A 10:15am start and a long 3 and half hour journey to the North Yorkshire coast and The Towbar Express Stadium at the Turnbull Ground, home of Whitby Town FC. Always a great Bamber Bridge awayday, good ground, decent clubhouse and friendly locals.

Brig arrived on the back of a resounding 4-0 victory over Rushall Olympic last weekend and started this game in confident mood, passing the wall well around the very decent looking pitch, but without troubling the home keeper in the opening exchanges.


The first chance of the game fell to the hosts as Aiden Dowling tipped an effort over the bar in the 10^th minute. Brig responded and Billy Bould struck a low shot goalwards but a defenders leg deflected the ball straight into the arms of The Seasiders keeper.

Brig were starting to dominate possession and won a free kick on the edge of the box. Churchy stepped up and whipped a a shot over the wall but unforrtunaltely also over the crossbar. We didn’t have to wait much longer however, Joel Bailey picked out Kofi Moore with a superb cross-field pass, The Brig striker controlled the ball on the left of the area, before cutting inside and skipping past two challenges before slamming a powerful shot from 12 yards past the diving keeper.



Just seconds later and Billy Bould found space in the box on the right hand side, his low shot from a tight angle was comfortably saved. From here the game entered a scrappy phase with some feisty challenges going in from both sides. The referee was struggling to keep order as tempers frayed. Ewan Bange had been yellow carded for catching Frank Whelan with his trailing arm in a challenge. This led to the Whitby Town player receiving lengthy treatment and needing a bandage around his head to stem the flow of blood.

The incident led to several players picking up yellow cards before Whelan clattered into Bange as the Brig striker looked to break away. The referee issuing a straight red to the bandaged Whelan. From our position behind the goal, it looked a little harsh.


More bookings followed and the referee added a further eight minutes to the end of the half, deep into this added time Billy Bould had a great chance to double the lead, Adam Dodd picked out the Brig No.9 who struck a shot across goal, the home keeper reacting superbly to dive and push it away. The referee chose this moment to end a half that had seen 5 yellow cards and a straight red.

The second half began with another good Brig chance, Billy Bould this time with a good header from a left wing cross but the keeper held on well. Whitby Town then began a period of sustained pressure as they launched wave after wave of attacks at the Brig rearguard. Twice Aiden Dowling made superb diving reflex saves to keep The Seasiders out.


Bamber Bridge were now playing on the break and appeals for a Brig penalty where waved away as a low shot from Kofi Moore following a great run, struck the arm of a Whitby defender as he challenged and then fell on the ball. In fairness it wasn’t intentional and not a penalty.

A series of substitutions from both sides from around the hour mark seemed to take the sting out of the home side and Brig gradually started to pose a threat again. The Brig “famous” corner routine almost came off, as Michael Potts played it low to Churchy, who stepped over the ball, a quick pass found the advancing Pottsy again whose shot was saved by the keeper. The Lino’s flag would have ruled it out anyway. Moments later and Jack Baxter tested the keeper with a good shot following another sweeping left wing Brig attack.


The Brig second goal arrived in the 84^th minute. Jamie Allen picked up the ball from a fine pass down the left, moved inside, weaving passed two defenders before sliding the ball under the keeper and into the net.

Both sides made more changes, Milly utilising his full squad with all five subs used, the referee flashed more yellow cards and Brig saw out the remainder of the game reasonably comfortably to take all three points. Despite a spirited 10 man fightback from Whitby Town, Brig held firm, and over the ninety minutes fully deserved the victory.


The handful of Briggers behind the goal in a crowd of 457, certainly enjoyed it. Those long coach journeys back to Lancashire never seem quite as far after a great away win.