Following a terrible second half performance, Wetherby allowed Brighouse to close the gap on them at the bottom of the league as they let a 3-1 lead turn into a 5-3 defeat.

Despite starting well, Wetherby couldn’t hit the target and it was Brighouse who took the lead in the 11th minute when a simple passing move ended in the ball being swept home.

Wetherby fought back and were level in the 22nd minute when Josh Wilson picked up on Matty Forster’s through ball and calmly chipped the keeper from outside the area.

The Tangerines were cheering again in the 29th minute when Anthony Walsh’s header from a corner flashed past the keeper and into the net.

The score became 3-1 to Wetherby in the 39th minute and it was Wilson again who scored, although it did need a lucky rebound to fall into his path as he tucked the ball away.

With the second half barley a minute old, Wetherby wilted under the summer sun and Brighouse capitalised on a terrible miss in defence to sweep the ball past Mike Recchia.

A shocking backpass two minutes later allowed Brighouse to draw level as the player rounded Recchia before shooting home.

The game had totally turned on its head and the hosts regained the lead in the 57th minute when a cross wasn’t dealt with and Brighouse leapt highest to score.

Finally waking up, Wetherby started to show the same play that had served them well in the first half with Wilson and Rob Etherington both having shots that went wide.

Wetherby’s misery was compounded in the 86th minute when Brighouse put a gloss on the scoreline. Again failure to cut out a cross was Wetherby’s undoing and the striker was able to turn and score off the inside of the post.

The Tangerines will be glad of a few days off now to regroup and prepare for the Barkston Ash FA Challenge Cup Final on the 17th April. One thing is for sure however, they will need to play a lot better for the whole 90 minutes!