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Brighouse Town 4 v Northowram 4 (aet)

Brighouse Town 4 v Northowram 4 (aet)

Ray McLaughlin15 Oct 2014 - 07:46
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BTAFC win 4 – 2 on penalties.Halifax District Cup

Brighouse Town 4 Northowram 4 (aet)
4 – 2 on penalties.
Halifax District Cup

The Development Squad welcomed Northowram in the rearranged Halifax District Cup last night and both sides produced a thriller of a game with Brighouse finally edging on penalties after the scores were level after at 4 all after extra time.
The Development Team welcomed back Tom Haigh after injury and Lamin Janneh after Eid celebrations and both had influential performances on the game. Brighouse started at a high tempo and took the game to the visitors with Haigh and Kurt Harris forming a good partnership in the centre of the park to provide a base for Lamin, Will Tolley, Callum Charlton and Kaine Harris to pressurise the Northowram back line. Brighouse took the lead when a great corner from Charlton was headed home by the unmarked Lamin in the six yard box.
This was the start that was required and should have settled Brighouse down into a controlled and measured pattern of play. However, some uncharacteristic sloppy passing and lack of drive and determination allowed the more experienced Northowram side to get a foothold in the game and although game plan was very direct they began to cause the Brighouse back four problems. Playing their usual high line Brighouse were exposed by some strange refereeing decisions with regard to the offside rule and from one such decision the visitors equalised. This should have been a wakeup call for the Development Team but gave the visitors more stimulus and they scored a well worked goal. Further problems followed when young defender Ellis Nichols was forced from the field of play following a clash with home goalkeeper Dan Ansbro resulting in 6 stitches to a cut to his chin.
Brighouse were fortunate to be awarded a free kick on the edge of the Northowram box that Haigh confidently stepped and scored the equalising goal. This again should have been the trigger for a period of confident and controlled play from Brighouse but instead Northowram responded with two further goals to take a 4 – 2 half time lead.
The second half was dominated by the home side as they came out and started to take the game to Northowram and showed much greater determination and focus. A much stronger defensive was established by Hall, and Tim Wallace and full backs Jack Cooper and Matt Stor began to make inroads from deep. Following a good passage of paly through the midfield Cooper produced a great cross from the right to create panic in the visitor’s defence which was turned home by the Northowram centre half. Pressure continued from Brighouse but no clear cut chances were created. The visitors began to show signs of tiredness and more space was apparent all over the pitch but Brighouse often chose the wrong decisions in playing the ball into crowded areas rather than utilise the spaces and make the opposition have to work harder. With three minutes of added indicated by the referee it looked as though time might run out for the Development side but the character of the team shone through and Tolley received the ball some 40 yards out, turned his defender and advanced on goal before unleashing a shot for the gaol of the game and the equaliser.
With 30 minutes of extra time the younger legs of the Development team should have been enough to go on and win the game but credit to Northowranm they stuck to the task and dug in and defended manfully. In fact they should perhaps have scored themselves when a cross from the right eluded everyone when any touch would have seen it go in. With no goals in the extra time penalties were called for. There was a confidence within the home team about the penalties and despite one miss four penalties were scored to secure a victory and progression to the next round.

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