Boss calls for improvement after Town defeat Shovel
Manager Luke Haigh spoke reflectively after his Brighouse Town side gained their first win of pre-season at Selby based side Malt Shovel FC.
Goals from Harry Hobson and Michael Carter were enough to earn a 2-1 win with ‘enough’ being the operative word for Haigh, who said: “Yes, we got the victory against Malt Shovel, but I was far from happy with our overall performance.
"A good 25-minute spell ultimately won us the game. We were missing five or six players, but that’s where having a squad comes into play. The lads know I wasn’t happy with the performance, but if we can play below par and still come away with a win, I suppose that’s not a bad sign.”
Having given the spearhead of his attack this season, Michael Carter, a glowing report at full-time of the club’s 2-0 friendly defeat to FC Halifax Town last Tuesday, Haigh was quick to pinpoint him once more, saying: “It was great to see Michael Carter on the scoresheet again.
"He’s started pre-season well and grabbed our second goal, with Harry Hobson opening the scoring. Results don’t really matter at this stage, but it’s always nice to get that first win.”
After the Halifax game, Haigh said: “They [Halifax] only had two shots at target which [goalkeeper Adam] Lawlor dealt with well so yeah, all-in-all I’m happy with the first half and minutes in the legs. First half [we played] pretty much our first team and the second half was a mixture of trialists and Under-23s.”
Focus now shifts to Thursday’s home friendly against Greetland FC, a club with various ties to their Hove Edge hosts. Haigh added: “We’ll potentially be trying a new shape depending on squad availability. Pre-season is all about minutes and performances.”
Town’s pre-season continues with a trip to Rochdale Sacred Heart on Saturday July, 25 (3pm). On Tuesday, July 28, Brighouse visit Penistone Church (7.30pm) and on Monday, August 3 they host FC Halifax Town U21s (7.30pm).