Brigg Town Football Club attracted a big attendance for the Toolstation Northern Counties East Division One promotion play-off semi-final against Harrogate Railway Athletic yesterday (Saturday, April 16).
However, the Zebras lost 2-1 to the Yorkshire visitors at the EC Surfacing Stadium (Hawthorns) as a 623-strong crowd looked on.
Brigg were two goals down at the interval but rallied early in the second half, putting pressure on the Harrogate defence.
They reduced the arrears on the hour with a close range effort steered just inside the post by Nathan Peat (see picture above showing the ball about the enter the net).
Brigg then came within inches of levelling and taking the game into extra time when a shot beat the keeper but stuck the crossbar and landed in a spot which allowed Harrogate to clear the danger.
However, the visiting defence held firm after that as Brigg worked hard to create openings down both flanks and through the middle.
Harrogate will now visit North Ferriby in the play-off final, the North Bank team having defeated Rossington yesterday.
The winners of this clash will join champions Hallam in the Premier Division for 2022/23.
Yesterday's crowd was the second highest seen at a Brigg home game this season - 634 having watched the Zebras play North Ferriby in December.
Despite the disappointment of losing to Harrogate, the attack-minded Zebras can look back on a campaign in which they played some impressive football in the Toolstation competition to finish third in the table at the end of the regular season.
All car parking spaces were taken at the stadium yesterday and at the nearby Brigg Recreation Ground, as Andrew Markham's picture below demonstrates.
