Report

Three goals in eight first-half minutes gave Consett their seventh NPL away win of the season today – and relegated their hosts Brighouse Town in the process.

Manager Jason Miller had the luxury of almost a full squad to choose from, with Isaac Walker the only absentee, and a powerful first-half performance took the game away from the bottom-of-the-table hosts.

Consett started the game on the front foot, and had a couple of chances before they took the lead. On seven minutes Donny Holdsworth looked certain to score from Calvin Smith’s dinked cross, but a home defender made a vital intervention. Two minutes later Matty Todd tried his luck from 25 yards, and wasn’t too far away.

The Steelmen took the lead in the 10th minute when Holdsworth fed the ball out to Matty Todd on the right. He surged into the box and fired goalwards, with his shot taking a slight deflection off a defender before going in. It was his 12th goal of the season.

Four minutes later Will Constantin burst down the right and cut the ball back for Ben Ramsey, whose well-struck shot cleared the bar by a couple of feet.

But fired-up Consett didn’t have long to wait to double their advantage, and within a few seconds Todd had set up Ben Ramsey to fire into the far corner for his 12th goal of the season.

Consett were well on top and extended their lead in the 18th minute when Smith’s corner picked out Charlie Exley‘s run, and the skipper volleyed home to make it 3-0 and put his side completely in control.

Brighouse steadied the ship, but almost conceded again on 29 minutes when Smith curled in an effort from a tight angle, but Brighouse keeper Michael Acquah made a good save down low.

Half-time: Brighouse Town 0 Consett 3

Consett were kicking into a stiff wind in the second half, but picked up where they had left off before the break.

Five minutes into the half Michael Ledger came close to opening his goal account for the club when he fired goalwards from a knock-down at a corner, but his effort was cleared off the line.

On 57 minutes a superb dummy by Holdsworth from Constantin’s pass left Ramsey with just the keeper to beat from a couple of yards inside the box, but his pile-driver rattled the crossbar.

Brighouse knew anything but a win would confirm their relegation, and had their first effort on goal from a corner, but Harry Moss made a comfortable save from Alex Varley’s header.

It was their visitors who looked more like adding to the scoreline, and on 70 minutes unselfish play by Todd set up Holdsworth, who was denied by the keeper.

Brighouse’s best chance came in the 84th minute when Rhys Plater beat Moss with a thunderous free-kick from 25 yards, but it came back off the crossbar.

Two minutes later sub Ewan McGowan came close to scoring a goal of the season contender. He picked up the ball on the corner of the box and drove past four players, feinting to shoot and ignoring teammates screaming for a pass before shooting inches wide from six yards out.

It was the last real action of the game, and when the final whistle went it signalled the end of Consett’s three-game losing streak and Brighouse’s 12-year stay in the Northern Premier League.