Brighouse Town were soon out of the starting blocks on the way to beating visitors Shildon 3-0 and also registering their fourth NPL East Division One game on the trot and averaging four goals a game into the bargain.
After good work down the left from player of the match Javelle Clarke in the third minute, captain Tom Haigh struck home from the edge of the area.
Town kept up the pressure on their visitors from Durham and eight minutes later Jack Normanton fired home after more good play down the left had seen the ball played to him to the right of Matthew Bateman’s goal. Normanton’s scuffed shot went under the body of Bateman, but they all count, and it was 2-0 on 11 minutes.
Town were delighting their supporters with the quality of football on a carpet of a pitch, and it was only the under-pressure Bateman who prevented two more goals being scored shortly afterwards. The scoreline remained 2-0 at the break and manager Vill Powell said afterwards he would have liked more of the chances to have been taken.
Shildon in the second half proved a more competitive outfit and they twice in the last quarter went close to scoring through substitute Dean Thexton and Michael Sweet, but Town keeper Mikey Roxburgh took one for the team on his head-treatment needed- and then a post saved the day.
The home faithful wanted another goal or two, but they had to wait until the 92nd minute for one to make the scoreline 3-0. Full-back Mohammed Ibrahim came down the right and then put a superb ball in to the path of Jack Boyle who fired across Bateman from just inside the box and into the net.
On this performance by teenager Javelle Clarke he is going places, but his manager wants more consistency out of him. There was also a quality performance from skipper Tom Haigh, who later gave way in the 74th minute to Sam Drake, and vice-captain Corey Gregory put in a tenacious ninety plus minutes.
The defence of Ibrahim, Sam Reed, Harrison Beeden and Aiden Walker were completely on top of their job.
Manager Powell has allowed centre-back Harry Wilkinson to temporarily leave the squad to concentrate on work with his elder brother Joe, while utility player Elliot Harrison will for a month after benching in the last two games head for Eccleshill United on a dual registration to get some game time.
Experienced goalkeeper Brett Souter was back on the field ahead of the game with Shildon having a light workout with his Huddersfield Town loanee stand-in Roxburgh. The manager wants him to now have a four week `pre-season’ for fitness and then present himself for selection.
On Saturday, fifth-placed Town head to new territory when they travel to North Shields (3.0) who are currently in 10th place after seven games.
The Tynesiders were promoted as champions from the EBAC Northern League Division One back in April. So far, they have won two, drawn two and lost three while settling into life at the semi-professional step 4 level.
On Tuesday, October 4 (7.45), Town will entertain Pontefract Collieries, a re-arranged game from September 17 when the visitors were involved in FA Cup action at Chester.
Town’s normal midweek home night is a Monday, but the manager wanted an extra 24 hours for the players to recover from the longest journey of the season to North Shields. There is a coach leaving for North Shields at 10.45 from the Old Pond.
Once against Town will be running their annual Football Bingo which will commence on January 1 and for a prize of £1,000, and this will be launched at the home game with Grantham Town on Saturday, October 15.
The annual Jimmy Heffernan charity match in aid of Overgate Hospice will take place on Friday night, November 4 (7.30). His son Luke, MD of LJ Heffernan Utilities of Halifax, feels he will be inundated with player requests for the game which is played in memory of his late father James, as, in his words, the holiday season is over.
