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.”
A second half hat-trick from striker Niall Davie saw Nottingham club Carlton Town achieve a first ever victory in five meetings over Brighouse Town.
It was Davie’s day for he went on to collect the club’s man of the match award and then scoop the club’s weekly 200 club draw!
All in front of two local sporting icons in Test Match umpire and former Nottinghamshire CCC quickie David Mills, who had been their lunchtime guest speaker, and former Forest player Ian Storey-Moore.
Brighouse were the sharper of the two sides in the opening exchanges and new signing Cameron Bedford should have opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after clipping the crossbar when in the six yard box! A good five minutes later and with a strong-ish wind at their backs, Jack Normaton had the beating of home keeper Alex Annan from 20 yards out but his shot went a foot wide of the post.
There were other chances ahead of the break before the home side grew more into the game. Town keeper Jamie Hassall in fact just before the break made two good saves, one a palm away and the the a strong deflection away for a corner.
The players returned with the scoreline still 0-0 and Vill Powell’s men once more in the opening five minutes could have scored twice but failed to find the target with the home defence rocked back on their heels.
Unfortunately, that was then end of any dominance and Carlton, via Davie opened their and his account in the 53rd minute with a shot at Hassall’s near post from in side the box which went in the back of the net. Eight minutes later and he converted a penalty to make it 2-0 and 10 minutes later Niall Hylton hit the crossbar with a pile driver as Town struggled to pull back a goal going into the last 15 minutes to hopefully set up a grandstand finish.
Ashley Butterworth and Jordan Helliwell had battled well for anything in the air but there were slim pickings for Normanton, Myron Gibbons and Sam Drake in that second half.
Davie wrapped up the three points and his hat-trick in the 89th minute to ensure the visitors were well and truly beaten.
Town had once more been without their leading goalscorer Mo Qasim (calf), influential vice captain Curtis Peters (ill), centre-half Jack Dando who was playing on a dual registration arrangement with Campion against Thackley to gain match fitness on the last weekend of his three match suspension and also captain Josh Grant also serving the last game of his three-match ban.
Midfielder Jack Crook did make his first appearance in six weeks from the 56th minute for Bedford after his leg injury.
On Saturday, Town entertain the new East Division league leaders Stockton Town (3pm) who beat the previous week’s leaders Belper Town 7-1 last Saturday.
Last Monday’s West Riding County Cup Senior Cup second round home tie with Campion was postponed with the pitch waterlogged and some would having blown on to the playing area in the afternoon. It has now been re-arranged for Tuesday, December 19th (7.45).
Bradford City loanee centre-back Sam Bentley is currently sidelined with a groin injury after the 2-2 home draw with Cleethorpes Town, midfielder Jack Wilson, who was signed by Town on his release from the Bantams is still recuperating from an ankle injury received in September, while also out from that month is wide player Jayden Major who has been badly missed.
The match on Saturday is being sponsored by Junior coach and committeeman Jason Costello’s five-a-side squad and associate social members.
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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