Bradford (Park Avenue) endured another frustrating night on the road, falling to a 3-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Ossett United in the Northern Premier League East Division.
Craig Elliott’s men had entered the West Yorkshire derby brimming with confidence, knowing a win would catapult them into the play-off positions. However, a disastrous start and key moments that didn’t go their way ultimately cost them.
Ossett took the lead inside 10 minutes through an unfortunate own goal. Ben Blythe’s backpass to goalkeeper Jack Hall, who has been a standout performer for Avenue this season, somehow eluded the young loanee and trickled into the net. Moments later, Ossett capitalized on their momentum with Ben Tweed firing home from a corner to double the lead.
To compound Avenue’s woes, in-form forward Myles La Bastide, fresh from his brace against Bridlington Town, pulled up with an injury midway through the first half. Jack Normanton replaced him and injected some energy into the visitors’ attack. Normanton came closest to pulling one back before halftime, beating Ossett’s keeper but seeing his effort cleared off the line by the alert home captain, Josh Burns.
Avenue regrouped in the second half and began to push for a way back into the game. With 20 minutes to go, Connor Shanks, in a rich vein of form, produced a moment of magic. His curling free kick from the touchline evaded everyone, nestling into the far corner to halve the deficit.
Just as the visitors began to sense a comeback, they were undone by a familiar face. Former Avenue forward Eddie Church delivered the knockout blow, deftly chipping Hall after being set up by Joe Crosby, another ex-Avenue player.
Elliott made a triple substitution late on in a desperate bid to salvage something from the match, but Ossett’s resolute defending saw them claim all three points.
The result leaves Avenue with plenty to ponder, as they struggle to find consistency on their travels. Despite flashes of quality and resilience, their inability to convert key moments into results has hurt their play-off ambitions.
However, the team will have little time to dwell on this disappointment. A crucial clash against play-off rivals North Ferriby on Friday night provides a swift opportunity for redemption. With memories of their opening-day victory over Ferriby still fresh, Avenue will hope to rekindle that form and reignite their push for the top five.
Ossett United
1 Aleks Petrovic
2 Alfie Proctor
3 Will Calligan
4 Conor Qualter
5 Ellis Farrar
6 Josh Burns (C)
7 Eddie Church
8 Josh Askew
9 Joe Crosby
10 Ben Tweed
11 Lewis Stephens
12 Oli Johnson
14 Sam Walters
15 James Walshaw
16 Harvey Wigglesworth
17 Tom Alngohuro
Bradford (Park Avenue)
1 Jack Hall
2 Josh Ashman
3 Dan Francis
4 Luke Hogg (C)
5 Ben Blythe
6 Mark Beevers
7 Myles La Bastide
8 Ted Lavelle
9 Paddy Sykes
10 Connor Shanks
11 Iyrwah Gooden
12 Connor Dimaio
14 Sonny Whittingham
15 Jack Goodman
16 Ewan Gregson
17 Jack Normanton