Evo-Stik League Division One North: Clitheroe 3 Brighouse Town 2

A THIRD consecutive defeat for Brighouse Town leaves them perilously close to the drop zone in Evo-Stik Division One North, but it was a much-improved performance from Vill Powell’s men.

They were nine places below hosts Clitheroe, who were in poor form themselves after a run of defeats.

Brighouse took the lead at Shawbridge but trailed 3-1 at the break before winning the second half courtesy of an injury-time strike.

Town had a great start as Jack Normanton sent in a sixth-minute shot from the edge of the area that looped over the home side’s keeper Chris Thompson.

The visitors’ lead lasted just ten minutes, though, as Joe Mitchell equalised with a cross-cum-shot that found the far corner of George Clarke’s net.

Clarke was beaten again just before the half-hour when Jack Egan slotted in from the edge of the six-yard box, and six minutes before the break the third Blues goal was fired into the corner by Kurt Willougby after a second assist from Ross Dent, who had provided the final ball for Egan.

Powell made a double substitution during the interval, with Callum Hall and Danny Naidole making way so that Dan Grimshaw and Isaac Marriott could start.

While the first period had been an entertaining game, the match then didn’t live up to expectations.

Brighouse striker Mohammed Ibrahim gave the scoreline a look of respectability when he latched onto a through ball two minutes into time added on and slotted past Blues’ keeper Thompson.

The win pushed Clitheroe up two places to eighth, while Town saw their four-point cushion over the relegation places cut to just three, and they have played more games than some of the clubs around them in the table.