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.    

             

Brighouse Town paid for an indifferent first half performance last Saturday away to Newton Aycliffe, which the Durham side ended up winning 2-1 to go within a point of the play-off places.

In the first fifteen minutes Newton Aycliffe could have been 4-0 up instead of 1-0 to the good, as they hit the crossbar, scooped over with the goal at their mercy and Jamie Hassall made two tremendous outstretched saves before he was beaten on the angle by Kyle Davis who had shook off the attentions of Jorge Sikora.

This was something of a wake up call for Town and they did start through the industrious efforts of Curtis Peters and skills of the returning Jack Wilson to put the home side under some pressure but the final shots were off target.

They did have a great chance from a Josh Grant free kick out on the right to level matters but the also returning Alexander Phillipson from two metres out missed his connection with the ball and it went dead.

Former Bradford City player Wilson was giving home fullback Jack Naylor some grief with his skills and he could have scored twice but ballooned over. Experienced home defender Marc Costello gave Town centre forward Kieron Ceesay no opportunities at all for the former Wakefield player.

Just a minute after the restart Town also had an opportunity to level but the ball went agonisingly wide of a post and two minutes later the home side were two up as Davis got the better of Sikora after a ricochet into the path of the home striker allowed him to bag his brace as he lobbed Hassall.

In the 54th minute Vill Powell made two changes, leading scorer Mo Qasim coming on for Ceesay and Jack Crook for Phillipson and within four minutes Town had pulled a goal back. Myron Gibbons made no mistake with his opportunity from 10 metres out and the Town players went after an equaliser. Peters, Wilson, Darius Smith and Brandon Webster drove forward and there were near misses for Qasim and Wilson.

The home side were a shadow of their first half selves and Town, not helped with a very sticky pitch, did all they could to at least share the points.

Right at the death Crook had a good effort kicked off the line and it just wasn’t to be, Town losing and with other results on the day dropping to 16th place in the table of the East Division’s 20 clubs.

On Saturday, Town entertain Bridlington Town (3pm) who are on the same number of points as Town-29-but are one place above on goal difference. The game is what is defined as a must win one and Town need the three points to distance themselves from the bottom two clubs, Grantham and Winterton who are both on 20 points.

The Seasiders visit just some 10 days since their long serving owner and chairman Peter Smurthwaite put the Hudgell Solicitors Stadium up for sale which has raised a few eyebrows.    The game is being sponsored by Chris Anderson Dental from Rastrick and Clare Whitworth from Hebden Bridge.  

(Picture by Alex Young)
Former Brighouse Town left fullback Sam Reed made his debut off the
bench for Sheffield Wednesday away to Coventry City last Tuesday in a FA
Cup fourth round replay
His father Stacy Reed, former Town assistant manager,  informed: “as
soon as the fourth goal went in manager Danny Rohl said:` Sam get ready
you are on.`
“Sam got 33 minutes and was absolutely buzzing afterwards when our
family party of eleven met up with him
That was despite the side going down 4-1
He wasn’t retained for the Friday night home game with Birmingham City
but he has just received ed another boost by being  made the captain of
the U21side that on Tuesday of this week was playing Fleetwood Town
Just going back to the game, he did really well and did not look out of
place whatsoever against a side that is in the play-off places.
“Sam is delighted that the Brighouse Town supporters are keeping close
tabs on his career since enjoying his three seasons with them .”

Brighouse Town’s away game at fourth-placed Hebburn Town last Saturday was called off for waterlogging after a 9am inspection by the match referee. This was the second time the fixture had been postponed at the North Drive ground in Newcastle, following the December 2 postponement for two inches of snow on a hard surface that day.

This time the pitch hadn’t seen any snow in the week but just incessant rain from the Thursday and well into Friday. Ahead of their home scheduled derby game this past Tuesday night with Dunston, also on 44 points and in third place, Hebburn secretary David Thomas revealed that the Saturday, March 9 date left clear by the NPL management for a rash of February postponements, had already been taken up to host Sheffield FC.

Town’s manager Vill Powell has given them Tuesday, March 12 to consider inside the 31 days allowed by the League to fix up a re-arranged game.

Town will be hopefully on the road this coming Saturday as they head north to Newton Aycliffe who are doing well in their first season in the East Division. They are currently nineth on 40 points after their 2-1 away win at bottom club Winterton Rangers on Saturday. Based between Darlington and Bishop Auckland, the newcomers were beaten 2-1 by Town at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium back in September with Jack Normanton and Mo Qasim getting the all important goals. 

Centre-back Matty Nebard would have been unavailable for the Hebburn game with still being in Italy with his school on a skiing holiday, but he comes back into contention after just missing the Stocksbridge Park Steels game where newly signed Jorge Sikora covered his absence.

On the subject of Sikora, Bradford Park Avenue have made their interest known for his services, but it appears the former Bradford City and Guiseley defender who was signed from now defunct Marske United in the last week of January, is staying put with a club he enjoyed a loan spell earlier in the season before being recalled by the Markse club ahead of their financial woes. Park Avenue are 13 points adrift at the foot of the NPL Premier Division despite winning their last two games.

The extra week without a game but with a full training schedule has eased winger Jack Wilson back into contention for Saturday following his four months of playing inactivity through a serious ankle injury. The 20-year-old, who impressed last season on loan from Bradford City, joined Town on a free transfer and was really getting into the swing of things in September when the injury struck.

Vice-captain Curtis Peters who was injured in the Ossett United game two weeks ago is fit to be considered once more for the game on Saturday.

A 1-1 draw with the steadily improving Stocksbridge Park Steels was a fair result at the end of a day in which returning goalkeeper Harry Garman pulled off a tremendous second half save to ensure his side took a vital point home with them.

In the first half, Stocksbridge probably had the better of the play although Town could have taken the lead if Jack Normanton’s flying header on sixteen minutes had been just a foot lower.

Stocksbridge took the lead in the 31st minute when striker Luke Rawson muscled off his marker Josh Dacre and from some sixteen yards out beat keeper Jamie Hassall.

Ex-Chesterfield youngster Rawson, who was on Town’s books three seasons ago before moving to Bradford Park Avenue, was putting himself about and Town’s defence had to work hard to keep a check on him,Tommy Marshall and Ross Goodwin.

The scoreline remained 0-1 at the break and Town needed to start crafting out a few openings in the next 45 minutes. 

In the 60th minute, referee Kavan Hurn issued a caution to Stocksbridge’s Luke Hogg and the player continued to rant at the referee and was then showed a second yellow and a red.

Jack Crook came on for Cameron Bedford and he proceeded to make forward runs and the ball was being played out to left wing back Brandon Webster but his crosses  were not his usual accurate ones and the chances to equalise were being lost.

In fact Town’s equaliser in the 62nd minute came from the right after an appeal for a penalty had been turned down. The ball ended up in the box and Mo Qasim hooked it in the net.

Five minutes later and Dacre kicked off his line as the visitors had made rapid headway into the Town half down their left.

A further five minutes later and leading scorer Qasim, coming in to the box from the left, curled a superb shot on target which had `goal’ written all over it, but a diving Garman just got a hand to it to send it over the bar for a corner.

The visitors had settled for taking a point back but Town, with fresh legs on in the shape of Myron Gibbons and Ashley Butterworth, were hell bent on trying to land all three. However, despite pressure on the Stocksbridge goal, they just couldn’t grab a winner but with other results going their way, they remained in 15th place of the 20 clubs and nine points ahead of the bottom club Winterton Rangers.

On Saturday, Town make the trip to Newcastle to take on fourth-placed Hebburn Town who they beat 6-5 on penalties back in September in the FA Trophy. Hebburn this past Saturday had a 3-1 home win over sixth-placed Consett.

The game is possibly one away from former Bradford City winger Jack Wilson making his long awaited comeback, according to assistant manager Louis Axcell and centre back Matt Nebard will still be away in Italy with his school. There were no injuries after the game with Stocksbridge.   

The coach leaves the Dusty Miller at 11am.