Town punish Colne’s indiscipline with stirring fight-back victory
TOWN CAME back from 1-0 down and without their talented right back Joe Wilkinson to defeat a 10-man Colne side who had taken the lead with a first half penalty.
Wilkinson was injured in a tackle in the 13th minute and had to be helped from the field of play before leaving the dug out on crutches. A scan has since revealed a broken bone in his ankle.
This was a very solid performance from Brighouse Town who are now steadily climbing the table
Midfielder Iwan Heeley came on three minutes later and he took Huddersfield Town loanee Tim Akinola’s place with the Championship professional, because of his utility value, dropping to right back.
Town had also gone into the game without the consistent former FC Halifax Town wide player Ousman Cham (hamstring), another former Shayman taking his place, Shiraz Khan, but manager Vill Powell could have done without the rearrangements to his line up.
After some lively end-toend play in persistent rain but on a good surface despite the wet past 24 hours, Colne took the lead through a spot kick converted by William Harris on 34 minutes. Town’s keeper and captain Jordan Porter was deemed to have brought down ex-Ossett United winger Aidan Chippendale but he claimed he had got a hand to the ball before the winger went over his arm.
That is how it remained until the break ahead of a very lively and controversial second half.
Just two minutes in and Colne’s leading goalscorer Sefton Gonzales was cautioned for simulating a foul in the penalty box and then 10 minutes later, after a high tackle with an outstretched boot on Town’s Tom Robinson, he was shown a second yellow card followed by the red.
This gave the home side, roared on by their supporters, the extra man to try and salvage a point but the equaliser only came in the 77th minute when Chesterfield loanee centre forward Luke Rawson beat Colne keeper Hakan Burton to the ball and toe-poked it home.
Colne had introduced pacey and skilful Billy Hasler-Gregg and he worked wonders on the right for the Lancastrians and banged in some great crosses but his teammates just could not get on the end of them.
Once more however, Town’s defence with Josh Grant in superb form, Kurt Harris and Connor Griffin rock solid in the centre of defence and Akinola doing a great job, they kept the ‘Reds’ at bay.
Town’s winner came in the 84th minute when new signing Joe Jagger met a great cross in to the box from Tom Haigh, who had been magnificent in midfield and is really in a rich vein of form, and powerfully headed home to beat a despairing Burton.
Town should have been awarded a third goal in the 89th minute to well and truly seal the game but assistant referee Ian Muncaster informed the referee the ball, struck by Rawson, had not crossed the line when it was clearly a metre over before being sheepishly hooked out. The home side’s supporters were vociferously annoyed.
Colne’s manager Steven Cunningham was incensed over the booking of Gonzales for an alleged dive two minutes into the second half and was granted a post match hearing with Manchester referee Tom Elliott.
This was a very solid performance from Brighouse Town who are now steadily climbing the BetVictor North West table.