Dave Parker
A SENDING off for Brighouse Town’s midfielder Tom Haigh with 20 minutes to go, as his side led 1-0, was the turning point in this pretty evenly matched opening league fixture in front of a 327 crowd.
After Joe Jagger had hit the post in the first half, as Town played against a strong wind, defences held sway and nothing else was anywhere near productive.
Shortly after Javelle Clarke had been substituted by Eli Hey, 57 minutes into the half and Jack Boyle pushed wide, he produced a superb ball a minute later across goal and Eddie Church, coming in from the left flank headed superbly beyond the reach of visiting keeper Chris Thompson.
Boyle was then put clear on goal but shot a little too early when he could have made more progress on the Clitheroe goal.
However, in the 69th minute Haigh, following up on a caution in the 51st minute, was shown a second yellow for a reckless tackle and then a red card.
Following the free kick the ball was in the Town goal area and was not cleared and the Clitheroe skipper Billy Priestley stabbed it past Matt Smith in the Town goal to equalise.
With a minute of normal time remaining Priestley won it for his side as he drove the ball in across the box to go in the far side of Smith’s goal.
Despite a great run by Hey, with a Clitheroe player pulling his shirt, Town failed to get an equalising goal and suffered their second successive league and cup defeat in seven days.
Town travel to Teeside on Saturday to take on Marske United who were in FA Cup action on Tuesday night, defeating Trafford 1-0 on the back of
a 4-2 away win last Saturday at City of Liverpool.
In order to keep his sizeable squad match fit, Vill Powell entertained Penistone Church on Tuesday night in a friendly and his charges came out 3-2 winners after leading 2-0 on the break through goals from Harrison Beeden-his first for the club since joining from Rotherham United-and Laurence Sorhaindo-his first since joining from Silsden.
The goal of the game came in the 54th minute from former FC Halifax Town and Ossett Utd wideman Shiraz Khan. Taking the ball down the left, Khan cut in and from 25 yards out sent in an absolute screamer to make it 3-0 and at the same time give Powell a boost as he was unfit for last Saturday’s game. He will also cushion, to some extent, losing Haigh to a match suspension following his dismissal in the Clitheroe game.
Penistone came back well in the final 30 minutes of the game and scored two goals through Luke McGinnell and former Town and Emley striker Alex O’Keefe.
Town, who will play host on Friday night at their Yorkshire Payments Stadium to an NHS charity game from the staff at Calderdale Hospital (7.00) in memory of two valued members who died earlier this year as a result of covid-19, will also hold a socially distanced Open Day on Saturday from 12 noon to show local residents and others in Brighouse and district their newly extended and renovated clubhouse.
