Brighouse hoping to shock higher-ranked Farsley

It will be the club’s first home game in the Evo-Stik East since October 1. This Saturday manager Vill Powell takes his squad to Throstle Nest to face Farsley Celtic in the first qualifying round of the FA Trophy. It is the first time in two seasons that the sides have faced off. Celtic now ply their trade in the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division. On Tuesday, Brighouse make a third trip to Morpeth this season for a second round tie in the Integro League Cup (7.45). “We are taking it a game at a time and I haven’t even given a thought to Belper, although I know the rest of the club’s management and supporters have,” said Powell. “I just want to focus on the Farsley tie first and hopefully the lads can see this tie off at the first attempt or we will be heading back home for a replay on Monday night and then having to fit in the Morpeth Town game as and when. “That is why it is so important to take it a game at a time.” Adam Lakeland’s chargers sit fifth in the Premier Division after seven wins and three draws from 13 league games. Powell is set to welcome back speedy and skilful striker Gabriel Johnson, who missed last Saturday’s 1-0 win at AFC Mansfield due a family event. However, the Town boss will be without the services of FC Halifax Town’s wideman Ousman Cham. Cham has been prevented from playing in the FA Trophy and the West Riding County FA Senior Cup by his National League employers. Powell may well deploy Johnson out wide and has the luxury of including Kurt Harris, who is back in the ranks at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium after 17 months away. Harris could pick up a starting place against his old club after showing up well at Mansfield. He did admit that he was tiring badly in the final 10 minutes of the game as Town won 1-0 to remain in third place behind leaders Morpeth Town and second-placed Marske United. Co-assistant manager Leon Wainman added: “We now have to move on after taking four points in five days and focus on cup action. “If we go into both games with the right mentality, determined as always, and with the belief that if we play the way that we can then, we will get the result that we all want.” On Saturday afternoon, Town were forced to dig deep at AFC Mansfield as they came away with a narrow 1-0 win. On a bobbly surface Town were forced to adapt. And they adapted well thanks to a 33rd-minute goal from central defender James Hurtley as Brighouse returned home with all three points. Manager Vill Powell brought in the returning Kurt Harris from Farsley Celtic for the injured Adam Jones. Mansfield boss Rudy Funk had certainly done his home work on leading goalscorer Aaron Martin who was kept relatively quiet. Town’s talisman did lose his marker on 22 minutes but headed just over from an Ousman Cham cross. Brighouse’s vital goal came straight from the training ground. A rehearsed corner was taken by Sam Wright and Hurtley, from just inside the box, volleyed home with Mansfield keeper Jason White frozen to the spot. Mansfield lifted their game in a bid to equalise but Town’s defenders were on their game with Adam Field, Hurtley, Wright and Rhys Jenkinson working hard to cut out any threat on Jordan Porter’s goal. Just before the hour mark, Cham shot just wide before Powell brought on Tom Robinson in place of for Normanton. Town squandered a couple of decent chances when Ibrahim and Cham both failed to add to the visitor’s goal tally. In the closing stages, Mansfield’s Cameron Dear sent a late freekick just wide of Porter’s right-hand post.