Bereft of their two first choice experienced midfielders Brighouse Town came from behind twice to pull off a home 2-2 draw with improving Lincoln United.
Skipper Tom Haigh is slowly recovering from an ankle injury and Corey Gregory was serving the first of his two-match ban for a sending off at Consett the previous week. Loanee Sam Drake and the ubiquitous talented teenager Sam Reed more than covered and played their part in a second half spell that could and should have brought the possible winner.
Lincoln’s Tobias Liversidge (correct), easily their man of the match in attack, opened the scoring for them in the 18th minute after a couple of concerted attacks. Town shook themselves in to attack mode and started the take the game to their visitors and in the 30th minute were rewarded with a superb equaliser from Jack Boyle who curled the ball into the net from some 20 yards out on the right.
However, Lincoln went into the lead in the first added minute of added time through a controversially awarded corner. Middlesbrough referee Matthew East gave the corner despite the visiting forward edging the ball over the deadball line. From the corner kick, Callum Foster wasn’t picked up in the box and his strike beat Brett Souter to make it 2-1.
After some end-to-end play in the opening ten minutes of the second period Town started to take command and it was only the commandeering presence of centre back A J Adelekan who kept the locals at bay. Jack Normanton and Javelle Clarke were raiding down the flanks and balls were coming in for Laurence Sorhaindo and Jack Boyle. From one such Normanton run down the right and cut into the box he delivered a rocket of a cross which Lincoln’s first half scorer Foster could only head into his own net.
This equalising score really lifted the crowd and the team and Normanton, before he was substituted by Alex King, beat three defenders and lined himself up for a shot on goal but unfortunately, he blasted over the top of the bar.
King took up where Normanton left off and put in some great work, including one pinpoint cross to the head of Sorhaindo, but unfortunately, he headed straight to Jack Steggles who parried out only for Clarke with an open goal to blast the ball against the crossbar before Lincoln cleared the danger.
Sorhaindo, substitute Zeph Thomas, Clarke and King all tried in vain to get the winner but were denied and then near the end Town survived a possible own goal of their own making when Mohammed Ibrahim, trying to clear off balance, headed the ball against Souter’s near post before it went for a corner.
Town have gone three games unbeaten as they look to an away game at Pontefract Collieries tomorrow night (Friday) (7.45) should the ground conditions permit. With severe night-time frosts in the forecast all eyes from both clubs will be on how the pitch survives or doesn’t!
Manager Vill Powell, who was disappointed with the draw after his side had played ever so well the previous week in a 4-1 win at Consett, is hopeful his skipper Haigh can make it back into contention at Pontefract and he has no other injury worries from the Lincoln game.
Town have lost their physio of the past two and a half seasons, Emily Harnden to a full-time post with League 2 club Harrogate Town. She is helping the club to be covered while they have a replacement, and they also have a trainee in Charlotte Biggs from Queensbury more than helping out.
Saturday week Town travel to the outskirts of Newcastle to take on third-placed Hebburn Town who they lost 3-1 to in the first game of the season as all clubs hit the second half of their 38-match home and away programme. Town will be running a coach which will leave the Dusty Miller at Hove Edge at 10.45am.
The NPL League have confirmed Town’s Boxing Day home derby game with Ossett United will kick off at 1pm.
The players of both sides, match officials and former colleagues of Peter Gill, who died last Friday at the age of 62, held a minute’s applause ahead of the Lincoln game.
The former Town player, who also played Brighouse Sunday League football with the Junction and Top Club and was a member at Rastrick Cricket Club, was always present when Rastrick CC sponsored a game, which ironically, they were doing last Saturday, and was a very popular figure in the Brighouse and Rastrick sporting community. An obituary will follow in the Echo ahead of Christmas.
