A BUMPER crowd of 287 fans watched on as Silsden claimed the bragging rights over Bradford District rivals Thackley with a hard-fought 2-1 win at The Office Interiors Stadium on Saturday.

While the visitors took a first-half lead through a Carlton Pownall own goal, a second half comeback saw Ellis Hudson and Luke Brooksbank both find the scoresheet to give the Cobbydalers the lead.

Keeper Kyle Welsh was called into action on a number of occasions towards the end but the Silsden defence held firm to grab a crucial three points in their battle for promotion from the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

It meant a losing return to Silsden for Thackley joint-manager Danny Forrest, who had departed the Cobbydalers last May after nearly six years in charge.

He was in the opposing dugout on Saturday, and could only watch on as stand-in Silsden skipper Sam Bradley almost got his side off to the perfect start.

But his header from a corner after just six minutes rattled back off Thackley’s crossbar.

Brooksbank then tested the Dennyboys’ keeper Luke Wilson with a powerful drive that was pushed behind for a corner.

Despite those early chances for the home side, Silsden full-back Pownall inadvertently nodded the ball into his own goal from a Thackley corner on 24 minutes to give the visitors the lead.

Jake Maltby had the chance to level just before the interval as Jack Normanton flicked on a header but the young midfielder could only slide the ball wide of the left-hand post.

After the break, Silsden were given the opportunity to restore parity when Joe Crosby was brought down in the penalty area.

Hudson stepped up and sent his spot-kick low and hard into the corner past Wilson to bring the scores level.

Just four minutes later, Silsden’s top scorer Brooksbank grabbed his 10th goal of the campaign, bringing the ball down wonderfully before firing a curling effort into the top left corner.

Crosby must have thought he had added a third goal on 63 minutes when he swept a Normanton cross goalwards, only to be brilliantly denied by Wilson from point-blank range.

At the other end, Welsh was also in impressive form, denying experienced Thackley player/joint-manager Tom Greaves on a number of occasions, including a huge one-on-one stop.

With just seconds to go, the Dennyboys looked certain to level the game from a goalmouth scramble that followed a corner.

Somehow, a combination of bodies prevented the ball crossing the line, with Silsden defender Alex Laird eventually hooking the ball clear of danger, much to the relief of the home supporters.

The result sees Silsden remain seventh, but with a number of games in hand on the teams around them.

There is a chance for them to move up the NCEL Premier Division in the coming weeks, starting with a trip to Sheffield to take on mid-table Handsworth in a 3pm kick-off this Saturday.