Thackley and Brighouse Town both won their belated first fixtures of 2010 but there was more frustration elsewhere as the lower rungs of the non-league ladder suffered postponements yet again.

In the Northern Counties East League, THACKLEY made the most of home advantage as they shook the cobwebs off with a 3-0 Premier Division win over third-bottom Shirebrook Town.

The visitors dominated the opening quarter but Thackley rode their luck and scored against the run of play.

Nicky Matthews burst forward in the ninth minute and his through ball found Matt Mathers, who ran on before squeezing the ball under Town’s keeper.

The Reds doubled their advantage when Luke Hudson’s cross hung in the air long enough for Matthews to arrive and force it into the net.

Town must have wondered where it had gone wrong as Tian Walton was twice denied inside the first 15 minutes. It was to get even worse as they failed to convert a penalty and had a later effort cleared off the line before the interval.

The referee pointed to the spot in the 39th minute when singling out Sean Airey as the guilty party. Martin Rowbottom stepped forward to take the resulting penalty but Reds keeper Ben Higginson blocked it and Rowbottom fired the rebound over the target.

Higginson made yet another save to deny Walton and when the Thackley stopper was beaten by a shot out of nowhere in a packed area, full back Stuart Waite was on hand to make a last-gasp clearance.

Former Guiseley reserve Adam Hill was on the Thackley bench and he was introduced in the 76th minute.

It seemed it may become a debut to forget as he was thwarted twice but he did mark it with a goal as he rode two challenges on a run into the area before slotting in Thackley’s third.

Meanwhile, BRIGHOUSE moved level on points with fourth-placed visitors Tadcaster Albion in Division One thanks to a 2-1 home victory.

Tadcaster went in front through Graeme Whitehead in the 16th minute and led until the hour mark.

Town got back into the game thanks to a Paul James own goal and grabbed all three points when Matt Sparkes, signed the week before on loan from Ossett Albion, pounced with less than four minutes remaining.

Brighouse’s rivals ECCLESHILL UNITED and Thackley’s divisional neighbours LIVERSEDGE were denied games at Barton Town and Selby Town respectively due to waterlogged pitches.

And SILSDEN had to postpone their home game against Squires Gate in the Vodkat League because Cougar Park was unavailable.