finishing could well have sewn up the game by the 60th minute in the second half.

Playing on a 3G pitch and with rain for most of the game, Town adapted well and could have been a goal up after 7 minutes when, from a Rhys Plater free kick, Danny Edwards headed straight at the home keeper when either side would have done the trick! However Edwards five minutes later did make it 1-0 when he charged down keeper Harry Moss’s attempted clearance on the edge of the box and the ball looped into an empty net.

Town were playing some good football and splitting the home defence and Plater, Niah Payne and Romario Dunne all went close to adding to the score. At the back stand-in skipper Matty Nebard was in commanding form along side Harvey Coates, Matty Tootle and Josh Egginton. 

Derry Robson and Josh Waldram were also putting in a shift in midfield and the home side were becoming more and more frustrated. Consett found an equaliser two minutes before half-time when Isaac Walker fired home via a deflection from a free kick on the edge of the box.

Town regained their lead two minutes into the second half when leading goalscorer Plater fired home from a cross into the box. The same player five minutes later should have had a penalty awarded as he was tripped just inside the box but the referee from 25 metres away waved all claims away. Plater was giving the home side grief and was reckoned to be offside twice as he was about to burst into the box from the flanks but they were controversial decisions by the assistant referee.

Then Edwards was put clear and only the keeper to beat but he hit the ball straight at Moss and the danger was cleared. 

Manager Grant Black made some good substitutions to keep the side fresh as Curtis Peters came on for Tootle and then proceeded to make some superb tackles while Isaac Acquah used his body strength to rock the home side in midfield. Myron Gibbons also came on to give Edwards a rest and he used his pace across the front line.

With minutes to go referee Jamie Cann on the say-so of his assistant awarded Consett a penalty for an alleged shirt pull by Town keeper Shea Callister as the players line up for a corner. However Callister ensured Town kept the three points as he dived to his right and saved Calvin Smith’s spot-kick.

Town’s good following gave their heroes a big cheer as they went down the tunnel.

On Saturday at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium (3pm) they will be looking for a double over Sherwood Colliery after beating them 4-1 in Mansfield three weeks ago. The match is being being sponsored by Chris Pickles’ Brighouse company Christal-Clear and for the second season running former teammates and relatives of the late Peter Gill will be along to remember him in what is now termed `Gilly’s Game’.

On Tuesday night at the ground Town are hosting the first of three West Yorkshire Amateur League semi-finals when Carlton Athletic Reserves take on Wyke Wanderers Reserves (7.30) in the League’s Trophy competition. Admission is £3 and £2 for concessions.             

Brighouse Town came from behind to grab a share of the spoils in their home derby with Pontefract Collieries last Saturday. With little separating the sides at the wrong end of the table, it was a match that neither side could really afford to lose.

Former Brighouse Town, Clydebank and Huddersfield Town striker Jack Boyle put Pontefract ahead after 41 minutes with a powerful left-footed strike into the top right hand corner of Shea Callister’s net. It was nothing more than the visitors deserved after having the ball in the net some 10 minutes earlier-only to be wiped out for a foul on Callister- and also hitting a post with a thunderbolt. 

However, the ball had fallen favourably to Boyle after Town’s Rhys Plater had been badly fouled on the edge of the box but all claims were waved away by referee Abdul Hakimy and `Ponty’ were a goal to the good.

That is how it stayed until the break where Grant Black rested Curtis Peters as he battles his way back to full fitness.

He replaced him with Romario Dunne whop has been out on dual registration at Wakefield to get some game time and he was on to the spot to put Town level in the 51st minute.

Town lost some pace and width down the right flank when Myron Gibbons was substituted but all the players put in a tremendous shift as the visitors used their flanks to take them forward and give the Town defence some real grief at times.

Fortunately for Town the visiting forwards had an off day with their heading of a ball and the score remained 1-1 and another valuable point was achieved.

Coming back for Town this weekend after a four match suspension for the away trip to Consett (3pm) will be skipper Josh Grant, but it is doubtful his vice-captain Kevy Tarangadzo will be fit from his hamstring injury.

Town are running a coach to the Durham outpost and it will leave the Dusty Miller at Hove Edge at 11.15am.

In the meantime midfielder Scott Harvey has joined Grant Black’s squad on loan from Mansfield Town to cover for Darius Smith (hamstring) who has called it a day for the season.

Smith has also moved from Doncaster to live and work in Manchester.