Great Harwood were narrowly beaten by top of the league Brierfield Celtic in a great game of football.
Brierfield came into the game with a 100% record and Great Harwood were in a buoyant mood after last week’s victory, so the signs for a excellent game were looking good.
It was Brierfield who started off on the front foot; a very strong and powerful team attacked in the first 10 minutes only to be denied by keeper Marc Smith and a solid looking back 4. On 15 minutes Brierfield took a deserved lead with an unstoppable shot and this seemed to kick-start the Great Harwood lads into action. Winger Ronan Dobson, with midfielders Jack Hargreaves and Marcus Robinson getting to grips with the game and setting up several good chances for Joe Blackledge and Arron Phillipson, both going narrowly over the bar with brilliant efforts.
A typical Ronan Dobson mazy run out wide on the right ended with a pin-point cross for Joe Blackledge to slot in a fabulous finish from close range to bring the game level at 1-1. Great Harwood were in the ascendancy and half-time simply came at the wrong time for the green and whites as they looked to increase their lead time and time again.
The start of the second half saw a rejuvinated Brierfield side come out after a tough team-talk by the Manager, and it was they who once again took the lead from a corner. Great Harwood went close several times late in the half, particularly Brad Allen glancing an Arron Phillipson free-kick agonisingly wide.
The game ended with loud applause from both sets of supporters. It was a cracking match to watch but unfortunately for the Great Harwood lads there was nothing to reward them for superb efforts from every player. On another day, that would have been a good win.
Ronan Dobson had his best game of the season so far, Arron Phillipson and Dominic O’Brien put in tremendous performances and Danny Smith was immense at the heart of the defence culminating in his 5th Man of the Match performance of the season.
They need to dust themselves off for next week when they play Huncoat United away. If they continue to play like they did today I see a comfortable 3 points in the bag from this game.
Keep going lads. A narrow loss to the league leaders is no disgrace and in all honesty you were the better team today and are showing you are one of the best teams in this league.
