TONIGHT BRIGG TOWN FC HOST FRICKLEY - FOLLOWING 2-1 WIN OVER SHEFFIELD FC ON SATURDAY

BOB TAYLOR REPORTS FROM THE HAWTHORNS

Tonight (Tuesday) Brigg Town FC face Frickley Athletic in a Cup game at home and follow this  with a trip to Romulus (Sutton Coldfield) on Saturday afternoon.

BRIGG TOWN 2 SHEFFIELD FC 1

There was little constructive football played by either side in a poor first half, but the game did get slightly better in the second period ending with late goals. Brigg enjoyed most of the possession in the opening minutes, winning an early free kick from Scott Matthews, which as cleared from the goal area. Then a left wing attack saw the ball switching across the pitch for a throw in deep into Sheffield’s half close to the corner flag. Ollie Fisher gained possession to deliver another cross into the goal- mouth but this was scrambled away again. Another free kick from the centre circle by Michael Jacklin was headed across goal but Paul Ashton shot wide on the quarter hour. Max Pemberton replaced the injured Callum Harrison mid-way through the half for the visitors and the substitute began to dominate the mid-field. Paul Ashton then came closest to scoring for Brigg after thirty minutes when he spun round inside the penalty area to strike a shot into the side netting. From another attack down the left wing, Scott Matthews forced a decent save from goalkeeper Liam Mitchell. Sheffield mounted a couple of attacks in the last ten minutes of the half, winning consecutive corner kicks and Max Pemberton had a shot deflected over the cross bar before the teams went in level at half time.
The visitors were first to press in the second half with a header from a right wing corner past the top corner. Then Brigg’s George Zuerner had to be withdrawn with a leg injury, replaced by Kieran McAffrey in the fiftieth minute. Elliot Broughton replaced Jordan Thewliss after sixty five minutes because of another injury sustained and two minutes later, Liam Dickens struck a fierce free kick from outside the penalty area just past the upright. Brigg opened the scoring after eighty minutes when the ball was played forward to the edge of the penalty area on the right for JOSHUA NICHOL to get a strike deflected into the corner of the net. The lead only lasted five minutes as the visitors suddenly showed some urgency. The equaliser came from a left wing corner kick played to the near post where BRANDON CARDWELL headed it into the corner of the net past Jake Turner. Both teams searched for a winner but in the ninetieth minute, Sheffield’s Andrew Gascoigne made a high, dangerous challenge on Elliot Broughton close to the touch line and was shown a red card. Then in added time, Brigg attacked down the right wing but lost possession of the ball until Brandon Cardwell played it back inside along the penalty area line, where ELLIOT BROUGHTON seized upon it and struck a sweet shot past the despairing Liam Mitchell into the corner of the net. There was no time left for a further response and Brigg secured the three points.
Brigg Town:  Turner, Fisher, Matthews, Zuerner, Hellewell, Jacklin, Ashton, Dickens, Nichol, Thewliss, Buttle.  Substitutes:     Peers (85 mins), McAffrey (51) and Broughton (67) for Buttle, Zuerner and Thewliss;   McDonagh and Bowsley not used. 
Attendance:    107