Kicking with the wind, Brighouse applied sustained pressure for the first half hour. They hit the post on 5 minutes, when a left foot shot would surely have scored rather than a stab with the outside of the right boot. Connor King greedily grabbed the rebound. Clitheroe had the odd chance and on 18 minutes, debutant Owen Watkinson hared down the left and laid the ball to Cole Lonsdale, who loosed off a good shot. However, on 26 minutes it was the visitors again applying pressure and from a whipped in cross from the left, a stooping header flashed off the bar with King beaten. As the half ticked down, Clitheroe found their rhythm. On 37 minutes, Hyuga Tanner muscled his way to the bye line and Watkinson was foiled at the near post as he tried to prod home. Watkinson went close again on 42 minutes, when from a deep corner, his header was cleared away from the base of the post.

Clitheroe were much more dangerous in the second half. On 52 minutes, the Brighouse keeper made a great double save at the feet of two home strikers, before Watkinson had another shot well saved five minutes later. On 72 minutes, against the run of play, a Brighouse cross from the right looped over a stranded King and the defence only just managed to bundle the ball out of harm’s way. However, as the clock ticked down, Clitheroe turned up the heat. On 80 minutes, substitute Eliot Pond slipped Russell through and he was narrowly foiled. From the resultant corner, Russell’s goal bound header was cleared off the line.

All in all, a draw was a fair result and both teams are up and running.

Team : Connor King, Jacob Gregory, Paul Dugdale (c), Craig Stanley, Markell Foulds, Charlie Mulgrew, Terry Cummins (Jordan Darr), Charlie Russell, Owen Watkinson, Hyuga Tanner (Elliot Pond), Cole Lonsdale (Conor Gaul). Subs - Conor Gaul, Elliot Pond, Jordan Darr. Not used - Danny Gray, Oliver Muir.