North Division play-off semi-finals review

Due to Hyde United being handed the automatic third-place promotion spot, Tadcaster Albion`s 2-0 win over Mossley AFC on the final day of the regular season saw them edge out Colne for seventh place on goal difference. That gave Taddy a place in the play-off semi-finals against a Bamber Bridge side who finished fourth, twelve points in front of the Yorkshire side.

However, despite losing 3-1 at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium back in November, Tadcaster were boosted by the fact they had hammered Brig 5-0 at the i2i Stadium over Easter. And, after a tight and nervy opening 45 minutes, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock after 62 minutes when Billy Whitehouse`s cross was headed home from close range by Will Annan.

But Brig equalised less than five minutes later when Danny Forbes fired into the bottom corner of the net. And with 11 minutes of the tie remaining, the hosts grabbed their place in the final when Lewis Nightingale fired low under Taddy`s experienced `keeper Mike Ingham after a mazy run into the box.

In Tuesday night's other semi-final at Volair Park between the division's fifth and sixth-placed finishers, Prescot Cables reached the final with a 3-0 win over Trafford, James McCulloch on four minutes and Josh Klein-Davies after 62 from the spot and Michael Monaghan with a second penalty on 75 minutes, sending them through.

Images courtesy of Stephan Willoughby/Bamber Bridge & @DanMRoberts1/Twitter

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