Morpeth will lock horns once again with Brighouse Town when they meet again in the FA Cup Preliminary Round replay at Craik Park. The sides couldn’t be separated at the Yorkshire Payments Stadium.
Liam Henderson and Jack Foalle had put the Highwaymen ahead before Reece Kendall and Carl Stewart restored parity for the home side.
The first effort of note was from the hosts after 5 minutes and it was Reece Kendall who nodded wide when well placed at the back post. It was something that would come back to haunt Morpeth later in the game.
Liam Henderson took advantage of some poor defensive play from the hosts to go ahead. The returning Ben Sayer slipped the ball into the channel and Henderson took his time to pick his spot and finish low past Jordan Porter.
The hosts responded with Ousman Cham but the forward saw his strike get deflected past the far post and behind for a corner.
As the game swung from one end to the other, it was Jeff Henderson who went close to doubling the lead on 19 minutes. A free kick from Sayer was swung to the back post but Henderson couldn’t direct his header on goal and it looped over the bar.
The miss didn’t prove crucial at this stage as Jack Foalle doubled the lead only two minutes later. A long ball was punted forward and with the defence playing statues, Foalle and Henderson raced into the box but it was former who struck to extend the lead.
The lead was halved only 5 minutes later. A cross was flung to the far post by James Hurtley and it was met by Kendall who this time made no mistake as he looped a header back over Dan Lowson.
The hosts were in the ascendency and should have taken the lead through Jacques Etia. The Morpeth defence went missing and allowed Cham through who rolled it to Etia but he dragged his effort wide.
Porter was called into action on 39 minutes to divert a clearance from Thomas Brennan over his own cross bar. Tom Potter was lurking before the intervention from Brennan.
From the corner, Brighouse drew level as they countered with speed and Wayne Phillips was adjudged to have taken down Cham. Carl Stewart stepped up and he cooly smashed the ball home sending Lowson the wrong way.
Cham who looked dangerous for the whole game nearly converted on the stroke of half time but he was his denied on the line.
The second half was one of few chances. Potter fashioned the first chance of the half when he cut inside but curled his left foot effort over the bar.
On 68 minutes, Lowson raced off his line and similar to the incident at Warrington last weekend, he cleaned out Etia on the edge of the box. Lawson again saw yellow which despite the protests was the right call. The free kick was into the ball and cleared before Brighouse could get a shot away.
With a little over 5 minutes remaining, Potter got in behind the fullback and crossed for the onrushing Ben Harmison couldn’t get a telling touch on the ball to find the back of the net.
The best chance of the half fell to the substitute Michael Turner who had appeared as a second half change. He got his head on a corner from Shabz Mohammed but his header kissed the bar and went over.
A replay will be required to settle the outcome of this tie. A date for which will be announced in due course.
The Highwaymen return to league action on Monday when they make the trip to the seaside to face Whitby Town. Kick off is at 3pm.
Brighouse Town: Porter (c), Wilkinson, Kendall, Grant, Brennan, Hurtley (Starkey 52’), Khan, Haigh (Arbouin, 65’), Etia, Stewart (Church, 58), Cham.
Subs not Used: Donovan, Lazenby, Ryan, Griffin.
Goals: Kendall 26’, Stewart 41’ (p).
Morpeth Town: Lowson, Walton, Phillips (c), Sayer (Mohammed, 79’), Thackray, J. Henderson, Foalle, Hodgson, L. Henderson (Harmison, 65’), Reid (Turner, 65’), Potter (Taylor, 71).
Subs not Used: Forster, Petrache, Giles, McKeown.
Goals: L. Henderson 5’, Foalle 21’.
Attendance: 127
Man of the Match: Jeff Henderson
