Bradford (Park Avenue) continued their unbeaten run in the league, with a big win against Lincoln United, at the Horsfall Community Stadium.
Despite trailing, a minute after the break, to a Liam Moran goal, the Avenue fought back, as striker Ben Andreucci notched two goals, followed by a third from substitute Robbie Fox.
Bradford were dealt an early blow, with a head injury to captain Jameel Ible. The Avenue skipper suffered a nasty cut to his head and was replaced by Jake Thompson, who shifted to a left wing-back position, and Scott Duxbury tucked inside, to a familiar left sided centre-back role.
The opening exchanges lacked notable goalscoring opportunities. But it was a scrappy moment in the game, which nearly saw Lincoln United take the lead. After initially clearing the ball from danger, the ball was looped back into a dangerous area, only for Haydn Havard to fire the ball past goalkeeper Declan Lambton, from 14 yards. Fortunately for the home side, the linesman, on the main stand side, raised his flag to signal offside.
That incident appeared to spark Avenue into life, in the final third. A wonderful ball down the right wing, found the run of Andreucci, who expertly crossed the ball into the box for Bailey Thompson, but the striker blazed over the bar from 12 yards.
A couple of minutes later, the Avenue had two great chances to break the deadlock. Luke Parkin, returning to the starting eleven, controlled the ball onto his left foot, and curled the ball towards the top corner, only for it to smash off the bar. From the rebound, Andreucci’s quick footwork bamboozled the Whites’ defence and grazed the bar, with a powerful effort, from 12 yards.
Before the break, both teams came close to scoring. Firstly, the pacy winger Daniel Emmanuel sprinted past a couple of Avenue players and struck an excellent left-footed effort, from distance, and with Lambton at full stretch, the ball went inches wide of the far post.
With the half time whistle approaching, some excellent one-touch football between Brad Abbott and Parkin, saw the number ten feed the ball through to Andreucci. The striker tucked the ball home, but he was flagged for being offside, from ten yards.
Immediately after the break, the visitors took the lead. The lively Emmanuel found space to unleash a strike on target, which was pushed away by Lambton. But, the ball fell into the path of Moran, and the number nine fired the ball into the back of the net, inside the six yard area.
Lincoln’s lead lasted only five minutes, when Bradford equalised. Kareem Hassan-Smith, who was a threat all evening on the right wing, swung in a wonderful right-footed delivery into the box, and Andreucci expertly steered the ball into the roof of the net, to the delight of the home supporters.
The Avenue continued to pile the pressure on their opponents. J. Thompson, who was having his best game in Bradford colours, with his excellent movement and trickery, carved an opportunity for himself, but, he couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough and fired the ball wide, from 20 yards.
A few moments later, Andreucci continued to cause so many problems for the opposition defence. He got past his marker and cut the ball back to Abbott, inside the D, but he side-footed an effort over the bar.
With fifteen minutes to go, Avenue took a deserved lead. J. Thompson delivered a low corner kick towards the near post, and the ball wasn’t cleared by Lincoln United. The ball was bundled home by Andreucci, to score his second goal of the game.
The win was sealed as Fox, who replaced Bailey Thompson, on his first start for his new club, added Avenue’s third goal. Again, it was J. Thompson, who was a nuisance for the Whites’ defence as his low cross was half-cleared by the away side, only to find Fox in the box, who fired home from the penalty spot.
Despite seeing an effort crash off the underside of the bar by the visitors, the Avenue held on to continue their unbeaten start to the league campaign. Following the setback to Guiseley AFC in the Emirates FA Cup, an injury to the skipper and conceding a minute after half time, this felt like a huge victory for BPA, who have three games in hand on top-of-the-table Liversedge FC, who, ironically, visit the Horsfall Community Stadium on Saturday.
Bradford (Park Avenue): Lambton, Brown, Duxbury, Ekpolo, Misambo, Ible (c) (J.Thompson 3′), Hassan-Smith, Abbott, B.Thompson (Fox 65′), Parkin, Andreucci (Carver 79′).
Sub not used: Chorlton
Goalscorers: Andreucci 59′, 75; Fox 82
Lincoln United: Lawson, Ward (Baker 81′), Hutchinson-Wilkes, Power (Parkinson-Maynard 82′), Ward, Swinn, Dye (c), Havard, Moran, Molyneaux, Emmanuel.
Subs not used: Priestley, Marsh
Goalscorer: Moran 46′
Attendance: 308
Referee: Joe Morrell