DIVISION I leaders Kirkburton maintained their strong push for promotion to the Premier Division after a 4-2 victory against second-placed South Bradford.
But the game was marred in the second half when tempers boiled over and the referee sent three players off for fighting – two from Burton and one from Bradford.
Lee Bradley had fired Burton ahead on 35 minutes when he chased a long clearance by Rob Barnes. He really shouldn’t have won the ball but his determination and willingness to chase an apparent lost cause paid off and he won the ball in a 50:50 challenge with the goalkeeper, got back onto his feet and slotted the ball over a defender into the empty net.
Burton went 2-0 up just before the break when Bradley, yet again, robbed a defender of the ball and laid it onto Ashley Flynn who cut inside and gave the keeper no chance beating him at his near post.
South Bradford’s first clear chance came after 55 minutes and their left winger was denied by a good save from Scott Bissett in goal.
Flynn made it 3-0 on 63 minutes with a controlled volley and, after the fracas, even with nine men to Bradford’s 10 Burton added a fourth with a superb shot from man-of-the-match Steve Chandler when he picked the ball up just inside the Bradford half, took it on two paces and saw the keeper off his line and beat him with a cracking goal from 35 yards.
With the result decided, Burton conceded two late goals – a penalty from Jordan Missing after a trip by Barnes, and a late consolation.
Referee Ian Harvey was given credit for keeping the game going when he could have easily abandoned it when tempers flared.
