BRIGHOUSE TOWN, ahead of Saturday’s first home pre-season friendly with Huddersfield Town’s U23 side (3.0), have parted company with wideman Shiraz Khan.

The 25-year-old Halifax-based player currently on holiday in Portugal, has opted for a move up a division with promoted Liversedge and joins the likes of Jordan Porter, Adam Field, Kurt Harris and Ben Atkinson at Clayborn.

Formerly with FC Halifax Town and Ossett United, Khan has been with Town for three seasons in which time he has impressed. He was looking to become a contracted player at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium but has had to move five miles east of Brighouse to achieve his goal.

However, he does go with his manager’s best wishes and all at Town.

The Terriers have a couple of notable promising players in their ranks on Saturday that director of football Leigh Bromby sees as having a future in professional football, namely Ben Jackson and Danny Grant.

Jackson now 21-years-of age, joined Town as an Under-15 and he can play out wide in either defence or midfield, and his utility value also sees him fitting in well at left back. He spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Doncaster Rovers, making 15 appearances.

Jackson is also noted for his spcialist kicks from set pieces and has time on his side to make a real name for himself.

Grant, a 22-year-old, joined in January 2021 as a winger from Bohemians in the Republic of Ireland and is an international.

In the 2019/20 campaign he was named the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland Players’ Young Player of the Year.

Vill Powell has a strong squad available and also several promising looking triallists.

Admission is £7 and £4 and the turnstiles will be open at 1.30 .

Brighouse Town will be continuing with their Academy side and the full time education of the players despite Simon Ward having to stand down to take a promotion with Lloyds Bank in Halifax.

Harry Birro, who is now with Mark Booth’s flourishing Town Juniors set up for boys and girls and has had coaching experience in America and Canada, will be taking over.

Over the past weekend the juniors ran a two-day competition at various age groups, and at the height of each day 400 spectators and players were on site for what was described as a tremendous success by all that participated.

Town officials would like to pass on their condolences to the families of Harry Redmond, former chairman of the Brighouse Snooker Association and also steward at Rastrick Constitution Club (Top Club) and a barman for Town, whose funeral service is tomorrow (Friday) and to Mr Michael Griffin, a major sponsor from the Mac Financial Services company who has lost his wife Jane in the past 10 days. Her funeral takes place next Wednsday, July 6.

The Yorkshire Trophy home game with Garforth Town scheduled for Saturday week, July 9th, has been brought forward to Fruday night, July 8th with a 7.45 kick-off.

The lads are back in pre season and play their opening pre season fixture on Saturday 2nd July against Huddersfield Town B Team. The game kicks off at 3pm at The Yorkshire Payments Stadium with admission prices set at £7 Adults/ £4 concessions / U12s free with an accompanying adult.

The tea bar will be open serving hot and cold food/drinks and Jimmy’s Bar will be open in the clubhouse serving beer, wine and many other alcoholic drinks. Turnstiles are open from 1:30pm and we can’t wait to see all the Brighouse fans and many Huddersfield fans back at the stadium again! See you Saturday!

ONE IN and one out has been the `cry’ around the Yorkshire Payments Stadium this week as Brighouse Town returned to training on Monday night in the sunshine.

While in came Doncaster-based striker Myron Gibbons who put pen to paper last week, as revealed in Echo Sport, out went experienced midfielder Josh Grant who has opted to move to Tadcaster Albion.

Gibbons, 21, says he felt immediately at home as he has known Town’s veteran striker and former well travelled professional Zeph Thomas for some time and will be his travel companion from the south Yorkshire city.

“I am delighted to move back in to a higher level of football after experiencing football with the Doncaster Rovers academy and U23s and also at Bradford Park Avenue and I can’t wait to get started,” he enthused.

That first game will come for him at home to Huddersfield Town’s U23s squad on Saturday, July 2 (3.0) when the referee will be Elland-based Lewis Dawson who has just been promoted this month to take Vanarama National League matches and more.

Leeds-based Grant, 31, who came back to Town early into the past season after he had left for Liversedge in the closed season but was finding himself on the bench, has opted to move again back to a club he has played with before.

Manager Vill Powell, who had also played Grant, the former Ossett Town (United), Farsley Celtic, Eccleshill United and Frickley Colliery player, in a variety of positions, felt it was not a problem for the club.

“I am more than happy with the squad we have retained and added to with Gibbons, plus we have some trialists to look at in the ensuing pre-season matches and training,” he said.

Town already also feel they have an extra player in the squad after towering and strong centre back Matthew Nebard returned to training after a knee injury kept the former Albion Sports and Pontefract Collieries player out of action for the most part of the second half of last season.

The Dan Wilkinson Memorial game for the late player’s charitable trust will be played on Sunday, July 17 with a 1.30 kick-off. The managers at the time of Dan’s collapse on the Town pitch in a NPL League Cup game and subsequent death, will be Paul Quinn, now at Sheffield United and also taking UEFA A and B courses, and Craig Elliott, the former Boston United manager who was with the former club Shaw Lane of Barnsley.

They will now be busy asking former players to come along and entertain a crowd who will pay £5 for admission and also hopefully contribute to a bucket collection and the usual Golden Goal and Half-Time Draw, the proceeds of which will go to the trust.

Town will also play host on Friday, July 15 to an Andy Man’s charity game, details of which will be revealed next week.

Following Town’s chairman James Howard standing aside last week, vice chairman Charlie Tolley has taken on an acting role again until the club’s AGM in early July when, as mentioned in Echo Sport last week, Mr Howard will address members.

The reaction amongst committee members and supporters, who are awaiting to collect their season tickets, was of shock at their leader stepping aside.

” I will not be departing the scene and will still be a Brighouse Town sponsor and supporter,” said Mr Howard this week, as he returned home from hospital tests.

Mr Tolley said the outgoing chairman could always rely on his and the committee’s support and welcomed the news he would still be seen around the club’s Hove Edge base.

BRIGHOUSE TOWN’S chairman James Howard has stood aside until he has adressed the club’s committee at the AGM in early July.

Wolverhampton-born Howard has been chairman for the past three seasons since taking over from Elland businessman and long serving senior executive member and former player Charlie Tolley.

In breaking the news to Tolley and fellow executive members Chris Lister and Ray McLaughlin late last week, Howard cited ill-health and pressure of work with his company Yorkshire Payments Ltd, based on Bethel Street in Brighouse Town centre.

In fact, he went on Facebook on Monday afternoon to say he was awaiting news of a biopsy test and was making his followers aware of how important one’s health is.

“I thought I was invincible but this health problem I have has brought things home to roost,” said the 37-year-old.

Among his large sporting clients he has Huddersfield Town, Bradford City and Super League Rugby League club Wakefield Trinity.

Howard joined the club as a sponsor some six years ago and has been a generous supporter of the non-league club that is a member of the Pitching In Northern Premier League, plus other leagues with its junior boys and girls and also the senior women’s side who play in the third tier of Women’s football in England.

In the past 18 months he has overseen an extension and massive refurbishment of the clubhouse at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium and also assisted in many other ways by ensuring for two consecutive seasons the club has also entertained Bradford City in two pre-season friendlies.

Last August he also brought a national touring Fun Day to the club that was a huge success and saw well over 2,000 come through the doors.

He has also encouraged other companies to back the club and the good thing, Echo Sport is hearing, is that he will continue to `look out’ for the club and encourage investment in it.

In the meantime it is understood that Chris Lister and Charlie Tolley will continue to oversee day-to-day matters withg their secretary and treasurer and also continue their support work with manager Vill Powell.

It is further understood by Echo Sport that Mr Howard will continue with his sponsorship of the stadium and in areas with the men’s team but is standing down from backing the women’s team.

The women’s team director of football Colin Tomkins would like to go on record to thank Mr Howard for his contributions and support of his team.

In the meantime, former Shaw Lane, Barnsley, owner Craig Wood has been in toucvh with Charlie Tolley after speaking with the parents of their late player Dan Wilkinson, to see if an annual game in memory of Danny could be resurrected in this closed season. A possible date in July is being looked at.

The former Hull City academy player collapsed on the Town pitch some six years ago playing for now defunct Shaw Lane and was pronounced dead at Calderdale Hospital Halifax.

Work on extending and widening the bar area in the clubhouse is expected to be completed by early next week. It has been done to get extra pumps on the bar and room for more operatives working behind.

Charlie Tolley, Ray McLaughlin, Mark Booth and Darren Laycock attended the funeral on Monday in Leeds of the club’s former player and coach Mark Brady who died last month. The wake was held at Farsley Celtic’s clubhouse.

Town have signed Rossington Main’s former Doncaster Rovers and Bradford Park Avenue centre forward, Myron Gibbons.

The 21-year-old was watched towards the end of the past season by Town coach Leon Wainman and put pen to paper on Tuesday night with manager Powell.

The manager has also agreed another home pre-season friendly with Whitby Town on Saturday, August 6 (3.0).

Striker Ollie Fearon with strong links in the Halifax area and cousin of former Halifax and Sheffield Eagles player Danny Fearon has left promoted Liversedge and joined Town’s rivals Ossett United.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Myron Gibbons from Doncaster based club Rossington Main.

The forward joins the club after scoring 14 goals in 24 games for the NCEL Division One club after previous spells at Staveley Miners Welfare, Doncaster Rovers and Bradford Park Avenue.

Assistant Manager Stacy Reed is delighted to have secured one of the clubs targets for the new campaign. “We are over the moon to get this one over the line. We have watched Myron a few times and he’s got great potential. He’ll bring pace, power and goals to the team which is an area we need to improve on.”

Myron spoke to Brighouse Town Media Manager Damian Wales following the move to the Orange Army and he is pleased the move is finally complete.

” I’m buzzing to sign for the club. I met with Stacy and Vill last week and we had a chat about things and it really made my mind up about what to do so I’m excited to get started. From speaking to the gaffer, the play style will really suit me in terms of how I want to play being direct using my pace to get beyond defenders and hopefully I can contribute a lot this season.”

” I really want to step up and challenge myself, I feel I had a really good season last season so I believe this move is a reward for that so I’m really excited to kick on. I want to challenge for a starting shirt every week and make sure I’m staying in the team and more importantly making sure the team is winning. I’ve played with Zeph Thomas who is here at Rossington and he’s helped improve my game. He’s a proper leader and at the time he was always talking to me and helping me out on the pitch so I’m excited to be playing with him again. I need to adapt my game for this division and react to playing against more experienced non league players and then keep improving myself and my performances.”

BRIGHOUSE TOWN manager Vill Powell returned home last night (Wed) from a family holiday in Greece, refreshed and ready to roll up his sleeves for a sixth season with the club.

He has set Monday, June 20 as the date for pre-season training to commence at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium, and in the meantime will assess any new additions for the squad and sift through requests for trials.

One local player invited to join the squad is 18-year-old Joe Holmes from the Clifton Rangers Youth Football Club who with age cannot progress any further with the club. Son of local businessman and club sponsor Ian Holmes, the promising midfielder has been working hard at the gymnasium in readiness for the first session.

Since starting out with Clifton from junior school days, Joe has won a lot of club awards and now wants to see if he can cut the mustard at open age level with Town.

Town are also holding trials for their U-16 squad on Saturday at Calderdale College, Halifax, between 2pm and 4pm and also on the following Saturday, June 18 at the same tiime.

In the meantime, Toiwn are also looking for a new academy manager after long serving club coach Simon Ward stood down last month owing to an increased workload at Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and family matters. He was praised by all at the club for his excellent and committed service over the years.

More dates for Town’s pre-season matches have been pencilled in on the calendar. Following on from last week’s notification of Huddersfield Town at home on July 2, Guiseley on July 22 and Garforth Town on July 9, Swallownest will visit on July 12, Town go to Eccleshuill United on July 16 and host Horbury Town on July 19.

Town officials have been notified that former England player and managment official Stuart Pearce has been made an ambassador by the Pitching In Northern Premier League to lead their Volunteer Hub to encourage more people to join non-league football clubs.

All the closed season work on Town’s main pitch and second pitch has now been completed by groundsman and general manager Darren Laycock. It has included tonnes of sand, top soil, verti-draining and re-seeding and, as he says, it is now upto Mother Nature to assist in any way she can for the first pre-season game for the men and women’s teams come July.