Brighouse Town 0 - 2 Scarborough Athletic - Ncel Premier Division

Dudsey wakes up in good spirit, sat in the conservatory watching the qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, the Sun is blazing down and Lewis Hamilton has just secured his first Pole Position for Mercedes...another Coffee and time to turn my focus to today`s much awaited game, such is the attraction of today`s fixture even Mrs H has decided to put in an appearance.

Brighouse Town play host to Rudy Funk`s Scarborough Athletic in what will probably be the fixture of the season in the Ncel Premier Division. Boro top the table, six points clear but Brighouse have two games in hand, so it`s really down to this one as to where the title will probably end up, with high expectation of a bumper crowd things look really well poised for a decent afternoon out.

Hales pulls up in yet another motor, a brand new Mercedes Tourer..."Oh yes" Dudsey`s travelling in style today..!! Unfortunately the weatherman`s forecast looks to be accurate today and it`s not long before we run into the rain on-route up the M1.

We slip onto England`s finest set of Roadworks "The M62" towards the 'Calder Valley', there`s some amazing scenery around here and it`s surprising to see that the eastern fringe of 'The Pennines' still has a smattering of snow.

On recollection the last time I visited Brighouse parking was a premium at 'The Dual Seal Stadium' but there`s no such worries today...the stewards direct us into the training area and collect the five pounds admission as you drive in. They`ve read today very well and things have been superbly organised.

The ground is bustling, supporters are around all four sides of the ground and the main stand is solid, with this being the only form of protection from the elements it`s a blessing that the rain has stopped, the place is well organised and they seem well prepared for the match, extra catering facilities have been laid on and everyone`s needs seem to be well provided for.

We manage to find a spot in the back of the main-stand just to the left of the half-way line, both sides emerge from the changing rooms to a great reception. Brighouse are in there usual home-strip of Orange and Black with Boro in all Yellow. There`s a great party atmosphere with balloons and confetti being released, hopefully the game will live up to expectation.

'Boro' get the game rolling and both sides seem a little tentative in the opening period which is understandable given what`s at stake from today`s outcome. Tony Hackworth and Peter Davidson spearhead the visitors advances but the central defence for 'Town' are effectively Shepherding them down into the bottom right-hand corner.

Despite the leagues top two scorers..Ryan Blott (Boro) and Tom Matthews (Brighouse) gracing the pitch this afternoon, neither of them seem to be featuring heavily in the opening spell of the first half.

Brighouse`s No 7 (Ryan Hall) looks very useful, he has a great engine and is causing Boro a lot of concern down the right-wing, occasionally switching to the left. Left back (Leon Henry) is also giving a good account of himself, very reminiscent of ShaunWright-Phillips, small, excellent balance, tricky feet with great pace.

The half enters it`s best spell in the middle quarter, Davidson make`s a good shot at Tom Taylor only to see it glanced out for a corner, whilst Paddy Miller failed to capitalise in a goal-mouth scramble. Hall continues to be the needle in Boro`s side and should he get a break you`d fancy his chances but Milne and Plummer look as solid as a rock in the heart of Scarborough`s defence.

Just as the tempo of the game is starting to rise, the rain decides to fall pretty heavily and it`s not long before the surface begins to look a little tricky underfoot. James Hartley has a decent shot at goal for the home-side which is easily collected by Arran Reid. It`s starting to look interesting with both sides now more prepared to push for the opener. Despite a few more decent openings for both sides it remains 0-0 at the interval.

With cover limited for such a large crowd, Dudsey, Hales and Mrs H decide to hang on to their Pews, with the rain continuing and a chilly South-Westerly wafting across the the valley it`s not long before the bulk of the crowd also look to seek shelter from the weather.

Although Dudsey`s no great mathematician, 1089 into one stand seems a bit of an ask and it`s not long before we are crammed in like Sardine`s, surrounded by well-beered and very vocal 'Seadogs' who soon discover the low roof of the shed makes a great drum to accompany their chants, to be fair though it`s all in good spirit and the acoustics are great.

The home-side get the second half underway and it look`s as though their half-time team talk has got them jeed-up as they initially look the brighter of the two sides, but if there`s one thing Boro do have in their locker it`s the ability to finish strongly and they soon slip back into the swing of the game.

Playing towards the bottom goal the visitors are gradually pushing their hosts back into their own half, the corner-count is starting to mount and if not for some solid defending Boro could have took the lead within the opening ten minutes of the re-start as Taylor comes out to clear only for Jimmy Beadle to skip past him to what looked to be a definite goal only to see Ben Thornton clear the ball off the line.

The next corner proves to be the break the over anxious crowd had been waiting for as the ball is swung in from the right where Blott was was waiting to blast the ball into Taylor`s goal....Mrs H looks well out of her comfort zone as the shed erupts, the noise is deafening as the 'Travelling Seadogs' either side of us celebrate the goal.

With their tales in the air Boro look to increase their lead but Brighouse still have a lot of football left in them and a foul just outside the box gives Hall the opportunity to have a shot at Reid`s goal which whistles just wide of the right angle from the free-kick.

Looking to obtain the equaliser Brighouse are pushing further up the field and the dependable defence is starting to get stretched and the available space behind allows Boro in through the back door as Bryan Hughes picks out Beadle who drives the ball well beyond Taylor...0-2.

With around ten minutes plus stoppages to go. Boro`s second goal seems to knock the stuffing out of the home-side who have given a good account of themselves, but with legs tiring on a tricky surface it`s too much of an hill to climb.

The Ref blows the whistle after four minutes of stoppage time and the crowd can`t resist taking to the pitch to celebrate the victory with their much appreciative Hero`s, Rudy`s also revelling in it as the reality of promotion looks to have been all but secured this afternoon.

My Men of the Match : Scarborough - Tony Hackworth (lead from the front all game) Brighouse - Ryan Hall (never stopped running and looked very capable until the final whistle).


Match Photo`s - Click here


A great afternoon out, a decent game played in very good spirit by both sides. Congratulations to Scarborough who under the guidance of Rudy Funk look destined to be joining the Evo-Stik next season but Brighouse although disappointed to have come so close to an incredible achievement this season can indeed hold their heads high.

Starting Line Ups - Brighouse - Taylor, Hewitt, Henry, Wilson, Jagger, Thornton, Hall, Hurtley, Naidol, Matthews, Gibson. Subs - Mitchell, Thompson, Charlesworth, Brown, Porter,

Scarborough - Reid, Ingram, Horne, Milne, Plummer, Davidson, Hughes, Hackworth, Blott, Beadle, Miller, Subs - Hawkes, Bennett, Kemp, Brown, Ugdchukwu.

A special mention to Brighouse for the excellent organisation on the day and to the Stewards who assisted in getting the cars out of the ground at the end of the game.


Attendance - 1089

Admission £5