Brighouse Town pulled off a very comprehensive 2-1 victory away to third in the table Stockton Town last Saturday.

Town, minus four senior players through suspension and injury, completely ran the show and, as manager Vill Powell said in his after match interview, the scoreline could have been 4-1 or even 5-1 but for the goalkeeping of Stockton’s Callum Roberts. The home custodian was making his first appearance back after several weeks out through injury.

With no recognised right back, Powell placed Javelle Clarke in a wing-back role and the Sheffield-based starlet never put a foot wrong, while man of the match Josh Grant in midfield was all over the all weather pitch along with striker Jack Boyle, Sam Drake and Mohammad Qasim.

In fact it was Qasim, who kept on switching flanks the entire game, who scored the first goal on 19 minutes when he picked up a loose ball on the right, beat his man, Daniel McWilliams, and then headed just in to the box and unleashed a rising thunderbolt of a shot which did beat Roberts and one of his defenders on the line.

There was just a hint of a Stockton response, but with acting skipper Corey Gregory, who had his best game in weeks, playing a holding role at the centre of defence, with Josh Dacre and the resolutue Matty Nebard alongside, all was snuffed out. What did get through was kept out with comfort by young keeper Jamie Hassall who was standing in for the experienced Brett Souter who was on the bench.

Two minutes before half-time Town made it 2-0 when Qasim, now down the left, beat two defenders with skill and pace and then fired a ball into the path of Jack Boyle, who appeared to have an eternity before drilling beyond the reach of Roberts from 16 yards out.

A minute into injury time, as the heavens really opened, Clarke had a great chance with an open goal to make it 3-0 but he just couldn’t get his feet in a good position on the greasy surface and scuffed the ball wide.

There was a tremendous round of applause from Town’s travelling supporters as the team went in at the break.

Town did not let up in the second half as Grant, Drake and Sam Reed pushed forward and with 55 minutes on the clock, Roberts denied Qasim making it 3-0 at his near post.

Stockton, roared on by their nigh on 500 crowd, did fight back and forced three corners on the trot and from the third one, Matty Tymon sent in a low hard drive which Hassell did very well with.

Town did not sit back on their lead and continued to look for a third and match-winning goal, but were denied once more by Roberts in the 83rd minute as he just got an outstretched hand to a shot from substitute Bradford City loanee striker Cole Roberts.

Town gave a debut towards the end of the game to the club’s U23 player Ali Hussain and he was on in time to see Stockton pull a goal back in the 89th minute when Stephen Thompson headed home from a Cameron Painter corner.

The home crowd tried to lift their players for an equaliser but Town game managed the added on time well and were over the proverbial moon at the final whistle.

Just as with the 4-1 away win at Consett back in November on a 3/4G pitch, Town, who train on one, did really look comfortable and played some very tidy football on the same surface on the Teeside coast at Stockton.

This Saturday they entertain the NPL Division One East champions Worksop Town (3pm) who took the title last Saturday with a 4-1 home win over relegated Tadcaster Albion and in front of a 901 crowd.

Town will have centre-back Aiden Walker back in contention for the game after his one match ban.

Without doubt the experienced Worksop Town team have been the best team Town have come up against this term and have lost 2-0 in the FA Trophy to them, and 4-0 away.

The match is being sponsored by Heckmondwike-based outdoor clothing company Tog 24 and the match ball by Lightcliffe Cricket Club’s Junior section.

With it being an international break weekend Town are hoping along with substantial travelling support for their biggest crowd of the season.

Brighouse Town travel to third in the table Stockton Town on Saturday (3pm) minus their influential suspended skipper Tom Haigh and fellow suspended centre-back Aiden Walker.

Both would have been available for last Saturday’s re-arranged away game at Shildon after being sent off on the Monday night had the game in Durham not been postponed on the Friday night with four inches of snow on the pitch. Haigh received a three-match ban for his dismissal against Sheffield FC and Walker one match for his red card.

At the time of going to print no added recruitment had been completed and Town will also be without right wing-back Mohammed Ibrahim (ankle ligaments). Northern Counties East club Frickley Athletic have been rebuffed after they made a move for Town’s early autumn recruit Josh Dacre and he looks likely to line up alongside Matty Nebard with the fullbacks being Josh Grant and Sam Reed who will continue to train fulltime with Sheffield Wednesday at their Middlewood Road training headquarters near to their Hillsborough Ground.

Reed, 19, son of the club’s assistant manager Stacy Reed, impressed in his two outings with the Owls U-23s against Peterborough United and Sheffield United but, as a contracted Town player, he will not play another game now as the deadline for signings is next Thursday, March 23 at 5pm. To play those two games he had to be de-registered and then re-registered and Town cannot afford to lose a player of his quality for the remaining eight games of the season.

Town are currently 15th in the table four places above second from bottom Carlton Town and seven points above them but they need all the points they can muster as they also don’t want to be dragged into the two places above and face a play-off game with a side from the NCEL.

Town and others in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Division One East cannot rely on the relegation of mid-table North Shields through failing ground grading standards as was shown last season when Leeds-based Yorkshire Amateur were relegated through failing to upgrade their ground. North Shields are looking at a cost of around £50,000 to upgrade their cliff-top ground and their officials feel they will only serve one season in the division from the EBAC Northern League as the funds are just not coming in.

Town have a tough run in with runaway League leaders Worksop Town due at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium on Saturday week for a game sponsored by Heckmondwike-based national clothing company Tog 24 and Lightcliffe CC Juniors’ parents. The week after they travel to Cleethorpes, followed by the re-arranged game at Shildon on Tuesday, April 4, and then entertain the in-form Grimsby Borough. Points are going to be hard to come by and each one will be a bonus for Vill Powell and his charges.

Assistant manager Reed says they will take each game as it comes and in the division says anybody can beat anyone else higher up on their day.

“You only have to look at last midweek’s shock 2-0 away win for Carlton at Hebburn Town, who are second in the table and also on a night when they have just made the longest trip in the division, some 170 miles and a round trip of 340 miles, he added!

Striker Laurence Sorhaindo has been diagnosed with a damaged meniscus (cartilage) and a bruised bone in the right knee and will need specialist treatment, so, as revealed last week, he is out for the season.

Walker will be back from his suspension for the Worksop game, but Haigh will also miss the Worksop and Cleethorpes matches.

Almost a barren return from two very important home games in three days as Town lose to play-off hopefuls Dunston in added-on time and draw with Sheffield FC as three are sent off and three are cautioned in that game!

In the Dunston game Town took time to settled against a more experienced and physical side and survived one penalty appeal before Aiden Walker gave away a penalty in the 43rd minute which was converted by Dale Pearson.

Town substituted Cole Roberts with Javelle Clarke at half-time and he had his best game in weeks, and, along with Mo Qasim, they brought Town back into the game down the flanks. They also had to make another substitution in the 50th minute when consistent performer Mohammed Ibrahim was helped off the pitch with ankle ligament damage.

Town equalised in the 79th minute when substitute Reon Benjamin-Potts at the second attempt buried the ball in the back of the net. His first shot was parried out by by goalkeeper Dan Staples, but the striker picked his spot for the second strike.

In the 82nd minute Dunston had winger William Jenkins sent off and Town’s faithful got behind the team to go for the winner.

However, it was from a free kick three minutes into added on time that Dunston took the three points with a header flicked on that beat keeper Brett Souter and saw the home crowd leave disappointed once more after seeing a valuable point lost from the same situation and at the same time as in the previous game against Bridlington Town.

Town must learn game management, and quickly.

On the Monday, Town were off to a great start when referee Arran Williams showed a red card to Sheffield’s centre-half Joshua Burns after just five minutes for bringing down Jack Boyle in the box..

Reon Benjamin-Potts stepped up and beat former Town keeper Ed Hall with a strong shot to his right.

Fellow Sheffield central defender Reece Fielding left the pitch a minute later on crutches and was replaced by Rory Coleman.

In the 25th minute the normally reliable Boyle had a great chance to put Town two up with only Hall to beat but he screwed his attempt from 12 yards out wide of the target. Sheffield lifted their game despite being a man down but had a further setback in the 32nd minute when their skipper Adam Watson had also to leave the field aided by the physio.

Luke Aldrich replaced him and was on the scoresheet 10 minutes later to level matters a minute before the interval with a smart finish from an acute angle..

Town failed to get the ball wide to make their one man advantage count, the stand side of the pitch virtually ignored as they came down the dug-out side time and again.

Disaster then struck as Town had two players sent off in a minute. First Aiden Walker went after allegedly pulling a Sheffield shirt on the edge of the box and then skipper Tom Haigh was sent off for an alleged elbow in a tackle.

Town, who managed to hold out for a 1-1 draw, also had Corey Gregory, Javelle Clarke and Mo Qasim also cautioned.

Town’s manager Vill Powell was looking at footage of the game on Tuesday to see if there was any leeway on the dismissals for an appeal on them.

Town now need valuable points in their last eight games to pull away from the relegation area after a poor run of results since the turn of the

year. Weather permitting they make a return trip to Shildon on Saturday (3pm) after the original fixture in late January was called off after they had made the journey to Durham. A coach leaves the Dusty Miller at 11am.

Striker Laurence Sorhaindo (right knee) has revealed he is very unlikely to play again this season and has been out injured since the West Riding County FA third round tie with Campion.

With possible suspensions and injuries the manager is now looking to strengthen his squad before the 5pm deadline on Thursday, March 23 for all signings for this season.