BARNOLDSWICK Town, who recently won the Macron Club of the Month awards for December, suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat at home to second from bottom Hanley Town on Saturday.

Barnoldswick, who were looking for their tenth straight win, failed to take some early chances and when Lee Wilshaw scored for Hanley in the 19th minute, the visitors never looked back.

After the first goal, the game was starved of chances until the 56th minute when James Lindop scored an easy tap in to make it 2-0 to Hanley.

Eleven minutes later, the visitors got their third when poor marking by Town from a corner allowed Joshua Thorpe to make it 3-0 to the visitors.

Zack Dale pulled a goal back in the 87th minute, but it was too late for Town by then.

Then a great finish by Martin Stanyer a minute later completed the scoring and Hanley Town ran away 4-1 winners.

Despite the defeat, Barnoldswick Town did receive some good news at the weekend when they were named the Macron Club of the Month awards for December.

Great wins at home to Eccleshall (9-4) in the Macron Cup and away to Knaresborough Town (8-1) in the West Riding County Cup were followed by two 1-0 league away wins, one to Silsden on Boxing Day and the other at Northwich Victoria on December 30.

Town will play long time rivals Charnock Richard this Saturday at Silentnight Stadium.

Barnoldswick Town's East Lancashire League side, playing in their first game in almost a month, travelled over the hill to Barrowford on Saturday and lost 3-2 to Barrowford Celtic.

There was no time to blow away the cobwebs, as the high flying home side made a determined start hitting the cross bar and then firing the rebound narrowly wide after 16 minutes.

It was the visitors who took the lead though after 23 minutes when skipper Aidan McCusker put his team ahead with a curling shot in to the bottom corner.

Barrowford were level on 25 minutes and the rest of the half was evenly contested as the two teams went into the break knotted at 1-1.

Celtic took the lead on 50 minutes when their right winger, who had an outstanding game, swung in an accurate cross which was met with a firm header in to the net by the home striker.

Another goal on 75 minutes extended the home side’s lead and Town were starting to look short of ideas and also a little tired.

The three substitutes added some imagination and extra energy to the team and a revitalised Town side reduced the arrears to 3-2 on 78 minutes when Isaac Turner supplied a pinpoint cross, which Jordan Slade gratefully headed in to the Barrowford net.

It was now the visitors in the ascendancy and they threw everything forward in pursuit of an equaliser in the last ten minutes, finishing the stronger team and also giving themselves a much needed confidence booster.

Town’s next game is away to Langho at 2.15pm this Saturday.

Barnoldswick Town Reserves were also in action last Saturday, winning 5-3 at home to Grindleton.

Aaron Lilly opened the scoring for Barnoldswick, and their other four scores came from an own goal, a brace by Zack Milligan and one from Ben Coffey.