132 – no winner

44 Jason Stoney

Brighouse Town AFC are delighted to announce that their status as a Step 4 league club has been retained. Due to resignations by, and licence issues with clubs in other parts of the country our average points per season means that we have gained an FA reprieve. It means we will once again compete in the Northern Premier East league for our eleventh consecutive season at this level. The club finished the season with 47 hard earned points and prior to the harsh 3-point deduction would not have needed to be awarded a reprieve.    

Having retained the services of Grant Black and Daz Young whatever the outcome of the league status the club now feels it is well placed to build on the results of last season. The reprieve means Grant and his team are now able to start planning in earnest for the forthcoming season with the step 4 status confirmed.

Details of pre-season friendlies, player retentions and new additions will be forthcoming as they are confirmed.

Brighouse Town AFC  

It is with great sadness that we hear about the passing of a former Manager of Brighouse Town AFC, Pete Smith.
Pete was in charge during the mid-80’s, and in character with every team Pete coached, discipline and fitness were top requirements of every player. Pete’s love of the game and enthusiasm also made him a great motivator and man-manager.

       Everyone at Brighouse Town send their sincere condolences to Pete’s wife Pat, and the rest of his family and friends. Details of the funeral are shown below, with Pete’s family hoping players from both Saturday and Sundays Leagues who played for, or knew Pete will attend.

Funeral is on Friday 30th May at Park Wood Crematorium, Elland at 10.30am and then afterwards at Thornhill Briggs Club.

A Rhys Plater double ensured Brighouse Town ended their season on a winning note at Sheffield FC
Town came from a goal down after just three minutes to make it 2-1
A Stephen Brogan corner found Luke Aldrich and his header was perfectly placed to beat Town keeper Shea Callister
Play was pretty even over the next twenty minutes before Town’s leading goalscorer Plater hit a right-footed shot past former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Mike Roxburgh
Town’s game then picked up and they ended the half strongly
They also started the second half well and deserved to go ahead in the 66th minute when Plater capitalised on a mix up in the home defence
The travelling Town supporters were pleased with how the NPL Division One East season had ended on a winning note

In the meantime chairman Chris Lister has informed the club’s board he will be standing down in the closed season but will not be leaving the club he has been associated with for several decades.
On Sunday May 25 there will once more be the popular “Our House” Funday at the ground with live music, funfair rides and stalls
Calderdale Schools will complete their finals and the Halifax & District FA will also be holding their finals this month at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium

Brighouse Town have been relegated from the Northern Premier League’s East Division over the Easter period and lose their step 4 status and look like heading to the step 5 Northern Counties East League from which they were promoted some ten years ago.

Having lost the three points in the week leading up to games with Bishop Auckland and Garforth Town, Brighouse needed to win both games but they lost 3-0 up in Durham and and then drew 2-2 with Garforth back at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium on Easter Monday.

They had only Bridlington Town to target and they also lost 3-0 at home to Stocksbridge PS on the Saturday but they went to Grimsby Borough on Monday beat them 2-0.

Town’s long trips to the north east and the midlands will now disappear and be replaced with away games in West and South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. They will still appear in the FA Cup and over the closed season will have to look to rebuild a side to play at this lower level.

At Bishop Auckland’s tidy stadium, where the previous evening Middlesbrough U-21s had played West Brom U-21s, Town had the better chances to score in the first half but didn’t take them despite having a very strong wind at their backs.

Bishop Auckland introduced former Newcastle United winger Louis Johnson in the second half and he was `troublesome’ from the off and he provided some telling crosses in to the box and Glen Hargrave bagged a hat-trick in 18 minutes. Town did have the ball in the net through substitute Isaac Acquah but he was narrowly ruled offside.

Word came through on the Bridlington defeat and it was status quo for Monday.

Town opened the scoring against Garforth after 18 minutes through a Danny Edwards pile driver that deceived the keeper Harry Flatters. However the visitors replied four minutes later when Rinor Ejupi beat Shea Callister also from distance. 

In the 32nd minute Garforth were 2-1 up but in very controversial circumstances. It was Ejupi once more but the ball came off his thigh and straight onto his hand and he appeared to steer the ball into his path before finding the net with it. Callister was furious along with his defenders and supporters behind the goal. Referee Ian Johnston who had given the goal went to see his assistant Jodie Hunter and after speaking with her he once more pointed to the centre circle and the goal stood.

Town now needed to score two more goals and keep Garforth out. The visitors blew several chances and also hit the crossbar and Town could only manager an equaliser some three minutes into added on time through Acquah.

With two minutes on the clock to play Garforth Town’s captain Jamie Barkway was sent off for tripping Edwards and goalkeeper Flatters was very lucky to stay on after strongly pushing Edwards inside the box

Town’s manager Grant Black ahead of the added on time was sent off, not for the first time this season, and told to leave for the dressing rooms by the referee. 

On Saturday Town travel to Sheffield FC (3pm), who are also relegated, for a dead rubber of a match and a meet up with their former manager Vill Powell. 

Brighouse Town have received a huge blow in their battle to stave off relegation by having three points deducted by the NPL.

The deduction and fine originates from the Carlton Town home game on November 30 when Town were actual 4-1 winners, but an administrative error saw them play Josh Waldram when he was actually due to serve a one match ban for five cautions. Town officials thought he had served that earlier when having racked up four league cards and one for an FA Cup tie booking.

It has gone through the FA and then the NPL and the sad outcome is that Town when sitting just outside the relegation zone of four clubs to be relegated this season are now in the bottom four of the East Division with the three below them, Liversedge, Sherwood Colliery and Sheffield FC already relegated.

Town have three games left to stave off leaving step 4 and the first begins at Bishop Auckland on Saturday (3pm) when it is hoped they play as well as they have done in the last two games but have only secured draws when victories were deserved.

Town were leading 2-1 at home to Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday when in added on time the visitors equalised to huge sighs from the 402 crowd.

Park Avenue had gone ahead against the run of play with a controversial goal by Iyrwah Gooden who looked to have handled the ball to help control it before beating Shea Callister.

Their lead last only seven minutes before a fluke goal saw Town equalise through a wind-assisted kick from keeper Callister that went fully 65 yards to bounce over the head of Park Avenue keeper Cameron Mason and into his net. Danny Edwards was backing up and made sure he escorted it over the line.

Edwards was on the scoresheet eight minutes into the second half when he followed up a shot that Mason could only parry into his path and he made no mistake to put his side 2-1 up. Town could and should have added two more through Rhys Plater and then Romario Dunne, who went on-on-one with Mason but his chance was snuffed. 

With two minutes remaining of added time Brendon Daniels equalised for Park Avenue with a speculative shot that just crept in at the foot of Callister’s post.

Town’s future in this division is now in their hands as they battle for points as watch for the results of Heaton Stannington, Bridlington Town, Ashington, Ossett United, Consett and Pontefract Collieries.

A coach will leave the Dusty Miller on Saturday at 11.15 for Bishop Auckland and Town are appealing for a good turnout on Monday for the Garforth Town game.