Dave Parker

BRIGHOUSE TOWN commence their pre-season programme on Saturday with an `away game’ to Thackley AFC (1.00pm) played at the Fleet Lane, Woodlesford, home of the West Riding County FA.

With Thackley’s pitch still being worked on, and Town’s, it was decided to hire the FA pitch and share the costs, with also the sharing of the match officials’ fees.

Town had originally been down to play Golcar United but they have covid cases and isolations in place so couldn’t go ahead with the fixture.

Town’s manager Vill Powell has informed Echo Sport he has six players on trial, is set to sign a centre half with National League experience and looking at two players being released by Bradford City-a centre forward and a central midfielder.

” I cannot release any names of those two players as they were not set to be released from their contracts until midnight last night and I don’t want anybody also nipping in and beating us to it,” said Powell.

“We, (Charlie Tolley and I) can do some signing on now the League have given clubs the chance to sign players as from midday Monday and we will be doing.

“In the meantime the players will be training hard and preparing for a busy July of pre-season friendlies. The squad are working well on outdoor sessions-three-a-week at the moment- plus gym workouts thanks to MP Fitness, Brighouse.”

The other pre-season games are away to Penistone Church, Saturday, July 10, home to Harrogate Town on Tuesday, July 13, Bradford City (home) on Wednesday, July 21, three days later Matlock Town are the visitors followed by Eccleshill Utd on July 27; Bradford Park Avenue, July 30 and then another home game with Farsley Celtic on Tuesday, August 3.

Former chairman and now life member Ray McLaughlin attended last Saturday’s League AGM by Zoom and heard that the fixtures would not be out until around mid-July. Ahead of those will be the Emirates FA Cup Draw and the Buildbase FA Trophy and Vase draws.

Town are also looking to fix a date for their AGM and also ensure their committee members are fully up to date with matters on and off the field as they plan for an exciting season ahead.

West Riding Girls Football League Cup Final.

Brighouse Town U18 Girls v Scarborough U18 Girls U18

BRIGHOUSE TOWN U18 Girls came out in the first half of this West Riding County Girls League Cup Final with Scarborough in a slow mode. Scarborough were certainly hungry for the cup and were keeping Brighouse’s defence of Abi Barker, Shannon Heffron, Katie Liversidge and Maisie Blackhall on their toes.

Then, Brighouse made a super counter break down the right wing and Ellie Hobson took her chance and scored.

Scarborough did not not take this lying down; they attacked well in midfield, took their chances and in quick succession scored three goals in the first half.

Brighouse were clearly missing their outstanding midfielder Katja May, who was unable to play and devastated to be missing such an important match, which at the break was 3-1 to Scarborough.

Brighouse came back out fighting in the second half after a motivational team talk and tactical changes.

After numerous attempts on goal, Brighouse finally hit the back of the net, through a header by Teigan Hunter. Quickly followed by another header from Shannon Heffron.

Brighouse were back in the game and keeping the play in the Scarborough half, leaving Brighouse keeper Denika Connolly quiet after what was a busy first half for her. The introduction of the solid centre back Ruby Waring gave the Brighouse defence fresh legs and renewed confidence. Jemima Wood was as ever composed in midfield, distributing the ball well with Caitlin Castleton and Honey Newburn working hard.

Brighouse were now dominating the game, with some great attacking runs by Abi Barker, but it wasn’t her day to get the goal she so much deserved.

Hunter got her second after being put through on goal. Brighouse were now ahead. To seal the game, Ellie Ugwa worked hard to get her goal of the match.

A nail biting game for the supporters, but what a way to finish the season!!

Final Score Brighouse 5 Scarborough 3.

Dave Parker

THE NEW format from the FA for Trident League clubs continues to throw up new challenges and Brighouse Town along with fellow Step 4 clubs will towards to the business end of the Pitching-In 2021-22 season have to be looking over their shoulders.

Up to four clubs in each of the four divisions will be at risk of relegation. The bottom two clubs will be sent down automatically and replaced by the champions from each of the 16 divisions at Step 5. Then, the 16 runners-up at Step 5 will take part in a one-legged Inter-Step play-off match at a club finishing either third or fourth from bottom in each of the eight divisions at Step 4 to determine whether they remain at Step 5 or are promoted to Step 4.

Where a club finishes first but does not meet the minimum criteria for promotion to the next Step, the club finishing in second shall be promoted with the third-placed club the next eligible to partake in the Step play-off matches.

The clubs promoted to Step 4 will be placed in a feeder pool and allocated to the most geographically appropriate division for the following season.

The Pitching-In Northern Premier League and the FA have said that no players can be officially signed on and also contracted until June 28.

Director of Football and vice-chairman Charlie Tolley is in almost daily contact with his manager Vill Powell as they look to sign players for key positions in the centre of defence, midfield and also a striker or two.

“Its no easy task and quite time consuming for the manager who knows the quality he requires and we won’t be signing players just to make up the numbers,” said Tolley.

We have the main body of last season’s squad already lined up for the signing on date and we just need to add to it. I am sure we will be more clear of where we stand after the 28th.”

Town’s Open Day that was planned for July 4 has been postponed until the lifting of restrictions is hopefully allowed after July 19.

Town’s official printer and sponsor Graham Horsfield of Print-IT, Bailiff Bridge, was involved with the opening Channel 5 programme on Monday night of LIVE: Summer on the farm at Cannon Hall, Barnsley. He was engaged as a member of Barnsley Brass and is, of course, instrumental in following in his late father’s footsteps in running the annual Brighouse Brass Band Championships in the town centre.

Brighouse Town Women’s AFC formally become a part of One Town One Team – Brighouse Town AFC.

It is with great pleasure that Brighouse Town AFC can formally announce that the very successful Brighouse Town Women’s AFC have officially become a fully integrated part of the club. Although for all intent and purposes they have operated under the Brighouse Town banner they have always been an independent organisation. Discussions regarding a formal unification have been going ion for a couple of years and both management teams felt that now was the right time.

Although structurally there will be little change and to the outside world much will appear the same the decision is a definite positive and forward step in the ongoing progression and development of the club. 

Dave Parker

THE FA have informed clubs taking part in the Emirates FA Cup that replays will take place this season from the very first extra preliminary round expected on Saturday, August 7 and then extra time and penalties if the tie cannot be decided after the second 90 minutes. Last season because of the Level system and cutting back on excess travelling, the ties were decided on the day with penalties.

However, there will be no replays and then extra time or penalties in the FA Trophy or FA Vase ties, they will be decided on the day.

The Trident League covering steps 1-4 would also like to see county cups not played this coming season, so, if there is a break once more for any surge in the virus, then continuity of League fixtures can keep going instead of cup ties taking preference and clubs getting a backlog of fixtures.

The Pitching-In Northern Premier League have now got all they need from member clubns to start producing the fixture lists and hope to have them out much earlier than normal, which will help Town and their contemporaries in more ways than one but particularly in hauling in sponsors. Town already have their main sponsors Quickslide Windows & Doors wanting to bag a game in August for a works family fun day.

There is some football at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium this Saturday morning with the Women’s section taking centre stage. Their U-18 side will play Bradford City (10.30) in the West Riding County semi-final, the winners then playing Tingley on June 19, while also on Saturday on two other pitches at the stadium, and also with 10.30 kick-offs, their U-14s will play Garforth in their `semi’ and if they win they will head for Ackworth, and the third match sees the very promising Brighouse Town Oranges U12s take on Bradford City (10.30) and if they win, will also travel to Ackworth.

Off the pitch there is plenty going on with match day groundsman and former Brighouse senior referee Wally Hemingway having secured a large portakabin for the club from his Huddersfield-based employers Dual Seal Glass, a former sponsor at the club.Town have also ordered a new toilet block for spectators and stepped up work on replacing some perimeter fencing ahead of new sponsors coming on board.

There are plans, and more will be revealed next week for an Open Day at the stadium on Sunday, July 4 and more will be revealed in Echo Sport next week.

Dave Parker

LIVERSEDGE TOOK home the inaugural Yorkshire Trophy after beating Penistone Church 4-0 in the final last Saturday afternoon at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium before a crowd of 364.

Their goals were scored by John Cyrus after five minutes, Gavin Allott (46), Oliver Fearon (73) and an own goal in the 90th minute. They received the Trophy from Brighouse Town official Chris Lister and his manager Vill Powell.

In the third and fourth placed final which had kicked off at 11.30am in front of 209 spectators, Golcar United defeated Brighouse Town on penalties 4-3 after the sides were level at 3-3 on the whistle at the end of 90 minutes.

Town had come back from 2-0 down with goals for Golcar from Jacob Buchanan and Greg Porter, to take the lead, 3-2 with goals from Harrison Beeden, a Kyro Lawrence own goal and then a stunning goal from Jack Boyle in the 62nd minute. However they couldn’t hold out or capitalise on their lead and Buddy Cox struck home an equaliser for the Huddersfield club in the 82nd minute.

The two week competition to give players some end of season participation after inactivity through the pandemic since December was hailed a success and Liversedge match day secretary Ralph Wainwright, a former employee with Leeds Rhinos, along with his chairman Trevor Best would like to see it run again next year as a pre-season competition.

“It would give those games some meaning and edge to them, and encourage better crowds,” said Wainwright, whose club also have a name to add on to the trophy, the late Simon Emery who passed away in the past 12 months.

Town’s manager Vill Powell, who put a lot of work into getting the competition off the ground, was very pleased with the outcome through attendance figures and the football played by all sides to entertain the spectators.

“It was also a huge financial boost to our club after a very lean period since the curtailment of fixtures back in December,” he added.

Powell has held a behind closed doors trial game this week to look for potential players before he also works with his staff this month of June ahead of the first away pre-season friendly on July 3 at Golcar United to add more strength in depth for the first league game on August 14 and the start of the FA Cup preliminary round ties on August 21.

Town had a groundhopper through for their 4-0 semi-final defeat by Liversdege on the Wednesday night from Accrington and then on Saturday three more from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, Brigg in Lincolnshire and Sheffield. They were delighted to purchase souvenir programmes and also order pin badges, plus enjoying a pie and a pint.