Season Preview
NPL Division One East
Brighouse Town
Brighouse Town regularly do well in the Northern Premier League. Bar one season they have always had strong campaigns since arriving in 2014. It will be tougher than normal but Brighouse are well-equipped to be more than competitive.
The Manager
Vill Powell
Powell has been Brighouse Town manager since 2017 and has done an excellent job.
Brighouse won the NPL Division One East play-off final in 2019 – but didn’t go up due to the bizarre rules created from the restructuring.
He has also seen one of his prodigies Aaron Martin go from playing for Brighouse to being Harrogate Town’s first ever goal-scorer in the Football League.
Opening Five Fixtures
Dunston (h), Frickley Athletic (a), Shildon – FA Cup (a), Sheffield FC (h), Ossett United (h).
Notable Movement
In: Elliot Harrison (Ossett United), Alexander O’Connor, Morgan Butcher (Thackley), Harry Wilkinson, Matty Nebard (Pontefract Collieries), Brett Souter (Hemsworth Miners Welfare).
Out: Kurt Harris (Liversedge), Joe Wilkinson (Tadcaster Albion), Eddie Church (Tadcaster Albion), Josh Grant (Liversedge).
One to Watch
Elliot Harrison
The talented player was one of Vill Powell’s first summer signings and he will be a key man going forward for them.
Interview
Brighouse Town have already sprung major shock in recent years and they’re capable of doing it again.
That’s the view Vill Powell is taking as he prepares to lead Brighouse into the new NPL Division One East season.
Brighouse stunned the NPL in 2019 by winning the play-off final.
No-one gave them a chance back then so Powell is more than happy for his side to have an underdog status again in 2021.
“The expectations with a club of our size is to always be competitive,” Powell told Non League Yorkshire.
“From higher up with the board and committee, it is just to have a team on the pitch that we can be proud.
“When we won the play-offs we weren’t the favourites.
“We weren’t (seen as) even a top ten side.
“We were relegation fodder the season before as we were in a relegation battle.
“Winning the play-offs was unexpected across the board.
“Not necessarily myself because I knew what I had in the camp.
“We’re going to try and have the same attitude this season where we respect everyone and fear no-one.
“We don’t want to be one of the teams people are talking about because there are more teams financially more powerful than we are.
“We’re going to do our business under the radar and see where it takes us.
“We’re more than capable of competing and of surprising a few people.”
A lot of Brighouse’s recruitment was done months ago before May’s Yorkshire Tournament.
That said, Powell is possibly not finished before the season opener against Dunston at home.
“We have added a couple of bodies in from last season,” he said.
“Last season we had a competitive young squad but with the long-term additions of Danny Racchi and Brett Souter they have definitely made us stronger.
“We have added in Matty Nebard in as well and we’re looking to get a couple more over-the-line this week.
“If we get them in we’ll certainly be competitive in this coming season.”
Every fixture has an exciting feel to it this season and Powell in particular is eagerly-anticipating the countless derby days.
“It throws up a few cup finals with these local derbies,” he said.
“That’s something that is new to all the clubs.
“If I was comparing the North West which we’ve been in to the East then you’d say our league is more competitive and stronger.
“But you throw all these derbies into the mix it makes it interesting.
“It is going to be a difficult league but definitely an exciting one and certainly everyone at Brighouse Town one that everyone is looking forward to.”
Prediction
Mid-Table
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams.
Our work is playing an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
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