Otley Town 3 Brighouse Old Boys 4 aet

THE score line suggests a rip-roaring cup-tie with lots of goals and extra-time thrown in for good measure.

It was sadly nothing of the sort – the conditions playing a major part in the dour game that materialised. Also it was a contest littered with individual mistakes which will give neither management team any comfort.

Town started well and for 15 minutes had Brighouse on the rack. They should really have made more of their superiority and scored more than the one excellent goal from Connor Wilson after 12 minutes. Brighouse, sensing they had got away with it gradually found their way into the game and began to dominate possession and they made it count after 22 minutes when Richard Heins scored from the spot after Jamie Simms late tackled him in the box.

There was to be no more scoring before half-time with the possession stats about even – Town dominating for the first 15 and last ten minutes with Brighouse holding sway in the intervening period.

Although play and territory was even, Brighouse took the lead midway through the half when a speculative free kick from fully 40 yards went over everybody including keeper Chris Brodie.

The setback spurred Town into action and they got back on level terms with 15 minutes left when Scott Firth bundled the ball home from short range.

Late in normal time Town had a couple of chances to kill off the tie but the Brighouse keeper saved magnificently from Toby Harris and Wilson on a nice run took the ball just too wide to trouble the Brighouse goal.

The first action in extra-time was a third goal for Town – an excellent four-man move culminating in a tap-in for Josh Waite. However the fact that Town had only one substitute was significant as the flu ridden Harry Higgins had to be used to compensate injury to Scott Firth whereas Brighouse wisely used their subs to counter tired legs.

Still Town made it to half-time and needed only to shut up shop for the last 15 minutes.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as Brighouse finished the stronger scoring twice in the last ten minutes. Both goals were scored from set pieces and were palpably defendable and Town will need to smarten up in this area when they re-start their league games this coming Saturday at home to Horbury Town (2.30pm).