Colls Claim the Spoils at Brid

Pontefract Collieries bounced back from midweek defeat with a hard-fought 2–1 victory on the East Coast, overcoming Bridlington Town in front of a strong away following.

The Colls started brightly, dominating the early possession and creating a number of promising openings. Despite their control, they couldn’t apply the finishing touch and were denied what looked a clear penalty for handball inside the six yard box.

Jack Greenhough’s trademark long throw proved to be a constant weapon throughout the afternoon, and it was no surprise when it led to the breakthrough. A deep delivery into the box was met by Joe Lumsden, who glanced his header into the bottom corner to give Pontefract a deserved lead.

At the other end, debutant goalkeeper Harry Christy enjoyed a quiet first half, called into action only once before the interval. The home side made a triple substitution at the break and came out much sharper in the second half, using target man Jake Day effectively to build attacks.

Six minutes after the restart, Bridlington drew level as Day’s hard work in the build-up lead to a ball into Ahmed Salam, who turned neatly in the box before firing home.

Bridlington grew in confidence and continued to push for a second, but it was the Colls who struck next. Another long throw from Greenhough caused chaos, and in a twist of fate, Jake Day flicked the ball past his own keeper to restore Ponte’s lead.

Jimmy Williams’ men looked to press home their advantage, with Lumsden coming close to adding a third, while at the other end, a brilliant last-ditch challenge from Harry Spratt denied the hosts a clear sight of goal – despite protests from the home players and management.

Bridlington threw everything forward late on, but Ponte’s back line stood tall to see out the win and take all three points back to West Yorkshire.

Player of the Match: Ben Middleton – on his first start since joining from Cleethorpes, he was commanding in defence and played a key role in both boxes.