Brighouse Town are local top dogs (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Brighouse Town are local top dogs

4:50pm Sunday 1st January 2012 in Liversedge By Ian Whiting

Brighouse Town’s holiday period has been a tale of two derbies as they faced Baris Northern Counties East League Premier Division rivals Liversedge away last Monday and host Thackley tomorrow.

The three clubs are in close proximity, both geographically and in terms of the table as just five places separate them.

Thackley find themselves having been usurped as the leading local club in the division after the Boxing Day results.

Town won 5-2 Sedge, while Thackley were sliding to a third defeat on the trot.

The Dennyboys were beaten 2-1 at home by Nostell MW, which means Town boast a lofty eighth place before they host Thackley.

Sedge did not lose any ground following their loss last time out, so they remain in 12th position as they journey to Selby Town tomorrow.

The North Yorkshire outfit are rock bottom of the Premier Division but will be a team playing for their futures.

Selby appointed a new manager last Wednesday when Graham Hodder was placed in charge, replacing a man who had overseen just 16 games.

Hodder now has just 16 games in which to stave off relegation - just the kind of motivation Billy Miller’s men did not want to be up against.

Division One also has a tasty derby, with even more significance heaped on it following last week’s results as Eccleshill United take on Albion Sports for a second successive time.

Albion are clear leaders after winning the reverse fixture, which was definitely the archetypal 'six- pointer'.

The Eagles could have overhauled Albion had they won last Monday and then their game in hand but they go into tomorrow playing catch-up.

Eccleshill tumbled to seventh and there is now a nine-point gap between the local rivals.

The Eagles have home advantage, weather permitting, for this return meeting knowing that they need to win this and their game in hand to get back within three points of the leaders.

Albion have the more relaxed outlook of trying to win the game in the hope of extending their lead to five points. Ian Banks and Kulwinder Sandhu both report no fresh injury worries for tomorrow.