Promotion hopefuls Hebburn Town completed a double over Brighouse Town last Saturday with a goal in each half to register eight goals over the two games.

Town gave the Newcastle-based side plenty to think about in the first half but the visitors still managed to score their first goal on 39 minutes, scored by Arron Thompson. Aiden Heyward fired the ball across the box where Thompson was on hand to fire the ball into the net.

Town previous to this could have gone ahead through Jack Normington after just 10 minutes when he was clear on goal but lobbed his shot wide of Kieran Hunter with everyone in the ground expecting the target to be hit. Not long afterwards and Jack Wilson was through and into the box but his shot was wayward also of the target.

Town then lost defender Matty Nebard (injured) and he was replaced by Darius Smith. 

Hebburn did appear a relieved side when they broke the deadlock and Town under skipper Josh Grant did force the play until the break without managing to equalise.

When Town, in the second half, played more of the ball on the deck, they did have the beating for pace and some skill of the opposition but it was second-placed Hebburn who scored the second goal on 75 minutes when first Jamie Hassall made a good save from a Liam Noble corner but was then beaten by a shot from Robbie Spence.

Brighouse did not throw in the towel and kept on coming down the right flank through Jack Crook, on for Myron Gibbons, Smith, Normanton, Cameron Bedford and Kieron Ceesay. Hunter twice spilled the greasy ball as the sleet hammered down but unfortunately there was no Town forward near enough to poke either chance home.

 Going into this Easter weekend’s two fixtures, Town are fourth from bottom and desperately need points from Dunston away on Saturday (3pm) and then against  bottom club Winterton Rangers on Easter Monday (3pm) at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium.

The Dunston game is set for the 4G pitch at Consett, a ground where last term Town enjoyed the surface and won 4-1.

The Dunston pitch is ruled out until April by the NPL but they (Dunston) have been trying in the early part of this week to try and secure home advantage after having to play at Morpeth last Saturday and drag Carlton Town from the border of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire all the way up there. The third-placed club were also beaten 3-2!

Town hope to have vice-captain Curtis Peters back in action this weekend and also leading goalscorer Mo Qasim, whose leg injury kept him out of the action last Saturday.    

Brighouse Town, minus the services of quality players Curtis Peters (injured) and Cameron Bedford (virus) saw Sheffield claim a double at the home of Gainsborough Trinity last Saturday with a goal in each half.

The Northern Premier League management had made Sheffield leave their ground owing to its waterlogged state in midweek and play the match elsewhere. The Sheffield management had wanted to forgo home advantage and play the match at Town’s Heffernan Utilities Stadium but that was turned down and so they moved 45 miles away to the Northolme Stadium, home of the Northern Premier League club and paid £850 rental as a result.

The pitch, on the banks of river Trent, was in excellent condition but the time kick off came the early morning sunshine had gone in and there was a cold, swirling wind and despite this `lush green carpet’ both sides played a lot of ariel balls.

Town, playing towards the river end, had the better of the opening stages but it was Sheffield who took the lead in the seventh minute when Town defenders failed to take out a lofted ball to experienced ex-Belper Town striker Cameron Johnson who just volleyed home from 25 yards out to leave Jamie Hassall grasping fresh air!

Matthew Nebard and Samuel Drake worked hard on the right for Town and Myron Gibbons had the beating of his man for pace but nothing came to fruition. It was out of the left where Brandon Webster, Josh Grant and Jack Wilson caused problems for the `home’ side but the end product was into the side netting instead of the goal.

Leading scorer Mo Qasim did not look himself and never won a ball in the air and he also failed to find the net when well placed in the box after coming in from the left. Manger Vill Powell revealed after the game he had a knee problem and that was why he was subbed midway through the second half by Kieron Ceesay.

Wilson also had the beating of his man and he got some crosses in and also a cracking second half shot from the edge of the box that just swerved away from the post at the last minute.

He was substituted by Jack Normanton late in the second half and very little time to show his skills. Town were still looking for the equaliser and Gibbons sent in a great ball but Drake’s shot was taken in his bread basket by Edd Hall, the former Town keeper. 

Then came a sickening blow when they gave away a penalty in the 79th minute as Ash Butterworth was alleged by referee Arran Williams from Elland to have brought down Johnson. He got up, dusted himself down and then whacked in the spot kick to which Hassall at least got his hands to.

This was Town’s fourteenth defeat in 30 games and with eight games left they only have Ossett United between them and the bottom two, namely Winterton Rangers and Grantham Town. Town have a stiff run in commencing on Saturday with a home game against Hebburn who put six past them on March 5 at their Newcastle base.

Hebburn, who beat Bridlington last Saturday, are third in the table behind leaders Stockton and Dunston.

The match, played on Non League Day and also an attraction for Groundhoppers with no Premier League or Championship matches being played owing to the international break, is being sponsored by Rastrick Cricket Club who get behind the club each season.     

This is a “home” fixture for Dunston UTS FC but will be played at Brighouse Town AFC due to Dunston’s ground being unavailable to host the fixture.

Another postponement in the north east last Saturday ensured Brighouse Town have yet another midweek trip up the A1(M) when the re-arranged date is sorted.

The 4G Consett pitch was covered in three inches of snow overnight and into Saturday morning and with the forecast for the day not that good in the area the game was called off at 9am. The surrounding car park was obviously also covered and the terracing.

Consett and Town have agreed to look at a Tuesday night in April after the Easter weekend. Consett, who are four games behind their programme of fixtures now,  couldn ‘t play this coming Saturday on the free date set aside by the league in case of matches postponed in February or the first weekend of March. Town were up in Newcastle on Tuesday evening playing fourth-placed Hebburn Town in a game that had already been postponed from December 2nd (snow) and again on the re-arranged date, February 10 (waterlogged).

Town manager Vill Powell and his assistant Louis Axcell went to Stocksbridge Park Steels’ home game with Hebburn last Saturday to run the rule over the Newcastle side and at the same time do some scouting. Hebburn came away with a 2-1 win but the south Yorkshire side gave them a run for their money.

The deadline for signings for the season is Thursday, March 28 and Powell is felt to want to add a striker to his ranks with nine games left after the Hebburn game, with just four of them at home. Town in fifteenth place on the 20 clubs in the East Division are nine points ahead of the bottom two clubs, Winterton Rangers and Grantham Town and have played one game more than the south Lincolnshire club and two more than Winterton in north Lincolnshire.

Each point gained now is like gold dust to retain the club’s place in Step 4 of non-league football.         

Town have no game this weekend and resume on Saturday, March 16  away to Sheffield FC before returning home to entertain Hebburn Town on Saturday, March 23, a game sponsored by Rastrick Cricket Club.

In the meantime, Life vice-president Ray McLaughlin has just received from the FA the club’s ground grading department requirements before March 30, 2025 to keep their non-league status. After studying it with other senior members of the club’s committee, he remarked that it was a good job the date was twelve months hence from now.

Stadium sponsors Heffernan Utilities have offered to help in anyway they can. The company have just moved their headquarters into Brighouse at Owler Ings after being for several years in Halifax.

“That is a major boost for us and we are very grateful to Luke Heffernan and his colleagues,” said McLaughlin, who added that they also did a lot of concreting ahead of the ground grading executive visiting the ground back in September. 

“We will draw up the list of jobs needed to be carried out and then  take it from there.”

Brighouse Town twice came from behind to snatch a vital point in their home game with Bridlington Town last Saturday but in all honesty they should, with far better finishing in the first half, particularly, have taken all three points.

Three second half goals in seven minutes and an added time equaliser for Brighouse saw the game end 2-2.

Brighouse had the better chances in the first 45 minutes through Jack Wilson, Jack Crook ,Curtis Peters and Mohammed Qasim, but they went in at the break like their visitors without a goal to show for their efforts on a tacky surface after all last week’s rain and then overnight frost on the Friday night.

The Seasiders struck first in the 61st minute through substitute Ellis Barkworth after some slack defending. Six minutes later and Brighouse were level through the penalty spot after referee Ian Johnston spotted a hand ball at a corner. Leading goalscorer Qasim stepped up and sent James Hitchcock the wrong way to make it 1-1.

From the kick-off Bridlington took the ball into the Town box and once more took the lead with Barkworth bagging his brace. Manager Vill Powell and his assistant Louis Axcell were livid.

Bridlington looked as though they could make the game safe with a third or even fourth goal before the home side through Jorge Sikora, at the back and the likes of Darius Smith and Brandon Webster got the ball forward.

From some incessant attacking play Brighouse did manage in the first minute of six minutes added time to equalise through Cameron Bedford who drilled home through a packed goalmouth. Brighouse then piled on the pressure as they went for the winner but the visitors held out.

Town on Saturday now travel to Consett who are six places above them in the table, but Town did beat them 3-1 earlier in the season.

On the following Tuesday, March 5 (7.45) they are away to Hebburn Town, a re-arranged game from three weeks ago when the Newcastle-based club’s pitch was waterlogged.

Hebburn are sixth in the table and Town have yet to play them at home.

In the meantime former Chesterfield centre-back Alexander Phillipson has left the club and signed for Stocksbridge Park Steels. He only made one start since losing his place at the end of November until the 2-1 away defeat at Newton Aycliffe a week last Saturday. He joins former Town goalkeeper Harry Garman at the south Yorkshire club.  Midfielder Ashley Butterworth has joined Horbury Town on a dual registration agreement to get more game time with also being out of the current squad.

Town will be running a coach to Consett and also Hebburn, with the Saturday pick up time being 10.45 at the Dusty Miller, Hove Edge and 3.45 on the Tuesday at the same place.