Brighouse Town’s inconsistent form continued last Friday night at home to bottom club Sheffield FC who took the valuable three points with a 1-0 win.
Town were without striker Jack Normanton (attending a wedding) and leading goalscorer Mo Qasim was on the bench.
The game flowed back and forth at pace but neither side looked like scoring until Town’s Myron Gibbons was on goal after 23 minutes but steered his shot over keeper Edd Hall and inches over the crossbar.
Sheffield lost their centre-back and captain Reece Fielding two minutes later, to be replaced by Alfie Smith.
The visitors had signed in the morning Belper Town’s leading goalscorer Cameron Johnson, and as the half wore on he was getting more and more into the game and just headed wide as half-time approached.
Town had lacked direction from the midfield area and needed to be finding their men.
On 53 minutes Town’s keeper Jamie Hassall kept his side in the game with a great save from Connor Cutts.
Sheffield finally broke the deadlock after 60 minutes following some concerted pressure, when, from inside the six yard box, Smith stabbed home the ball to make it 1-0.
Town introduced Qasim after his injury and then Jack Crook and Jordan Helliwell, and the latter showed some lovely touches but it was too little too late and Town now sit in 14th place on 17 points and just four places above the bottom two clubs, Grimsby Borough and Grantham Town who are both on 13 points.
On Saturday Town travel to Humberside to take on North Ferriby (3pm) who are in seventh place and on 26 points. Promoted in the summer from the Northern Counties East Premier Division, North Ferriby have won eight matches and drawn two and will provide a more than stern test for Town. It is hoped that vice-captain Curtis Peters (ankle) who was on the bench on Friday, could make a start along with Qasim and Normantion will be back in contention.
Vill Powell’s charges spent the weekend in Dublin and it is hoped the bonding will have helped as the festive programme approaches from next Tuesday, December 19, with three league games and one cup tie to New Year’s Day.
The cup tie is next Tuesday at home to Campion (7.45) in the second round of the West Riding Senior Cup. They are the current holders and also top the Northern Counties Premier Division ahead of Emley and Albion Sports.
The coach for North Ferriby leaves the Dusty Miller, Hove Edge at 11am.
Brighouse Women’s planned home League Cup tie with Eccleshill United last Sunday was postponed owing to a waterlogged pitch and they will try again this Sunday (2pm).
The Pitching In Northern Premier League chiefs worked quickly last Saturday once they knew their entire East Division programme was wiped out by frost and snow and re-arranged the entire list for Saturday, February 10, a free date they had put aside.
Brighouse Town officials had been contemplating a Tuesday night match in January to play the away game at Hebburn Town in north Newcastle and not looking forward to that with long trips that month to Grantham, Grimsby and Belper, only eight miles from Derby.
Second in the table Hebburn had been keeping Town officials updated as they were very keen to beat the weather and play, but two inches of snow on the Friday on top of a keen overnight frost saw the qualified official in their area call the game off at 8.30 on Saturday morning.
Town’s groundsman Wally Hemingway will now prepare his pitch in time for this Friday evening’s game with bottom of the table Sheffield FC at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium (7.45).
Hemingway had hoped to get the Brighouse Women’s home cup tie with Eccleshill United on this past Sunday but the ground conditions and then more snow on Sunday afternoon ruled that out and Cara Mahoney’s team will go again this Sunday with that tie at 2pm.
In the meantime Town have allowed goalkeeper Harry Garman who started the 2023-24 campaign as No1 custodian to go out on dual-registration to Maltby Main. Town had taken Isaac Khan from Eccleshill United as his No2 but he has since gone back to the Bradford club on a dual registration and Jamie Hassall, who was beginning to impress last season, has come back from Knaresborough Town to take hold of the No1 jersey.
Following his outstanding performance at Ossett United some sixteen days ago left wing back Brandon Webster has been subject to an approach via Town’s secretary from Sheffield club Hallam, a level below his current club.
Webster, 23, who has played for Scunthorpe United, Loughborough Dynamo and Ossett United, was also Town’s goalscorer on the night at Ingfield against his former club.
Manager Vill Powell said he would be talking to the non-contract player this week to hopefully sought out his name being retained in Town’s squad.
Last week the manager gave the players a week off training to let them have a break from the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday merryground of travelling and training and hopefully, in his words, refresh them to go again.
Town go to North Ferriby on Saturday week, December 16 (3.pm) in the League and then on the following Tuesday night, December 19 entertain Northern Counties East Premier Division club Campion in the second round of the West Riding County FA Senior Cup (7.45).
Former successful Brighouse Town manager and Brooksbank, Elland, schoolmaster, Paul Quinn, who since leaving Town has set up a coaching academy and also coached at Sheffield United, has revealed to Town officials he is looking to get back into non-league football either side of the Pennines.
Mixed fortunes for Brighouse Town over the past week in their Northern Premier League Division East fixtures.
They drew 1-1 at Ossett United last Tuesday and then lost 3-1 at home to League leaders Stockton Town on the Saturday.
They remain in fourteenth place of the 20 clubs on 17 points with Friday week’s visitors Sheffield FC propping up the division on 11 points from 13 games, three fewer than Town.
At Ossett, Town were very unlucky not to come away with all three points after being constantly denied by the home keeper Darryl Ombang on loan from Huddersfield Town until the 88th minute when former Ossett fullback Brandon Webster levelled the scores when he finally beat the custodian who had just been announced as their man of the match.
One of Town’s best efforts in the first half from Ashley Butterworth was superbly saved and Jack Normanton was unlucky to hit the inside of a post and then see the ball roll on the line and not into the net before Ombang saved several more attempts.
Against the run of play on a counter attack Desmond Amponsah beat the advancing Jamie Hassall to open Ossett’s account in the 21st minute and that is how it stayed until Webster salvaged a point for Town.
Stockton’s outstanding player Kevin Hayes ensured the Teesside’s were off to a flying start as early as the fourth minute when he sent in a hard, low cross and Michael Fowler was on the end of it to steer it over the line.
Brighouse keeper Jamie Hassell then made two great saves, tipping one off a post to safety and then getting down well to the other.
On the half hour there was little Hassall could do with a sweetly struck free kick from just outside the box by that man Hayes..
Town’s Cameron Bedford did rattle a post with Callum Roberts beaten just ahead of the break but the scoreline remained 2-0 to the visitors.
Town’s second half performance did deserve more than a consolation goal as visiting centre-back and skipper Adam Nicholson worked overtime to keep his defensive wall together. Manager Vill Powell unleashed his new centre-forward signing from Wakefield AFC, Kieron Ceesay in to the mix in the 56 minute along with Josh Grant and Town looked to step up a further gear.
Town shaved the crossbar but it was the tormenting Hayes who put the game to bed for Stockton with a second goal on 71 minutes when he just beat Hassall at his near post.
Myron Gibbons pulled one back from a Grant corner in the 81st minute but it was too little too late, but it did cap a very good second half performance in what was a very entertaining game.
On Saturday, Town travel to Newcastle to take on second placed Hebburn Town (3pm) who were 3-0 winners away to Belper Town last Saturday. A coach will leave the Dusty Miller, Hove Edge at 11am.
Elland-based midfielder Will Calligan, who joined Town from Bradford Park Avenue in early October, has left the Heffernan Utilities Stadium and signed for Stockport Town.
Centre-forward Sebastian Bolton, who is also playing for FC Halifax Town’s Academy side, is wanting more game time and has been offered to Step 5 and 6 clubs on a dual registration basis.
Official notification of an EGM and Committee meeting to be held next Tuesday, November 28, (6pm) at the clubhouse has been circulated.
The EGM has been called to ratify a change to the current legal structure of the organisation since its formation in 1963 to that of a Company Limited by Guarantee first proposed and agreed in the 2018 AGM but never implemented.
Assistant secretary Julian Prior says this has been accepted by the committee; “but we feel its only appropriate that the membership should also have the chance to endorse the proposal. This includes committee members, managers of senior and junior section teams, interested parents and volunteers. Since the 2023 AGM 200 club participants are not classed as club members.”
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