Brighouse’s perfect start to be tested over weekend
Brighouse Town will not rest on their laurels as they prepare for two difficult Evo-Stik NPL fixtures at Clitheroe tomorrow (3.00) and Scarborough Athletic on Bank Holiday Monday at home (3.00). This is despite Paul Quinn’s side opening their campaign with successive victories.
Last Saturday they banked their first points with a 2-1 home sucess over Radcliffe Borough at St Giles Road and followed that up with another 2-1 success at Ossett Albion on Tuesday night.
Top marksman Tom Matthews set Town on their way against Radcliffe with defender Adam Field doubling their advantage at the break.
The game was deep into stoppage time when Thomas Hulme was brought down just inside the box and Chris Mason stepped up and placed the ball past Town ‘keeper Jacob Giles.
Town were certainly under the cosh at times at Dimple Wells in midweek in a scrappy game played on a difficult pitch and with many key players missing.
Ernest Boafo twisted and turned before putting Town ahead after which Shaquille Clarke-Adams, on his starting debut, toe-poked the second home just after the break.
Albion pulled one back when Giles parried a shot but Kurtis Noble was on hand to follow up.
Quinn said: “They (Ossett Albion) made life very difficult for us and it wasn’t pretty.
“When you see which players we had missing you can see the depth of the squad we have and we really worked hard. We were certainly up against it but we stood up strong.
“I thought our best spell was the first twenty minutes after the break, and we have to accept that in this league we won’t have it easy.”
Town sit third in the table and on the same number of points as leaders Salford City and second-placed Lancaster City.
“I won’t think about that yet, we have a long way to go,” added Quinn.
After coming off injured during the second half against Radcliffe, striker Matthews was missing from the line up at Ossett after taking a knock to his lower back.
“It is sore,” said Matthews. “I will see the physio and hopefully it will be fine for the weekend.”
Quinn added “We will have to see what happens with Tom but we won’t risk him if we don’t need to”.
Also missing at Ossett was defender Chris Fisher who also had taken a knock to the back.
Quinn also pointed out he was without the likes of Tyrone Gay, Luke Gibson, Martin Allison, Tom Brown, Jason Price and Callum Charlton, who was given 90 minutes in the Development team at home to Eccleshill, and Dave Melling.
With this in mind, Quinn brought in from the development squad Issac Baldwin, who was spotted after he displayed some mature football and scored a hat-trick against Harrogate Railway Res last week.
“I thought he had an excellent spell when he was brought off the bench and at only aged 17,” added Quinn.