Staveley Mw 1 - 3 Brighouse Town (aet) - FA Vase 2nd Round

Having missed out on Staveley`s FA Vase journey last season which saw them make it all the way to the semi-final, Dudsey`s pick of today`s local fixtures has brought me back to Inkersall Road for today`s Second Round tie against Brighouse Town.

It`s funny how certain things stick in the mind for life....whenever I come across the name Brighouse my mind immediately flashes back to a freezing cold Saturday afternoon back in February of 2009.

Town were entertaining Rainworth Mw in the Ncel Division 1, Rudy Funk`s high flying 'Wrens' emerged from Calderdale as 1-4 Victors, Danny Bainbridge and Massiah McDonald bagged two apiece in a very memorable day out in West Yorks.

By far the most memorable sight was the Tea-Ladies cautiously carrying a steaming tray of hot drinks down to both dugouts, it really made me appreciate what a great community spirit Non-League football has at times.

Brighouse look to have flourished since that cold February day, sitting just one place below table topping Bridlington Town in the Premier Division with six points and five places separating themselves from today`s hosts.

Before we go any further I`m going to hold my hands up and claim 'Tw*t of the week Award", half way through the first half Dudsey enquired if today`s game would go to a replay...to which the reply was "Yes mate". Just wondering if the dozen or so people who also made a quick escape in front of me after ninety minutes now feel as daft as I do.

With that off my chest, it`s only right I should carry on with my post for one very heart rendering reason....Joe Thornton.!!

Not only did Joe put in a great shift today, he managed to do it only 24hrs after the sad loss of his Mum, such was Joe`s determination to play in the Vase today it reduced Staveley`s Chairman...Terry Damms to tears last night as he prepared the necessary paperwork for today`s game.

A perfectly observed minutes silence preceded the game in respect of Joe`s Mum...a bit of a choker Tbh.

Joe Thornton in action today

Brighouse get the tie underway, it`s good end-to-end stuff with both sides enjoying good spells of play, unfortunately Staveley`s keeper, Tom Turner pulled up and was replaced by Richard Ayres.

Town`s main contributors early on are Ernest Boafa, Joe Mitchell, Daniel Naidole and Tom Matthews, with the usual candidates... McGrory, Eagers, Fox, Damms, Barraclough and Thornton doing the business at the sharp end for the home-side.

Despite Brighouse`s initial push early on in the half, Staveley looked the more likely of the two sides to take the lead going into the interval after a really good ten minutes saw them go close on a couple of occasions especially Ben Leonard`s header in the final minute of the first half.

Having sensed the end of the first half was going Staveley`s way, the visitors decide to introduce Ryan Hall into the mix, his presence has the desired effect for the Brighouse bench as the visitors looked really dangerous from the restart, Hall is tearing off down the right-wing and has the home-side on the back foot.

Boafa, Mitchell and Matthews are also prevalent with some good support from right-back James Sutcliffe and eventually the deadlock is broken as Boafa puts the ball beyond Ayres on the hour. 0-1.

Staveley slowly get it going but look a little wasteful at times, trying to thread a ball into a congested box instead of playing a simple one-two whilst in space, but it`s all very entertaining stuff.

The goal really gets Staveley`s heckles up and it`s the kick up the arse they needed, not only does it wake them up it see`s them really get down to business, the left-wing is being utilised to the maximum and without the presence of Wilson and Jagger who are doing a sterling job in Brighouse`s defence it could have been all square much earlier.

Thornton is withdrawn to a rapturous applause and is replaced by Chris Youlden.

Staveley are moving the ball about well using the available width afforded to them out wide left, eventually the home-side get the break they are looking for as Brighouse`s clearance goes out for a corner. Fox takes it quickly and the game is squared through Jordan Eagers on seventy five minutes.

All square with fifteen minutes left, both sides continued to produce some cracking football but failed to break each other down so at what Dudsey believed was full-time it ended 1-1, can`t honestly believe how many other people exited the ground like me thinking it was going to a re-play.

Ah well at least the ninety minutes I had witnessed was very entertaining but a little sad given today`s circumstances to find out that Staveley had lost 1-3 in to a Tom Matthews double strike in extra-time but good luck to Brighouse in the next round.

On the face of what I saw today, Brighouse are a well crafted side and will surely be in the mix at the end of the season in the Ncel Prem and should be in with a good chance of progressing in the next round of the Vase.

Staveley`s strength come from squad stability, you could virtually name the starting line up week in-week out and they have a good bunch of players who know and understand each others.


Click her for match pictures


My Man of the Match - Some excellent candidates today,  but for reasons far and beyond football there was only one hero on the pitch today and I`m sure his Mum would be very proud of him....Well done and the upmost respect to Joe Thornton!!

Teams - Staveley: Turner, McGrory, Mycoe, Fawcus, Colliver, Leonard, Eagers (c), Fox, Damms, Barraclough, Thornton. Subs: Coy, Youlden, Ellis, Finlaw, Ayres.

Brighouse - Turner, Sutcliffe, Brown, Wilson, Jaggar, Thornton, Naidole, Mitchell, Boafa, Mathews, Hurtley. Subs: Hall, Rose, Charlesworth, Thompson, Brown

Attendance - 130

Admission -£5