Brighouse Town came from behind to grab a share of the spoils in their home derby with Pontefract Collieries last Saturday. With little separating the sides at the wrong end of the table, it was a match that neither side could really afford to lose.
Former Brighouse Town, Clydebank and Huddersfield Town striker Jack Boyle put Pontefract ahead after 41 minutes with a powerful left-footed strike into the top right hand corner of Shea Callister’s net. It was nothing more than the visitors deserved after having the ball in the net some 10 minutes earlier-only to be wiped out for a foul on Callister- and also hitting a post with a thunderbolt.
However, the ball had fallen favourably to Boyle after Town’s Rhys Plater had been badly fouled on the edge of the box but all claims were waved away by referee Abdul Hakimy and `Ponty’ were a goal to the good.
That is how it stayed until the break where Grant Black rested Curtis Peters as he battles his way back to full fitness.
He replaced him with Romario Dunne whop has been out on dual registration at Wakefield to get some game time and he was on to the spot to put Town level in the 51st minute.
Town lost some pace and width down the right flank when Myron Gibbons was substituted but all the players put in a tremendous shift as the visitors used their flanks to take them forward and give the Town defence some real grief at times.
Fortunately for Town the visiting forwards had an off day with their heading of a ball and the score remained 1-1 and another valuable point was achieved.
Coming back for Town this weekend after a four match suspension for the away trip to Consett (3pm) will be skipper Josh Grant, but it is doubtful his vice-captain Kevy Tarangadzo will be fit from his hamstring injury.
Town are running a coach to the Durham outpost and it will leave the Dusty Miller at Hove Edge at 11.15am.
In the meantime midfielder Scott Harvey has joined Grant Black’s squad on loan from Mansfield Town to cover for Darius Smith (hamstring) who has called it a day for the season.
Smith has also moved from Doncaster to live and work in Manchester.