Brewers mark historic week with Bridge win

February has seen LS24 go from one bridge - the long-awaited structure linking both sides of Tadcaster opened last Friday - to another, in the visit of the Lancashire side, with the same joyous outcome running throughout.

Well-taken goals from Josh Greening and Jonathan Greening sealed a deserved win for the Brewers, only their second on home soil since mid-October.

This victory will mean more for Billy Miller’s players after a turbulent 10 days that has seen them play for 70 minutes with an outfielder in goal at Droylsden and go out of the League Cup acrimoniously at Scarborough Athletic.

It was a troubled start to the game for Miller’s men, however, as they went 1-0 down in the eighth minute.

As sloppy as skipper Gregg Anderson’s attempted clearance was, they were unlucky to concede as Michael Potts’ shot took a wicket deflection off a divot to rocket into the back of the net.

Albion launched an up-tempo response. Jonathan Greening struck the angle of post and bar with an inswinging effort and former Harrogate Railway stalwart Dan Thirkell volleyed over.

Both sides found it tough to adapt their attacking games to the heaviness of the pitch and this meant Brig had to rely on a free-kick to come close as Chandler Hallwood tipped over Jamie Milligan’s accurate delivery.

There was then more than a hint of a foul in the way target man Tom Corner was wrestled to the ground, by his neck, in the box but the referee wasn’t interested and let play go on after the corner.

Brig manager Neil Reynolds made a pair of changes at half-time which seemed to do nothing but disrupt any sort of rhythm his side had built up in the first half and the home side were totally dominant after the interval.

Ex-Harrogate Town winger Rob Youhill whipped over an excellent cross that was met by Corner who poked wide a matter of seconds after the resumption of play, but two minutes later, Tad were on level terms.

Fit for the conditions, it was two hooked clearances that set up the goal as Josh Barrett and then Jonathan Greening helped the ball into the path of Josh Greening.

Albion’s number 10 then nipped in ahead of Phil Doughty’s challenge and found the bottom right corner with his finish.

Conor Sellars and Corner found the target with shots from outside the area and Thirkell made his presence felt in the box when he headed just wide from a Sellars set piece.

For all his exceptional hold-up play, Corner would not be rewarded with a goal, but he came mightily close when Josh Grant swung a cross into him only for the frontman to lose his footing 10 yards out.

Miller kept faith in his starting team, declining the opportunity to make any substitutions, and his faith was repaid with a 73rd-minute winner.

Jonathan Greening had knuckled down into an unfamiliar left-sided midfield role and he popped up in just the right place to slot home Josh Greening’s cutback.

Both sides had plenty taken out of them by the heaviness of the pitch, badly cut up by the closing stages. This made it difficult for the visitors to mount much of a late charge although hearts were in mouths when Hallwood wrongly came to claim a cross.

The Brewers travel to Colwyn Bay on Saturday and will bid to keep the momentum going from this commanding performance.