Four second half goals for Pontefract Collieries condemned Brighouse Town to another heavy defeat and whatismore, with results elsewhere, plunged them into the bottom two of the Northern Premier League East Division.
Including this past Tuesday evening’s re-arranged away game at Consett, Town just had the three games to try and get some points to try and escape the drop in to the Toolstation Northern Counties East Premier League. On Saturday they travel to League leaders Stockton Town, who only need three points to take the title and gain promotion and then on Saturday week they host Nottingham club Carlton Town who are battling for a play-off place as the shock team of the season.
Ossett United and Grantham Town both had wins at the weekend and bottom club Winterton Rangers also pulled off a shock 1-0 win at home to Stockton who clearly are jittery if their past three results are anything to go by.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s game Town were two points ahead of Winterton, one point behind Grantham Town who have overhauled them and two points behind Ossett Utd.
Its a tall order but caretaker manager Paul Quinn and his charges have not thrown the towel in as clearly their first half showing against fourth-placed Pontefract showed.
In the first five minutes of the game with Pontefract, Town should have been a goal to the good as Jack Wilson put a ball right across the face of the goal but no Town attacker could get a boot to it.
Wilson on 17 minutes was brought down in the box and leading scorer and regular penalty taker Mo Qasim stepped up but he proceeded to blast the ball over the crossbar.
Myron Gibbons, Wilson and Qasim had chances to open Town’s account but failed and the two sides went in at the break drawing 0-0.
There was a bizarre start to the second half, Town’s goalkeeper Jamie Hassall was walking back to his goal when the game kicked off and Pontefract’s Connor Smythe using the brisk wind fired from the centre circle and the ball went over the Town custodian’s head and into the net for the visitors to lead1-0.
Ten minutes down the line and Pontefract were 2-0 up as they had a penalty awarded after a player had been bundled over in the penalty box. Adam Haw stepped up and sent Hassall the wrong way.
A third was soon added when Haw put the Town defence under pressure and made it easy for ball recipient Bailey Thompson to fire home.
Three minutes later there was a bizarre fourth goal when after an injury to a Pontefract player the referee, to get the game going, strongly rolled the ball at Hassall instead of dropping it for him and his resultant kick went straight to Thompson who blocked the clearance and the ball went into the net.
Town did get a consolation goal in the 87th minute when Gibbons fired in an unstoppable shot that Pontefract keeper Lloyd Allison could only watch fly past him and into the top corner of the net.
Town’s vice-captain and former Bradford City utility player Curtis Peters (ribs) declared himself fit to play at Consett and he has been sorely missed.
There will be a coach to Stockton on Saturday leaving the Dusty Miller at 11.15am.
Town have been informed by the ground grading officer at the FA that their pitch is several metres short for pyramid football and they will have to extend it ahead of the start of the new season deadline. They will do that at the quarry end of the ground and still make the Heffernan Utilities Stadium four-sided owing to spare land behind the current fence.
Life vice-president Ray McLaughlin is co-ordinating a work programme that will commence in mid-May when all the local finals for Calderdale Schools and local leagues booked for the ground have been played.
Next Wednesday, April 24 (7.30) Wyke Wanderers will take on Littletown in the first semi-final of the West Yorkshire Amateur League at Town’s ground.
Their second semi-final will be on Wednesday, May 1 after four clubs this week have sorted out their quarter-finals.
With the Shay being closed for football by Calderdale Council, the Halifax & District FA will play all their finals at Brighouse’s ground with details being given out next week.
