Bradford (Park Avenue) made it four wins from their opening five league games on Tuesday evening, moving to within two points of leaders Liversedge, with a game in hand, after a 2-0 victory over local rivals Silsden AFC at the Horsfall Community Stadium.
The Avenue made a confident start and almost took an early lead, only for Silsden goalkeeper Tommy Brown to deny Marcus Carver from close range, inside the opening three minutes.
Just before the quarter-hour mark, Carver came close again. Kareem Hassan-Smith’s powerful effort was parried by Brown, only for the ball to fall straight to the Avenue striker at point blank range, but Carver could only head wide.
The flow of Avenue’s football was disrupted as the half wore on, with Scott Duxbury and Connor Shanks both forced off through injury.
Shortly after the half-hour mark, Robbie Fox broke the deadlock with a stunning strike. The forward burst beyond his defender with blistering pace down the right, before unleashing an unstoppable finish into the far corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Silsden, buoyed by their half-time team talk, began the second half on the front foot and immediately tested Declan Lambton. The Avenue stopper reacted superbly to tip a goal-bound header over the crossbar.
Just before the hour mark, the Avenue doubled their lead. Another bursting run from Fox, this time down the left, saw the winger pull the ball back into the path of first-half substitute Brad Abbott, who produced a superb first-time finish, expertly guiding the ball beyond the goalkeeper and into the corner.
It was a much-improved 45 minutes for the Avenue as the game wore on, with the home side controlling possession and showing a great deal of composure on the ball. Brown continued to impress in the Silsden goal, ensuring the score line remained respectable with further excellent stops to deny a left-footed effort from Louie Chorlton, before again thwarting Carver from close range.
Craig Elliott’s side managed the final stages impressively, maintaining their discipline and limiting Silsden to very few opportunities as they saw out a deserved victory.
The Avenue’s next challenge comes on Friday evening when Grimsby Borough visit the Horsfall Community Stadium. The Green Army will go into the clash knowing that three points would send them to the summit of the Northern Premier League East Division for the first time this season.
Match Report by Ste Grimshaw
Full Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-0 Silsden AFC
Attendance: 475
Referee: Ashley Royston
Bradford (Park Avenue): Lambton, Brown, Winfield, Ekpolo, Duxbury (Chorlton 20′), Ible (C), Hassan-Smith, Shanks (Abbott 30′), Carver (Andreucci 89′), Parkin (B. Thompson 85′), Fox (J. Thompson 77′)
Goalscorers: Fox (33′), Abbott (61′)
Silsden AFC: Brown, Sikora, Gardner (Hebda 55′), Cromack, Cassidy (C), Pickles, Hyde, Rodrigues (McKiernon 83′), Buah (Hamdosh 76′), Jeffrey (Bedford 55′), Brooksbank (Hunt 84′)
Reel produced by George Allen.