(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.    

  

Mixed fortunes for Brighouse Town over the past week following a successful trip to Belper and a home game derby defeat to Ossett United.

Town left for Derbyshire a week this past Tuesday at 4pm not knowing if the already postponed game from the previous Saturday would be on.

Frost had seen off the Saturday game and it was heavy rain and gale force winds that was a problem for the Tuesday fixture. However the Brighouse Travel coach was pulled out of the garage at 3.15pm and the first collection was complete ready for pick up two at Ossett when the news came through the local qualified referee had telephoned the match referee in Sheffield that he was happy to give the game the go-ahead. Town’s players were buffeted about down the M1 but they arrived safely and skipper Josh Grant won the toss and elected to play against the wind and what a masterstroke that was.

It was a lively Town who took the play to Belper, a market town on the banks of the river Derwent some seven miles from Derby, and they were rewarded with a goal on 15 minutes when left wingback Brandon Webster whipped in a great ball and when challenged by Kevin Ceesay, home defender Brodie Lichfield could only turn the ball into his own goal to the despair of his keeper Daniel Moore..

Town, with Curtis Peters, Cameron Bedford, Mohammed Qasim and Webster all pushing forward, as the rain swirled down, looked good for another few goals but the finishing was not clinical enough.

Belper, third in the table on the night, were shocked and they gave Town keeper Jamie Hassall very little to do and the visiting players were the happier bunch as they returned to the dressing room.

Into the second half and the rain stopped but the wind increased and it prevented custodian Moore getting the ball out of his half as it ballooned back and kept putting Town back on the attack.

Town had more chances to increase their lead but they saw shots blocked or go over the crossbar.

However, with ball at their feet, home players Kevin Bastos and Oliver Brownhill started to cause problems with direct running at the Town midfield and defence but they couldn’t find the target until the 70th minute when Karl Demidh levelled matters.

However, following the substitution of Jack Normanton by Darius Smith, the wing back had a field day up the Town right and he had Town back in the lead on 77 minutes with a tremendous finish, giving Moore no chance.

He could have had two more in the next ten minutes to put the game to bed but he just missed guiding one in by the angle iron and the other was a tame effort, but on 92 minutes he made it 3-1 with a super finish and was mobbed by his teammates.

The players were given a tremendous reception by the travelling support as they left the field.

Town coach Leon Wainman commented after the game that the final scoreline could have easily been in the 9-3 region to Town with steadier finishing.

Town, in front of a healthy derby crowd of 311, for the return game with Ossett, were once again guilty of not finding that vital last touch of the ball and also having the opposition defence block many a goalbound effort.

Ossett got the vital goal to win the game in the 51st minute 1-0 when ex-Doncaster Rovers and Scarborough Athletic striker Alex Peterson got his head to a ball from the left and he beat keeper Jamie Hassall who was off his line.

Manager Vill Powell said he couldn’t blame anyone for the defeat, it was just one of those frustrating days when chances were created but not put away.

In one period some 10 minutes into the game Town were camped in the Ossett penalty box but just couldn’t find the back of the net. Ashley Butterworth had two chances, Mohammed Qasim, Sam Drake and Darius Smith all had chances but to no avail.

Ossett were bolstered by the return of centre-back Harry Coates after a long injury absence and it countered in their favour as the game wore on.

Town lost striker Qasim with a groin injury on 67 minutes and he was replaced by Myron Gibbons, back after a six week absence with a hamstring injury. It was not before Qasim was denied twice by keeper Matt Bancroft and it also saw Jack Crook, on for Cameron Bedford, miscue a great chance in the six yard box with the keeper at the other side of his goal.

Jack Normanton had come on for Smith and he worked his socks with skipper Josh Grant but they just could not steer the ball in to the net. Centre back Josh Dacre headed wide when it would have been easier to score and he knew it and Gibbons was inches off converting a cross from the once more hardworking Brandon Webster.

Town go again this Saturday at home to Stocksbridge Park Steels (3pm) when they will try to avenge a 3-0 defeat back in September at Jamie Vardy’s old club.

Sponsoring the game is Chris PIckles, managing director of CHRIS-tal Clear who backs the club annually and will have sixteen guests. His father-in-law Trevor Priestley is a valuable member of the club’s voluntary ground maintenance team.

There was no place in the squad for centre back Jamie Allsop last Saturday and he has returned to his dual registration agreement with Albion Sports who ground share at the Horsfall Stadium with Bradford Park Avenue.

Local Junior side Clifton Rangers U10’s will be our guests for the big local derby against Ossett Utd on Sat 27th Jan KO 3pm at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium. Clifton Juniors are a long established local club who run junior teams for boys and girls at every age group. The U10’s run three 7 a-side teams in that age group and play in the Huddersfield Junior Football League.