By James Bushnell

A good start by Brighouse they were getting into them good attacking areas early on to get into the lead. A free kick was given to Brighouse for a handball off a Hebburn player. They tried to put the ball into the box but it went straight to the keeper. Hebburn went up the other end of the pitch and had a chance on goal it was evidently blocked by a Brighouse man. Good croks into the box by TJ to Sorhaindo but the header by Sorhaindo went wide. Free kick to Brighouse it was taken quickly into the box and the ball goes into the back in the net by the number 6 Harrison Beeden 1-0 to Brighouse Town. Boyle for Brighouse was fighting for the ball back and did he gave it to Sorhaindo he had a shot on goal but it was comfortable for the Hebburn keeper. Free kick to Brighouse Boyle with the shot but the keeper did well and saved it.

Hebburn chance the ball came off the bar comes to the Hebburn man and put it wide. The ball goes down the pitch and a free kick to Brighouse the ball was bouncing all over the place Clarke put his foot out and made it 2-0 to Brighouse. A yellow card has been given to the number 6 Devitt and a foul was given to Brighouse the ball was flicked on and deflected off a Hebburn player to make it a corner. The corner has come in Beeden with the Header just went wide. Hebburn with a chance on goal but it went way over the bar they haven’t been any threat to Brett Souter in the Broghouse goal. Sorhaindo with a chance but it went for a corner Haigh had a chance it was curling into the top corner but it was headed away. Spencer for Hebburn with an outside if the foot shot what just went wide in the 1 minute added time in the first half.

Half time

Fast start by Brighouse as they generated a corner, it was taken quickly TJ had a long range effort saved by the Hebburn keeper.
A half time sub was made by Hebburn the number 11 off and the number 15 has come on. Goal for Hebburn Town David Allasan with the goal 2-1. Hebburn getting into the game and attacking and getting a corner and nothing came from it. Brighouse chance TJ tried to cut the ball into the box but it was too close to the keeper. Another chance by the Orange Army but it was defended well by the Hebburn defender. Sorhaindo had a chance on goal but went wide and is a goal kick. Brighouse getting back into the game Sorhaindo with another chance he took this chance and put it in the back of the net a beautiful low driven ball to make it 3-1 to Brighouse Town.

Brighouse made their first sub as Alex King came on to replace TJ. Later on in the game Jack Boyle was replaced by Elliot Harrison the second sub made by Vill Powell. Hebburn went on the attack and was given a corner, the ball goes in and goes straight out of play for a Brighouse goal kick. Hebburn made another sub Lewis Rutherford went on and Amir Purewal went off. Hebburn with another corner but it was well defended by the Orange Army. Moke has come on for the goalscorer Clarke for Brighouse Town. Brighouse have another corner but nothing came from it. There were 3 added minutes at the end of the 90 minutes.

BRIGHOUSE TOWN Town had a fruitless journey last Saturday to Bridlington after being informed bby home officials a senior FA match official had passed the pitch fit at 9.30am.

Heavy rain and wet snow over the Yorkshire Wolds accompanied the team coach and at 1.30 referee Michael Trevethan inspected and said he was just concerned with one area. Town’s match day groundsman Wally Hemingway, accompanied by manager Vill Powell and his assistant Stacy Reed joined Bridlington officials to fork the area. However in the end at 2.30, Mr Trevethan had to postpone the game as heavy snow was blanketing the pitch and obliterating the pitch markings.

The players of both sides had been warming up but then had to return to the dressing rooms. The manager then took his players across the road from the ground and treated them to fish and chips before the two hour journey home.

A large group of members from Rastrick CC, staying on the east coast for the weekend, arrived just as the players were leaving the clubhouse.

Town officials moved quickly with Bridlington secretary Gordon Gillott to re-arrange the game and Town will go back to Bridlington on Tuesday, April 5.

On Saturday, Town entertain Tyneside club HebburnTown (3.00), a game sponsored by Bradford and Halifax hauliers expect distribution (lower case). Powell’s boys pulled off a great 3-1 win back in mid-October.

Town were without Shiraz Khan on Tuesday night as he was on holiday in Egypt, catching up on holiday that was booked pre-pandemic. An x-ray revealed utility player Josh Grant did not break an ankle at Worksop but his manager says he still has ankle bruising and slow reduction in the swelling.

“Striker Redmond Lee, who has still to make his debut, is a lot nearer selection that Josh from his ankle problem, and I am pleased with so many matches in front of us,” said Powell.

Town play another re-arranged game on Tuesday when they travel to Stocksbridge Park Steels (7.45) and then on Saturday week, March 5, they have another re-arranged game at home when new East Division leaders Marske United are the visitors (3.00). A goal in each half gave Cleethorpes Town the double over Vill Powell’as charges on Tuesday night, but they did give the third-placed club in the NPL East Division a good run for their money.

In fact, Brighouse had the better of the first half and Luke Lofts goal on 30 minutes was against the run of play. Town’s Mohammed Ibrahim should have scored on 14 minutes as the ball came to him on the right and he took too long to fire on target with a gaping hole looking at him. Harrison Beeden had only just blasted over from 20 yards out when in the next attack Zeph Thomas beat his man and then put in a great cross and neither Laurence Sorhaindo or Ibrahim could get a leg to the ball to steer it into the net.

From this attack Cleethorpes went on the counter attack and stunned the home crowd with the Lofts goal as the home defence just disintergrated.

Things got a little fiesty and Town’s captain Tom Haigh was booked in the 34th minute and six minutes later Liam Dickens saw yellow for the visitors.

Shortly in to the restart Town were awarded a free kick from some 22 yards out and Jack Boyle delivered in a perfect free kick only for keeper Tom Jackson to dive across his goal and claw the ball to safety.

In fact as the half progressed home custodian Brett Souter was more a spectator as James Hurtley went near along with Boyle who had shot blocked and then scuffed a good chance.

The visitors made sure they were taking all the points home as substitute Scott Vernon slid the ball home from six yards in the 68th minute, one minute after Sorhaindo had been replaced by Elliot Harrison. Town, with Javelle Clarke working hard on the right, could not be faulted for their workrate and the visitiors knew they had been in a game.

BRIGHOUSE TOWN came back from 1-0 down last Saturday against Yorkshire Amateur to equalise in the 89th minute only to lose the game two minutes into added on time.

The game was being replayed after the original November 27 fixture on the day Storm Arwen was blowing across the country and there was a floolight failure in the 61st minute with Town 3-0 in the lead.

Yorkshire Amateur were quick out of the traps and Town keeper Brett Souter was soon in action. In fact the Ammies were in control for a good majority of the first half and it was no surprise when Halifax-based former Town player Nathan Cartman, their new assistant player-manager curled an unstoppable shot from just inside the box into the net from a perfect cross from Marko Basic.

The nearest Town had come to a goal was Ammies keeper Max Culverwell spilling a cross from Elliot Murray almost into his own net.

It was a different Town in the second half and they almost scored in the 57th minute when central defender Harrison Beeden beat four men and and then sent a rasping shot in from 30 yards out only to see his effort rebound off the crossbar.

Zeph Thomas and Shiraz Khan went close, only the width of a post and a block preventing the ball going in the back of the net. Later in the game substitute Javelle Clarke took the wrong option when coming in from the left on goal and Culverhouse smothered the chance.

The home fans could sense a goal was coming and skipper Tom Haigh scored a superb goal in the 89th minute as he weaved his way through a clutch of defenders and then slid the ball beyond the reach of Culverhouse.

All the terrace talk was of a deserved point before another former Town player, Roy Fogarty was left unmarked just inside the box and placed his shot well wide of Souter for the winner.

The match finally cleared Corey Gregory’s three match ban that he commenced serving on January 8 and the skillful midfielder will be available for selection on Saturday at Bridlington Town (3.0). Town beat the Seasiders 1-0 on September 13, who hadn’t collected a single point by then, but since that date they have improved and now sit just one place behind Town with 23 points as against their visitors on Saturday who have 28.

Bridlington were winning 2-0 last Saturday against the league leaders Liversedge who just came back in the fifth minute of added time to grab an equaliser.

Town’s coach will leave the Old Pond on Saturday morning at 10.45.

Town’s utility player Josh Grant has been for an x-ray on his ankle injured at Worksop on January 29 as there was no improvement ten days down the line and central defender Matty Nebard could be out for the season with his ankle injury picked up at Worksop.

Town make a one-off switch next week for a home midweek game from the usual Monday to Tuesday. They will now entertain Cleethorpes Town on February 22 (7.45), the game having been postponed by Sheffield referee Will Cavanagh a week last Saturday owing to waterlogging. Cleethorpes have no game this weekend and their manager had allowed players a mini break and six are not due back until Monday morning so Town agreed to move the game back a day.

As the Echo went to print Town were still trying to sort out a date to replay the away game at Tadcaster that was brought to an abrupt end last Tuesday when the floodlights failed..

HEAVY RAIN from around 11.15am on Saturday morning caused the postponement of the Brighouse Town home game with promotion chasing Cleethorpes Town.

From being deemed fit for play at 10.30am when the Lincolnshire club were preparing to travel, the condition of the pitch went downhill and when Sheffield referee Will Cavanagh stepped on it at 1.40pm he felt it was both waterlogged and dangerous.

The Cleethorpes club took it well after their 75 mile trip and both players and committeemen climbed back aboard their team coach.

By not playing the game it robbed stand-in manager Stacy Reed-manager Vill Powell remains in Jamaica with his sick father-of clearing midfielder Corey Gregory’s final game of a three match ban.

Gregory in the week leading up to the game had been subject of intense interest from Sheffield FC and Ossett United. He informed Reed he wanted to stay with Town and was not interested in talking to them. His final game would have cleared with Tuesday night’s visit to Tadcaster Albion and he would have been in the squad for Saturday’s re-arranged home game with Yorkshire Albion (3.00), but for the game at the Brewery Fields being abandoned through a floodlight failure (see below). The original game on Saturday, November 27 was abandoned in the 61st minute through a floodlight failure when Town were leading 3-0 through two Javelle Clarke goals and one from Zeph Thomas.

One player definitely not in the squad is centre-back Matty Nebard who suffered ankle ligament damage at Worksop and Reed in midweek said it was not good news on him and he could possibly be out for over two months. Ex-Guiseley striker Redmond Lee, who has yet to make his debut after pulling up with an ankle problem in the warm up ahead of the Shildon game on Janaury 22, is now working with physio Emily Harnden and could be in consideration for the Bridlington away game on Saturday week,

Town have arranged their West Riding County FA Cup semi-final away to Farsley Celtic for Tuesday, March 15 (7.45).

The club will hold a collection on Saturday in aid of the fire fund at Ash Green Primary and Infants School, Mixenden which saw one of its major buildings raised to the ground last week in an arson attack. Rastrick-based headmaster Mungo Sheppard is a Town supporter and a friend of many of the committee members.

Long serving diminutive striker Mohammed Ibrahim was all set for a place on the bench for the Cleethorpes game after his nagging hip injury and was then informed he would be in the squad at Tadcaster which was good news for all concerned at Town.

TOWN’S Tuesday evening game at Tadcaster was abandoned after 35 minutes owing to a floodlight failure. At the time Town were drawing 1-1.

Referee Ian Johnston took the players off and waited for the lights to be switched off and then switched on again, but while they did reignite to some degree, there was insufficient light to continue the game.

Tadcaster had taken the lead in the 18th minute through Jack Carr and two minutes later Town had equalised when Fernando Moke played the ball to the feet of Laurence Sorhaindo and he provided the pass for Zeph Thomas to latch on to and fire beyond the reach of Alex Hughes.

The pitch had survived a lunchtime inspection at which referee Ian Johnston had found and asked for two rabbit holes to be filled in! Town gave a debut to new fullback signing Liam Childes who comes from the Hallam FC U-21 side and has been coached in his career by Stacy Reed.