Match Preview

Brighouse Town (A) – Saturday, 28th October 2023

The Opposition
Brighouse Town were formed in 1963 as a works team of the Blakeborough Valve Company. When they were shut down in 1988 the club adopted its current name.

In the League, Town started with two high scoring draws, with spectators treated to 14 goals in their opening two matches.
Gameday 4 saw their first victory, over Grantham and they followed this up with another to sit 8th at the end of August.
Tuesday evening saw a 0-3 reversal at Bridlington, which included two red cards for Brighouse. This followed back to back home wins and they sit 11th with a record of :
P 10 W 4 D 2 L 4 F 19 A 22 Pts. 14.
In the FA Cup, the campaign was ended by defeat to Albion Sports.
Supporters got value for money in the FA Trophy where all three matches went to a penalty shoot-out. After victories over Hebburn and Clitheroe, Premier Division side Ashton United ended Town's campaign 5-4 on pens in the 3rd Qualifying Round.

Manager Vill Powell took over 6 years ago.
Mohammad Qasim leads the scoring charts with 14 goals in all competitions; he's bagged in 11 games this season including four in a row up until Tuesday evening.
The season high attendance at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium is 248 (last time out against Consett) and they average 195.

The Nailers
Belper salvaged a late draw at Stocksbridge on Tuesday, meaning defeat the previous midweek at Carlton remains their only reversal on the road this season.
The Nailers sit top of the table with a record of P 11 W 7 D 1 L 3 F 28 A 15 Pts. 22
Away from home, Belper have won four out of six matches played.
Kevin Bastos leads the way with 11 goals, with Cam Johnson on 6. Rev James' goal during the week sees him join Phil Watt on 5.
Belper are back on the road next weekend at Cleethorpes before returning to the Raygar Stadium to face Liversedge.

Head to Head
Just two meetings between the sides - Brighouse won them both in the 2018/19 season.
In early November, it was 2-0 to the home side in Yorkshire, a goal in each half enough.
Back at Belper at the turn of the year, it was 3-1 to the visitors with an own goal for the home side meaning no Belper player has scored against Brighouse yet in a competitive fixture.
A pre-season friendly was played ahead of the 2019/20 season at Brighouse which the Nailers won 2-1.
The return fixture from today is scheduled for Saturday, 20th January.

Form Guide (League)
Brighouse - (28 Aug) WLLWWL (24 Oct)
Belper Town - (2 Sep) LWWWLD (24 Oct)

Team News
Cam Johnson is available for selection again following suspension.

Permutations
Victory will keep the Nailers top of the table.
Anything less opens the door for Hebburn, Stockton or Pontefract to move to the summit.
For Brighouse, depending on the result of the Friday evening fixture between Newton Aycliffe and Consett, the highest they can reach with victory is likely to be 8th due to goal difference.
If Aycliffe win, Brighouse will start Saturday's match one place lower.

Match details
Brighouse Town vs. Belper Town
Northern Premier League Division One - East Division
Saturday, 28th October 2023 – 3:00pm kick off
Heffernan Utilities Stadium
St. Giles Road
Brighouse
HD6 2PL
Tickets: Adults £10, Concessions £7, 12-16 £2, U12s £Free

Follow the match
Live commentary is available with Tom on Radio Belper Town - https://radiobelpertown.mixlr.com
Full coverage on Twitter. Team news, HT & FT scores on Facebook.
Match reports to follow on the website and in the Non-League Paper.

Elsewhere in Division One East
Ashington AFC v Pontefract Collieries
Bridlington Town v Carlton Town
Brighouse Town v Belper Town
Cleethorpes Town v Hebburn Town
Dunston v Grantham Town
Liversedge v Stockton Town
Newton Aycliffe v Consett AFC (Fri 7.45)
Stocksbridge Park Steels v Ossett United
Winterton Rangers v Sheffield