The visitors started confidently in the opening minutes but were caught offside in their first attack. When Brigg responded, Harry Milner was brought down at the edge of the area and Martin Pembleton’s free kick hit the crossbar.
Continuing to press forward, the Welfare goalkeeper made another save from a left-wing cross and then cleared the follow-up strike away from his area. The game opened up with both teams creating chances but were unable to gain an initial advantage.
Welfare defended in depth and looked for quick counter-attacks exploiting space down their right wing but Pembleton and Prince Haywood continued to set up Brigg attacks from midfield from which Declan Bacon looked lively and dangerous.
The first goal of the game was scored after twenty-eight minutes coming from a set free kick which was played into the opposing penalty area by Pembleton from the left touchline after he had been fouled and recovered from treatment. The ball fell to Milner who struck it sweetly into the far top corner of the net.
This gave the home team increasing confidence to push further forward and Brett Agnew was blocked at the edge of the penalty area to prevent him from doubling the score.
Armthorpe responded well to their setback by scoring an equalising goal after thirty-six minutes of play when Jack Holden met a long pass from the right wing to find the corner of the goal.
However, in the closing minute of the first half, the Brigg player-manager restored their lead when he found room to meet another Pembleton free kick whipped in from the left wing and headed the ball home.
Armthorpe began the second half well with a determined intention to get back into the game and created opportunities to do this until the telling moment of the game came in the sixty-fifth minute.
Armthorpe attacked the Brigg goal and were unfortunate when Aidan Tomes cleverly lobbed the ball over the retreating home defenders but it came back off the goalpost into the arms of Lewis Hill. From the counter-attack, Agnew was fouled outside the Welfare penalty area and Pembleton’s free kick found Ben Vasquez whose shot deflected off Agnew into the Armthorpe goal, giving the Zebras a comfortable two-goal lead.
Within the next ten minutes, Brigg were able to take full advantage of their lead by adding to their goal tally. Vasquez found the far corner of the net from inside the penalty area on the left after sixty-eight minutes and substitute Henry Ellis completed the scoring five minutes later.
In the closing minutes, Jacob Norburn had the ball in the back of the net but was ruled offside and Scott Hutchinson missed an open goal moments later.
