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BrighouseEcho Sport – Town News by Dave Parker

BRIGHOUSE TOWN supporters eagerly awaiting the 2022-23 fixtures on Friday were handed two home preliminary round draws in the Emirates FA Cup and The Isuzu FA Trophy when the draws were made last Friday.

They will host the winners on Saturday, August 20 of the Extra preliminary round tie between Anfield-based North West Counties Premier Division club Lower Breck and south Yorkshire club Penistone Church who play on Saturday, August 6. The prize money at that stage is £1,444 to the winners, but, as director of football Charlie Tolley said upon hearing the draw, home advantage is key and all that goes with that. Town were last at home four seasons ago at this stage and disappointingly lost to Parkgate of Sheffield.

In the FA Trophy first round qualifying on Saturday, September 10 they will entertain Worksop Town and the winners will receive £1,500. Should they beat the north Nottinghamshire club they will be away to Prescot Cables or Cleethorpes on Saturday, September 24 with the incentive being £2.250.

In the meantime they are taking on loan until January 1, 2023, Bradford City’s U-19 captain and striker Bobby Pointon. Whether he will be allowed to play in the July 29 home pre-season frinedly with the Bantams will remain to be seen.

Town lost their first game in the Yorkshire Trophy last Friday night at home to Garforth Town after taking a well deserved 1-0 lead with an Elliopt Harrison goal on 19 minutes.

Garforth equalised in the 43rd minute when Town’s centre back Harrison Beeden put through his own goal.

In a lively game Garforth took the lead in the 69th minute when James Burgess jinked his way through in the box and beat Charlie English.

Town failed to convert several good chances and at the other end gave away a penalty. However English, a former Leeds United academy player, saved the spot kick and then the rebounded effort.

The Town side contained quite a few trialists.

A goal in added on time saw Town defeat Rotherham club Swallownest 2-1 in their latest Yorkshire Trophy pre-season match on Tuesday night.

Town were a goal down after just two minutes when from a precision struck cross from the right Sam Foulds delivered a powerhouse header which beat keeper Charlie English at his near post.

The score remained 1-0 until the 51st minute when Jack Boyle, who had come on as a substitute, hammered home on the angle from some 15 yards out after he had just blazed over the bar five minutes earlier.

Town had taken charge of the game and the Swallownest goal was leading a charmed life. Zeph Thomas had the ball in the net from a cross but was ruled offside and it took a ball into the box for Alex King to just beat the outstretched arms of the keeper and net the all important goal.

Town’s final game is next Tuesday at home to Horbury Town when it looks as though not only a win is needed to make the final but also a clean sheet and a few more goals to be fired into the back of the net.

On Saturday Town are away at Eccleshill United (3.0) in what is now becoming an annual pre-season friendly and then on Tuesday, July 19 (7.45) they return to the Yorkshire Trophy for a home game with Horbury Town (7.45).

The club’s AGM will be held at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium, next Thursday, July 21st, 2022 at 6pm. All supporters are most welcome to attend.

Embracing charities close to our hearts; Andysmanclub and The Daniel Wilkinson Foundation.

Brighouse Town will host two charity football matches this weekend that are deserving not only of our involvement but also the wider Brighouse community so please do try and get up to support.

On Friday 15th July we host the local branch on the now national Andy’s Man Club. Andy’s Man Club exists as response to a tragic event in 2016 and has now gone on to create a national charitable organisation aimed solely at getting us ‘thick’ headed men to talk. Taken directly from their web site:  

ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts,
a man who sadly took his own life aged 23 in early 2016. Andy was a lovely and doting father, son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend, and was just 23 years old when he was taken away by suicide, sadly and tragically without warning.

On average one man every two hours takes his life in the UK. It’s often said to be a factor is that men don’t talk. That’s why ANDYSMANCLUB was born. Established in 2016 by Luke Ambler, Andy’s brother-in-law, the aim of the club is to break down these stigmas, support men struggling, and lend a hand to suicide prevention.

I speak from direct personal experience having lost my younger brother – Ian Tolley – to suicide in September 2019 and wholeheartedly support and promote what these clubs are doing and achieving.

The games will feature many young – and some not so young – who have benefited, contributed, helped or supported the organisation and their clubs and is to generate funds to help the on-going financial needs of this tremendous initiative.  

The game kicks off at 7.30 but the gates will be open from 6.30 with Jimmy’s bar and tea bar open and available for hot food and drinks. There is no charge for admittance but there will be a bucket collection and raffles as part of the fund-raising initiatives. There is plenty of room for kids/children to run around and play safely so it is an evening for the whole family supporting a genuine great cause.     

Then two days later the Yorkshire Payments Stadium will play host to The Dan Wilkinson Foundation Cup being contested between Brighouse Town and Shaw Lane representative sides. Both teams will have players who were involved in the game on that fateful day in September 2016 when Dan collapsed and later died whilst playing for Shaw Lane. The two teams are being managed by Paul Quinn and Craig Elliot who were the teams’ respective managers that night. The game is being played to remember Dan and to support The Foundation. Taken directly from The Foundations website are details of why they exist and what they aim to achieve:

Welcome to the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation, a charity setup in memory of Daniel who died on the 12th September 2016, aged 24, playing the game he loved, from an underlying heart condition called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

ARVC is an inherited condition that causes the replacement of cardiac muscle with fibrous, fatty tissue.  This causes the walls in the heart chamber to become thin and stretched, impacting how the blood is pumped around the body and causing abnormal heart rhythms which can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).

ARVC can be found in one in 1,000 to 5,000 young adults – IF IT IS LOOKED FOR.

SCD is the leading cause of death in young athletes during sport and the majority of deaths occur with NO PRIOR SYMPTOMS or family history.

Warning signs may include, light-headedness, fainting, palpitations, swollen legs, breathlessness.

Every week in the UK, twelve apparently fit and healthy young people (aged 35 and under) die from previously undiagnosed heart conditions.

In Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people engaged in organised sport, they have reduced the incidence of Sudden Cardiac Death in the young by 89%.

Our aim is to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death in the young and to provide funding towards heart screening, defibrillators, and CPR/defibrillator training, primarily for grass-roots sporting teams.

Tragedies like this can be prevented through cardiac screening, to us, it is vital that young people who may be at risk are identified and treated. 

The game is kicking off at 1.30 and the gates will be open from 12.30. There is an admission fee of £5 for all adults with U16’s gaining free entry if accompanied by a paying adult. All gate takings will be going to the Dan Wilkinson Foundation along with the proceeds from raffles and bucket collections that will take place on the day. Jimmy’s Bar and the tea bar will be open from 12,30 and will stay open long after the game has finished to allow people to socialise, reminisce and pay tribute to Dan and the subsequent great work of The Dan Wilkinson Foundation. 

Please make a big effort to come along to either or both of these games a give both some well-earned financial support – as well as having a great time.

Charlie Tolley

Brighouse Town

Visit to kit sponsors Quickslide by Managers and Players

BRIGHOUSE TOWN kit sponsor Quickslide Windows and Doors on Bradford Road were paid a visit at the weekend by manager Vill Powell and two of his players and by Brighouse Town Women’s manager Rob Mitchell who took the West Riding County FA Trophy in following their victory in April over Leeds United.

Mitchell was also celebrating his side being sponsored once more for 2022-23 on the back of their shirts while the men’s team have another year left on their excellent deal with Brighouse’s largest employer who are also on the lookout for more operatives.

The company’s marketing manager Sandra Berg, who hails from Denmark, is an oustanding link between club and sponsor.

From left to right: Rob Mitchell, Charlie English, Lee Turner, Natlional Sales Manager, Tom Swallow Sales Director, Sandra Berg, Jack Normanton, Vill Powell.

Town Secretary Dave Parker proud of Grandson Daniel’s golfing achievements.

OVER 220 members of Huddersfield Golf Club took part last weekend in the Captain’s Weekend, hosted by captain Phil Sellen.

Starting on the Friday lunchtime, the main event was finally won on Sunday afternoon by Sam Shabil. Some of the juniors also went out with them and just three made cut through to the Sunday.

The Junior Prize went to 14-year-old Rastrick High School student Daniel Henbest (79&76) who finished level with Junior Captain Dominic Hughes (74&81) but won on a count back. Daniel, who is also in the Yorkshire U14 squad and Huddersfield-Halifax Union U-18 squad, retains the trophy, after winning the same event last year.

Daniel pictured with Phil Sellen captain

Harry Birro appointed new Academy Manager

BRIGHOUSE TOWN officials are delighted they have immediately found a successor to Simon Ward, their academy manager and coach in the shape of Harry Birro, a 26-year-old UEFA B coach.

Birro, while based at Batley to run the ESPFA backed education and football model that is right across the country for post grammar and high school students, is looking to come nearer home with Brighouse Town Academy and is looking at the new Wyke complex.

Involved in football seven days a week. he coaches and mentors both junior boys and girls teams-the U9 girls at Brighouse, the U9 amd U13 boys at Bradford Park Avenue and will prepare the Brighouse Town U18 side for the FA Youth Cup.

He also takes group coaching sessions and is involved in competitions at Blackpool and Bradford, where he resides.

From the age of eight he was with Huddersfield Town’s academy side as a centre-mid or striker and then had some time with Bradford City and Halifax before leaving for America where he spent five years coaching and playing and then two in Canada before his visa ran out and he had to come back to England.

The Yorkshire Payments stadium has now become his home besides the Sports and Tennis Centre at Batley where he will prepare the August pre-season for the school players and then sort his U18 team for Brighouse and the midweek fixtures in the ESPFA League.

Brighouse Echo Sport – Town News by Dave Parker

BRIGHOUSE TOWN’S experienced goalkeeper Brett Souter is out of action for the whole of pre-season following a knee operation.

Souter was in hospital over the weekend for keyhole surgery on his right knee to correct a cartilage defect that had plagued him towards the end of the season.

“The operation was successful and now I have to be non-weight bearing on it for four weeks ahead of rehabilitation,” informed Souter.

“Fingers crossed I will make the start of the season two weeks into August,” he added.

In the meantime, Town’s reserve keeper, Northowram-based Charlie English will have Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Michael Acquah sharing the matches with him. Acquah played on Saturday in the 3-1 defeat by Huddersfield Town B.

Town have re-signed striker Jack Normanton who scored 26 goals last season for Silsden. Normanton has been away from the club for the past three seasons playing at Thackley and Ossett United ahead of the move to Silsden.

He was on the scoresheet on Saturday after 36 minutes following sending in an inswinging corner from the quarry end of the Yorkshire Payments Stadium which beat The Terriers keeper Michael Roxburgh.

Huddersfield were already two goals to the good through Joel Mumbongo after 17 minutes and the second from a free kick taken by Ben Jackson three minutes later which deceived Acquah.

The 339 crowd were treated to some slick, good football by both sides on a lush green surface before Danny Grant made it 3-1 in the 78th minute.

On Friday evening the Yorkshire Trophy commences with Town entertaining NCEL Premier Division side Garforth Town (7.45) and followed on the Tuesday evening, July 12 when they entertain south Yorkshire club Swallownest (7.45).

Tomorrow (Friday) at 1pm the draws are made for the extra-preliminary round, preliminary round and first qualifying rounds of the Emirates FA Cup for the 2022-23 season and also the FA Trophy which will have a new sponsor this term.

The fixtures for the Town in the East Division of the Northern Premier League are expected on the following Friday, July 15.

Bradford City have also in the past 48 hours given the green light to once more visit the Yorkshire Payments Stadium for a pre-season friendly on July 29th at 7.45pm.

The club is highly indebted to James Howard for the work he has put in to land this prestigious fixture with the Bantams.