Bradford (Park Avenue) moved to the top of the Northern Premier League East Division, with a 2-1 victory over local rivals Liversedge FC, at a windswept Horsfall Community Stadium.
The Avenue made the perfect start, taking the lead in the first minute as Robbie Fox continued his fine form. Played through one-on-one with visiting goalkeeper Jordan Porter, Fox showed outstanding composure to loft the ball beyond him and give the hosts an early advantage.
Following the early setback, Liversedge settled into the game and began to pose a threat. Although Avenue goalkeeper Declan Lambton dealt confidently with the majority of crosses into his box, the visitors found a way through in the 26th minute.
Finn Donovan delivered a dangerous whipped cross from the left, which was met by former Avenue striker Kelan Swales. His powerful, well-placed header gave Lambton little chance, and brought Sedge level.
Just six minutes later, Bradford came close to restoring their lead. Fox, a constant threat to the Liversedge defence, found space in the centre of the penalty area, but saw his initial effort saved by Porter. With the rebound falling back into his path, the Avenue attacker could only fire agonisingly over the crossbar.
Undeterred by his earlier miss, Fox restored the Avenue’s lead in the 41st minute. Luke Parkin’s free-kick was headed back across goal by Scott Duxbury into the path of Fox, who finished from close range at the back post to put his side back in front heading into the break.
Playing into the strong wind after the restart, Bradford struggled to get out of their own half for large spells, with Lambton called into action just before the hour mark. Isaac Baldwin unleashed an effort from the edge of the box, but the Avenue goalkeeper produced an excellent save, tipping the ball onto the top of the crossbar and behind for a corner.
With the wind at their backs, Liversedge created another good opportunity in the 65th minute, but Ryan Watson’s low strike lacked the accuracy to trouble Lambton, flashing wide of the target.
The Avenue continued to battle against the difficult conditions as they looked to protect their lead, but their task became even tougher in the 83rd minute when they were reduced to ten men. Rudy Misambo, already on a booking, was adjudged to have held onto his opponent for too long, prompting the referee to brandish a second yellow and dismiss the Avenue centre-back.
Following the dismissal, a tactical switch from Bradford manager Craig Elliott saw substitute striker Marcus Carver drop much deeper, but the Avenue man adapted superbly to his new role, winning several crucial aerial battles to help keep the visitors at bay.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Avenue came close to sealing the victory in added time. Bailey Thompson carved out space inside the box, but could only send his effort high above the crossbar.
However, Thompson’s miss went unpunished as the referee blew the whistle moments later, sparking a huge sigh of relief among the Avenue faithful. It was a hard-fought victory for the Green Army, who battled through difficult conditions and a tense finale after being reduced to ten men against their local rivals.
The three points extended Bradford’s unbeaten start to the league campaign to an impressive 11 matches, lifting the Avenue to the top of the Northern Premier League East Division, with games in hand over their promotion rivals still to be played.
Match Report by Ste Grimshaw
Date: Saturday 10 October 2026
Full Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-1 Liversedge FC
Attendance: 686
Kick-off: 15:00pm
Referee: Adewunmi Soneye
Venue: Horsfall Community Stadium
Bradford (Park Avenue): Lambton, Brown (C), Duxbury, Abbott, Misambo, Ekpolo, Hassan-Smith, J. Thompson, Fox (Chorlton 90′), Parkin (Carver 77′), Andreucci (B. Thompson 85′)
Unused substitute: Haw
Goalscorer: Fox (1′, 41′)
Liversedge FC: Porter, Atkinson, Baldwin, Atkinson (C) (Barlow 81′), Hartley, Walton, Donovan, Watson, Sorhaindo (Brown 72′), Dean, Swales (Wollerton 72′)
Unused substitutes: Mathers, Coates
Goalscorer: Swales (26′)