Postponements rather than much wanted points has been the order of the day for Brighouse Town in the past week.

The snow and hard frosts of last week caused the home game with Dunston to be called off on the day of the game and then on Saturday as players and fans awoke to more fresh snow, transportation to Shirebrook near Mansfield became a problem.

ZId Khan, proprietor of Brighouse Travel, couldn’t get the team coach out of the garage that is on a slope and with many players saying to manager Grant Black they had problems, the League gave permission for the game to be postponed under the banner of` ‘travel issues’.

It turned out later in the morning that the entire NPL East Division programme of 11 matches was postponed. The League sent out an edict for clubs not to try and rearrange the fixtures as the feeling with all clubs involved the League would look to take the vacant date of Saturday, March 8 and slot the entire programme for last Saturday in there. Town are looking at Wednesday, January 8 to get in the Dunston fixture.
Manager Black continues to sign players, the latest being Akeel Francis from Wakefield AFC following on from the capture of Akeem Hinds last week from Warrington Rylands and previously Hyde United.
Francis 24, has netted 13 goals so far this term for Wakefield and has besides playing for Rochdale and Wrexham played north of the border with Falkirk
Both players were to have made their debuts for Town at Sherwood but will now, weather permitting, be set to turn out against south Nottinghamshire club Carlton Town on Saturday (3pm) at the Heffernan Utilities stadium
Hinds 26 has also played for Rotherham United, Buxton and Aberystwyth Town in the Welsh Premier League
Carlton, who made the play-offs last season, will provide stiff opposition being six places above Town and performing well on the road
Saturdays game will come too early for Doncaster-based striker Myron Gibbons who has been out with a leg injury since early October.
Black reckons he will be another two weeks before he is ready again for match action
Fullback Curtis Senior, who was on dual registration with Wombwell Town, has been crossed off and could be set to join Liversedge.

Two goals inside the first ten minutes of last Saturday’s home game with Consett sentenced a much changed Brighouse Town side to a 2-0 defeat.

This was the first time the Durham side home and away had beaten Town in a Division Two fixture and the further setback saw Grant Black’s men drop into the bottom four once more.

Barely two minutes had been played when Consett captain Marc Costello headed home from a corner on the right. The Steelmen grabbed a second on nine minutes when Will Shaw played in Isaac Walker who comfortably found the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the box. Consett midway through the half could have made it 3-0 after referee Taylor Metcalf awarded them the softest of penalties after Walker collided with Town centre-back Kevy Tarangadzo who complained bitterly until he was shown a yellow card. However Town’s competent keeper Kyle Trennery dived the right way to deny Brandon Holdsworth to the delight of the 308 crowd.

The second half was a rather drab affair despite Black using four subs to try and ignite a comeback. Romario Dunne came the nearest to getting a goal with an audacious overhead kick that just sailed a foot over the crossbar.

In the side was Wombwell striker Edward Agnew playing a dual registered game while suspended for Step 5 Wombwell Town and centre-back Jack Durkin was making his debut after a midweek move from Wakefield AFC.

Town’s utility defender Jamie Allsop has left Wakefield, where he was on loan, to join Campion on dual registration.

On Monday Town signed forward Akeem Hinds from Warrington Rylands.

Weather permitting Town were due to have played Dunston last night at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium, only three weeks before they travel north to the outskirts of Newcastle to play them there.

On Saturday, Town travel to Mansfield Woodhouse to take one East Division one newcomers Sherwood Colliery (3pm) and a coach will leave the Dusty Miller at 11.30am.

Last Saturday week’s postponed game at Pontefract has been re-arranged for Wednesday, December 18 (7.45). It will be the first time the Sherwood club have used their new 4G all weather pitch.

Last Wednesday evening Town played host at short notice to the FA Youth Cup first round replay between Bradford City and Blyth Spartans. There was a healthy crowd on which included the Bantams manager Greg Alexander and several members of his staff. They were well impressed with Town’s pitch and facilities but saw their U-18 players lost 9-8 on penalties after it was still 1-1 in extra time.

At short notice Brighouse Town were left without a game last weekend when Pontefract Collieries FC had a major water and sewage problem at their Beechnut Lane ground.

The first Town knew of a problem was at 12.30pm when the Pontefract secretary Tina Goodworth contacted Brighouse officials and said the dressings rooms, bar and restaurant area were under water and they hadn’t yet had a response on time to start investigating and repairing from Yorkshire Water or when they would in fact get there.

They arrived at 5.30 and left in the early hours of Sunday morning!

When the match referee arrived he had no alternative but to postpone the NPL East Division One fixture.

The game will now be replayed on Wednesday, December 18th (7.45).

Town manager Grant Black instead of match action took his players for training with a busy seven days ahead from Saturday’s home match with Consett (3pm), a game that will be sponsored by the Rastrick Constitutional Club, better known locally as The Top Club. On the following Wednesday Town host Gateshead side Dunston (7.45) and the following Saturday they head into Nottinghamshire to take on league newcomers Sherwood Colliery (3pm).

In the meantime Town have seen Boston United loanees Harry Wood and Will Green return to the National League club and they have parted company with Crigglestone-based fullback Curt Senior.

They have taken on dual registration Wombwell Town centre forward Eddie Agnew and signed permanently Wakefield centre-back Jack Durkin. They have also been in talks with Doncaster Rovers who are keen for an unnamed centre forward to come out and get some game time.

On Wednesday evening (LAST NIGHT) Town played host to the Bradford City v Blyth Spartans FA Youth Cup first round replay. The winners have drawn Accrington Stanley in the next round.

Former Town manager of eight years Vill Powell has left Bradford Park Avenue where he was assistant manager and taken over as manager of his hometown club Sheffield FC who are bottom of the East Division table with Ossett United, the pair of them on eight points each.

Sheffield came back from 2-0 down in his first game on Saturday to draw 2-2 at Consett who are one place below Town, making Saturday’s game a real six pointer. 

A cup tie loss and a defeat in the League were the outcomes of Brighouse Town’s two home games last week.

They lost 4-2 to Garforth Town in the first round of the West Riding County FA Senior Cup on the Wednesday and then lost 1-0 to a second half penalty against fourth-placed North Ferriby.

Against Garforth, manager Grant Black had to make numerous changes from the side that gained a valuable point at Stocksbridge Park Steels through players not qualifying or being injured. It was a good midweek workout for the fringe players and it made Saturday’s line up all the more stronger.

Into that side against the Humberside’s came new signing Joshua Eggington, a new fullback capture from Sherwood Colliery, and back in the line up was wide player Rhys Plater who had been in a car accident following the Stocksbridge game and as a result had missed the Garforth tie.

Striker or midfielder Romario Dunne led the line as a contracted player after agreeing terms in midweek and also back was Hull City loanee Cameron Gray.

Brighouse gave as much as they got, as they say in sporting parlance, in the first half half and could have taken the lead in the 21st minute but Niah Payne’s angled shot hit the wrong side of the post with keeper Ben Bottomley beaten.

It was 0-0 on the break and all to play for when just six minutes in Town gave away a penalty through an outstretched leg on North Ferriby’s striker Tom Corner and referee Joshua Drake pointed to the spot. Keeper Kyle Trenerry went the right way but Josh Whiteley’s spot kick just had a little too much on it and squeezed in at the corner.

Town over 15 minutes made four changes but they just could not find away through the North Ferriby defence and the home fans left the ground disappointed that their boys had got nothing form the game.

This Saturday Town are away to Pontefract Collieries (3pm) in what is always a tough place to visit but the new look squad is certainly not shot of commitment and the line up against North Ferriby looked much stronger at the back.

As against Belper Town and Ashington, Town need to score first and then let their opponents chase the game.

Town go into Saturday’s game sixteenth of the 22 clubs and are up against a Pontefract side who in ninth place after their 3-1 home defeat this past Saturday by Grimsby Borough.      

Another clean sheet and a very good performance from the Brighouse Town side brought a valuable point back from Stocksbridge Park Steels and the resultant 0-0 draw.

Following on from victories over Belper Town and Ashington, Town would probably have settled for a point before kick off against the inform South Yorkshire side and that is just what they got from a hard working performance.

Keeper Kyle Trennery was also in top form once more and so was debutant towering centre-half Kevy Tarangadzo, signed on the Friday from Liversedge.

Just over 30 minutes into the game Stocksbridge could have scored but for the crossbar as Danny Deakin’s corner found Alex Hardwick and his head rattled the crossbar and came away to safety. Town went up the other end and the home keeper, Ben Townsend kept out a header from Niah Payne. 

Shortly afterwards Boston United loanee Harry Wood was just about to stab home in a goalmouth melee but referee Thomas Viles controversially awarded Stocksbridge a free kick for a foul on the keeper.

At the break, Manager Grant Black had to replace an injured Payne with Curtis Morrison who has been re-signed on another months loan from Bridlington Town.

Town throughout the game found the home wide player Joao Silver a handful but it was a James Morris cross to Hardwick that nearly brought their winner but Trennery brought off a great save. 

Town had also given a debut to Hull City U-21 midfielder Cameron Gray and he showed up well until replaced in the 71st minute by Isaac Acquah, who carried on the good work.

Skipper Josh Grant and wide player Rhys Plater ran themselves into the ground and all the players received a massive ovation from the travelling Town fans at the end of the game.

Last night (Wednesday) Town were playing Garforth Town in the first round of the West Riding County FA Senior Cup ahead of this coming Saturday’s home game with North Ferriby (3pm), who are currently fifth in the East Division table. Payne was unlikely to have featured against Garforth and striker Danny Edwards has had the results of a scan and is out of action until into the new year.

Manager Grant is also awaiting news on  fellow striker Myron Gibbons (knee) and, as a result, is still looking to bring in the odd player or two.