Bamber Bridge unlucky to suffer defeat as Ainge strikes

It was a game that, on balance, Brig could have felt unfortunate not to have secured a point from, particularly given their second-half pressure.

The first chance of the game went to Adam O’Reilly, on loan from Preston North End, who struck an effort

over the crossbar from distance.

Fellow North End loanee Mathew Hudson was then called into action for the first time on the night as he made a good one-on-save to deny Ainge from close range.

Hudson then did well to push a Luke Lofts effort around the post, before Tom Jackson at the other end parried away Rowan Roache’s fierce volley.

It was Brig who began to dominate towards the end of the first half, with Jackson closing down Isaac Sinclair’s effort after an excellent cross-field pass from Danny Forbes.

Sinclair had another chance saved on the stroke of half-time, with both sides going into the interval with the score goalless.

The first chance of the second 45 minutes went to the visitors, with Tyler Hamilton curling an effort wide of the post.

Brig subsequently came the closest yet to breaking the deadlock, Forbes receiving the ball on the left side of the box before unleashing an effort that hit the post and bounced away from danger.

Roache’s cross then found Matt Dudley at the back post, whose diving header deflected off a Gainsborough head and went behind for a corner.

Brig then hit the woodwork for the second time in 10 minutes when a corner was cleared as far as Macauley Wilson, whose long-range drive came back off the post.

Debutant Matthew Flynn was next to test the Gainsborough defence, finding space at a corner before seeing his half-volley tipped over the bar by Jackson.

But it was the visitors who would score the only goal of the encounter, Ainge lifting the ball into the back of the net after Hudson had made a good initial save from Hamilton.

Despite late pressure from Brig, they could not find an equaliser, with Gainsborough taking all three points.

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