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.

Brighouse Town’s caretaker manager Paul Quinn narrowly failed with his side to return from Cleethorpes last Saturday with a valuable point or three!

The former manager was abroad when he got the call to take over until the end of the season from Vill Powell and neither he or his assistant Steve Waide had had the opportunity to work with the players on the Thursday night session, Under-23s manager Mark Ellis and skipper Josh Grant taking on that task.

The squad had a good, fresh pre-match drill under messrs Quinn, Waide and Ellis in warm sunshine but with a strengthening wind coming down the pitch.

Brighouse for the first half had to defend with the wind in their faces and the ball was ballooning all over the place. However, they could have been in front inside the first five minutes when the ball fell to Jack Crook some twelve yards out, he made good contact on a bobbly pitch but his shot just cleared the crossbar. Town had another good chance to open their account moments later when Mo Qasim weaved his way up the right and then fired in a great cross but his teammates had not anticipated and the chance was lost.

The hosts moved ahead in the 13th minute when a loose ball in the box wasn’t cleared although the visitors were asking the referee about offside and a foul on Jamie Allsop, but Josh Walker poked home.

Town after the early excursions into the home half were finding it hard against the elements and the defending of left back Adedapo Adelman, who was a real thorn in their side and particularly Jack Normanton.

The sides went in at the break with just that one goal separating them and there was real optimism among the Town fans that they could take advantage of the wind at their side’s backs.

Brighouse went a second goal down in the 58th minute when Walker bagged his brace, running through the Town defence and beating Jamie Hassall in the bottom corner of his net.

All credit to hard work Town they came back strong and Jack Wilson was unlucky to hit the bottom of a post after the ball had run across the goal line, Crook hit a rising shot over from outside the box, before substitute Myron Gibbons found the target in the 67th minute. Town worked hard for an equaliser but were not helped by two dubious offside decisions and then in time added on Gibbons came into the box to go for a ball and was taken down by home keeper Ben Bottomley. All the Town players appealed and their supporters but referee Gavin Scott waved their appeals away.

So, it was a 2-1 defeat and with Grantham Town’s 94th minute winner over Consett they moved to within two points of Town but Winterton, five points off and at the foot of the table lost 3-0 at Pontefract Collieries who Town host on Saturday (3pm).

The match is being sponsored by past players and teammates of the late Peter Gill.

Hi Guys please see message below from Josh(Mark Wood),
Just letting you know we have sorted a date for Gilly’s game. It’s planned in for Sat April 13th ko 3pm BTAFC v Pontefract .
All other details as message copied below.
Hope you all can make it and share some memories/laughs over a few beers for Gilly.

Just a quick note to let people know about this game who might want to come along and support it. Couple of options: 1st just turn up,pay at the turnstile, have a beer with friends of Gilly and remember a top bloke,
or join in the sponsorship of the game, £20 gets you entrance to the game, a free pint and free pie and pies or burger and chips and helps support the club and a donation to the British Heart Foundation. If you’d like to do the sponsorship please let Josh know on 07799381499 to help with numbers. Please feel free to forward to any friends you feel might be interested.
Thank you.
Josh

Brighouse Town’s tale of woe continued with two defeats over the Easter holiday including a 5-1 reverse at home to the bottom club Winterton Rangers.

Town have only had two wins in 2024 against Liversedge on January 1 and away to Belper Town on January 23 and with only three draws they have been well and truly sucked into the relegation battle at the foot of the Northern Premier League East Division.

Only Ossett United stand between Town and the bottom two clubs, Grantham Town and Winterton Town, and five points is the difference between staying up right now and being one of the two clubs who go down.

Town were without their captain Josh Grant over the two games, vice captain Curtis Peters also failed a fitness test for both games and on the Monday game wing-back Darius Smith also pulled out. 

On the Saturday game away to second-placed Dunston, played on the 4G pitch at Consett as the Newcastle side are having huge drainage problems, Town played some good football and were in the game until the 68th minute when central defender Josh Dacre allowed Jack Maskell to score from a low David Richardson cross.

Within four minutes Town were level as Jack Wilson weaved his way into central field and then delivered a good pass to Mo Qasim who had just come on for Kieron Ceesay and he picked his spot to make it 1-1.

A valuable point looked to be on the cards until with seven minutes to go Jordan Lamb beat Smith to the ball on the touchline and he took play right up the touchline and into the box before he squared for Dale Pearson to beat Jamie Hassall and make it 2-1.

Town did come back strong through Qasim, Wilson and Brandon Webster but the game was put to bed in the 89th minute when Robinson in an offside position chipped a hesitant Hassall and the ball landed in the net to make it 3-1.

The scoreline was not a true reflection of the effort put in by the Town players.

All the travelling support could talk about on the way back was the 2-1 win Grantham Town had had over fellow strugglers Ossett United and the fact the Gingerbread Men had come within five points now of Town who had a massive home game on the Monday with Winterton who had lost 2-0 at home to Cleethorpes Town.

Town’s crowd had been swelled by FC Halifax Town fans who had seen their home game with York City called off at 11am for waterlogging and some York fans who had come to Halifax early and were then looking for a game. The Minstermen also boosted the Town coffers as they spent on a variety of items in the club shop.

They, and the Town faithful, witnessed the first goal after nine minutes when Winterton full back Clay Bryant hit the target to put his side a goal to the good. Two minutes later and the north Lincolnshire side were back in the Town box and centre half Henry Moore made it 2-0 and the home fans were in a state of shock.

Three minutes later and things only got worse as lively winger Russell Berko hit the first of his three goals to make it 3-0.

That is how it stayed until half-time with Town coming up against a very good keeper in Nathan Popple who made three very good saves.

Town did pull a goal back in the 56th minute through Jack Normanton who was put clear down the middle and he did have the beating of Popple on this occasion to make it 3-1.

Town then went looking an important second goal and both Qasim and Normanton were denied. It was the away side who got the all important match-winning fourth goal when Berko got his second on 75 minutes.

In the third minute of added time Rangers made it 5-1 as Berko completed his hat-trick with a strong drive to beat Hassall.

Emley with a 5-0 away win at Goole on Saturday were crowned NCEL Premier champions and with the 700-plus crowds they have been getting this season would be a welcome addition to the East Division fixtures next term but Town first off have to make sure they hold on to their place.

In the meantime Doncaster-based midfielder Jack Crook has been allowed to sign on dual registration forms for Retford Town possibly to help them if they make the play-offs in the NCEL Division One. However, he will stay with Town until the end of their season which now sees them with just two home games against Pontefract Collieries on Saturday, April 13 and Carlton Town on Saturday, April 27 left. They have challenging away games on top of the Cleethorpes game at Consett on Tuesday week, April 16 and then on the Saturday at possible champions-elect Stockton Town.                        

 There is a coach on Saturday to Cleethorpes which will leave the Dusty Miller at 11.15am