This morning the new 3G surface was inspected and has passed with flying colours. We are now ready to play matches at the ground and you can also book to play on the pitch yourself!!
First game on the new surface is confirmed as this Tuesday with a 7.30pm kick off against Yorkshire Amateurs.
Unfortunately this will be played behind closed doors but we plan to live stream the game with Mick ‘the game caller’ Gledhill doing the commentary.
How you can stream the game details will follow
#UTA
The hosts, who’ve started their season, were quick to dominate the first-half and it was former Avenue favourite Paul Walker who looked likely to score. The winger troubled the impressive Dan Atkinson in the Bradford goal with a low free-kick from 25 yards, but the number one made a great save down low to his left.
Mark Bower’s side were looking to find their way in the game. Brad Dockerty stung the palms of Liversedge AFC goalkeeper Jordan Porter from distance before Lewis Knight was set through on goal after a superb pass from Isaac Marriott. But, the winger who got a hat-trick at the weekend, failed to the net with his right-footed drive from 14 yards.
The Avenue were punished for failing to take the lead as Joe Gaughan set himself and curled a wonderful effort past Atkinson, at full-stretch, from 20 yards.
After the restart, Dockerty had a chance to equalise but former Brighouse Town stopper Porter was alert to deny the winger by diving well at his feet.
It was Gaughan again who continued to trouble the Avenue. The striker turned Luca Havern and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike and Atkinson produced another fine save.
The closest the team from the Horsfall came to equalising was from a Trialist who struck a half-volley from 25 yards towards the top corner, but Porter tipped the ball over the bar.
With the final whistle approaching, the away side nearly snatched a late goal with a header at the far post but, it brushed past the post and Liversedge AFC held on for a deserved victory.
Liversedge AFC:
Porter, Field, Hardacre, Daly, Tarangadzo, Laird, Bottomley, Raw, Gaughan, Boshell, Walker
Subs: Kenny, Fearon, Walton, Lill , Stewart, Porritt, Morgan, Ghaichem, Trialist.
Goal: Gaughan (33)
BPA:
Atkinson, Ross, Downing (Trialist 69), Marriott, Havern (oulson 69), Lund, Knight (Lyons 69), Hibbs (Hussain 69)(Boshell 84), Johnson (Nowakowski 45), Trialist (Trialist 58)
After internal and external discussions it has been decided than rather than potentially have no fixture this weekend, we have moved this Saturdays up coming friendly with Grantham to the The Mekes.
Although we are confident that there will be no issues with this weeks inspection of the new playing surface, should there be any unforeseen challenges it would’ve put in jeopardy this weeks match.
With the season only a few weeks away we need to ensure that we get all the right preparation done correctly.
Thank you very much for Grantham for being so amenable and switching the game to the Mekes at relatively short notice. The game will kick off at 1pm and tickets are available on line or on the day at the gate.
Adults/concessions £5
Children £2
https://www.granthamtownfc.com/payments
Details to follow on the covid protocols for the game.
#UTA
Its the moment we have been waiting for that means the season is nearly upon us. The National League has released our fixture list for 20/21 season and we start with a home game on Monday the 5th of October against Gateshead.
Our Christmas fixtures see us hosting and visiting York City with Curzon Ashton away squeezed in between.
We end the season with a short trip to local rivals Farsley Celtic which is just a week after our final home game of the season which sees another derby game against Guiseley.
Here is the full fixture list below
BRADFORD PARK AVENUE – Vanarama National League North
Sat Oct 3 Emirates FA Cup 2Q
Mon Oct 5 Gateshead H
Sat Oct 10 Hereford A
Wed Oct 14 Emirates FA Cup 3Q
Sat Oct 17 Boston United H
Sat Oct 24 Darlington A Emirates FA Cup 4Q
Sat Oct 31 Chorley H
Sat Nov 7 Alfreton Town H Emirates FA Cup 1
Tue Nov 10 Kettering Town A
Sat Nov 14 Gloucester City A Buildbase FA Trophy 1
Mon Nov 16 Southport H
Sat Nov 21 AFC Telford United H
Sat Nov 28 Spennymoor Town A Emirates FA Cup 2
Tue Dec 1 AFC Fylde A
Sat Dec 5 Buildbase FA Trophy 2
Sat Dec 12 Leamington H
Sat Dec 19 Buildbase FA Trophy 3
Sat Dec 26 York City H
Mon Dec 28 Curzon Ashton A
Sat Jan 2 York City A
Sat Jan 9 Chester H Emirates FA Cup 3
Sat Jan 16 Brackley Town A Buildbase FA Trophy 4
Sat Jan 23 Kidderminster Harriers H Emirates FA Cup 4
Sat Jan 30 Guiseley A
Sat Feb 6 Farsley Celtic H Buildbase FA Trophy 5
Tue Feb 9 Blyth Spartans A
Wed Feb 10 Emirates FA Cup 5
Sat Feb 13 Hereford H
Sat Feb 20 Gateshead A
Sat Feb 27 Darlington H Buildbase FA Trophy Semi-Finals
Sat Mar 6 Boston United A
Sat Mar 13 Kettering Town H
Sat Mar 20 Alfreton Town A Emirates FA Cup 6
Tue Mar 23 Southport A
Sat Mar 27 Gloucester City H
Fri Apr 2 AFC Telford United A
Mon Apr 5 Spennymoor Town H
Sat Apr 10 Leamington A
Mon Apr 12 AFC Fylde H
Sat Apr 17 Chorley A Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final
Sat Apr 24 Blyth Spartans H
Sat May 1 Curzon Ashton H
Mon May 3 Chester A
Sat May 8 Brackley Town H Buildbase FA Trophy Final
Sat May 15 Kidderminster Harriers A Emirates FA Cup Final
Sat May 22 Guiseley H
Sat May 29 Farsley Celtic A
Remember we are currently restricted on stadium capacity and the only way to guarantee seeing all of these great home fixtures is by securing your season ticket at https://bpafc.com/product-category/season-tickets/
#UTA
Mark Bower’s men take another step towards the start of the new season tonight playing at local rivals Liversedge. It’s another opportunity for Bower and Boshell to run the rule over several trialists and get some additional game time into the legs of the rest of the squad, as we continue the build up to our October 3rd season opener in the FA Cup.
Sadly tonight’s pre-season friendly is, understandably, being played behind closed doors as part of the local lock down. However you don’t have to miss out on following the Mighty Green and White army as our very own Mick Gledhill and Lewis Sale will be offering live commentary and updates from the ground.
You can listen to Mick’s dulcet tones and narrative on https://mixlr.com/bpafc and hopefully listen to him vividly describe another avalanche of goals.
If you are unable to listen to Mick then you can follow the game via our twitter feed @BPAFCOfficial
or on the BPAFC Facebook page where your own Lewis Sale will continue the fabulous job he has done so far this pre-season.
And if that wasn’t enough our official photographer John Rhodes will be at the game capturing the action in pictures for us.
#UTA
The visitors started well, and despite failing to find the net after efforts from Matty Downing and Luca Havern, they eventually took the lead just before the interval thanks to a superb individual effort from Academy product Jamie Lyons. The young striker cut inside onto his favoured left-foot and drilled an excellent strike into the bottom corner from 16 yards.
After the break, both sides made several changes. With few opportunities, Avenue doubled their advantage after the hour mark. Substitute Lewis Knight was set free on goal and he slotted the ball past Luke Wilson from 12 yards.
Soon after, Knight got his second with a tap-in following good work from the excellent Brad Dockerty. The winger ran towards goal and unselfishly spotted the run of Knight, who put the ball into an unguarded net.
Bradford scored a fourth when Knight secured his hat-trick with an exquisite free-kick from 20 yards.
A minute later, Adam Muller nodded home from a corner for the home side. Straight from the restart, Mark Bower’s side went on the attack and a cross from the right wing fell to the feet of Dockerty to give Avenue a comfortable win.
Thackley AFC:
Wilson, Marsh, Murphy, Whiteley, Hargreaves, Rothel, Mitchell, Scaroni, Matthews, Grech-Brooksbank, Haigh.
Subs: Hunter, Holroyd, Faulding, Underdown, Butcher, Basi, Muller, Sibanda, Jones, Poole.
Goal: Muller (88)
BPA:First half:
Atkinson, Trialist, Lund, Havern, Downing, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Dockerty, Lyons.
Second half:
Atkinson (Trialist), Trialist, Ross, Lund, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist (Dockerty), Hibbs, Trialist (Lyons) Knight, Trialist.
Goals: Lyons (42); Knight (62), (76), (87); Dockerty (88).
Our next outing is against Liversedge on Tuesday. Please note that this game is currently being played behind closed doors so please don’t travel to the game. If this changes we will update our social media platforms as soon as we hear.
#UTA
Bradford Park Avenue are delighted to announce that Bradford born Tabish Hussain has signed with the club for the upcoming 20/21 season. After a successful trail period Mark Bower has moved quickly to sign attacker Hussain. Tabish who heralds from Bradford started his career at Eccleshill United before moving to Guiseley. After making his debut for Guiseley aged just 17 he went on to make his international debut for Pakistan against Cambodia in a world cup qualifier in May 2019.
The exciting winger should enjoy our new playing surface and the football style that Mark and Danny like the team to play. He meets perfectly the talented younger player profile we are hoping to develop and give the opportunity to take the next steps in their footballing careers.
Tabish Hussain –
‘Firstly, I am delighted to be given the opportunity and looking forward to the season ahead. I feel as though the 4g pitch at the Horsfall suits me perfectly and the gaffa wants the team to get the ball down and play as much as possible, which I have really bought into as it gives me the chance to showcase my ability on the ball. All the lads have been very welcoming and they’ve given me the confidence to do well in the two trail games I’ve played in. I’m Bradford born so the club feels like a comfortable environment and hopefully I can push on and do well’
Mark Bower –
‘We’ve been very impressed with Tabish through pre-season. He has shown plenty of natural ability, a great attitude and a willingness to learn. We feel his attributes are well suited to our new surface and we look forward to helping Tabish realise his potential.’
#UTA
After reviewing the National League guidance, the SGSA regulations and consulting with local authorities we can confirm that our ground capacity for the new season will be set at 522.
This is very close to our average attendance from last season of 484 and this year, as well as the minimum 10% of the capacity we are obliged to give to away fans, we have our youth fan initiative for the academy, which will take up some of the available space.
This is of course challenging and disappointing after so long away from the Horsfall, and we will be doing our best to accommodate everyone who wants to come down and enjoy the re-vamped stadium (many thanks to the Avenue and West Bowling volunteers ably encouraged by Neil Fawcett and Martin Tordorff and guided by our groundsman Sean Bourke).
Season ticket holders will be getting preference for attendance on match days, so if you haven’t already bought one, now’s the perfect time to ensure you are not one of the ones who are disappointed come kick off.
https://bpafc.com/product-category/season-tickets/
Remember your season ticket will also act as your virtual season ticket if we play behind closed doors and give you free access to the Pay Per View live streaming of our matches that will commented on by our very own Mick Gledhill. In the event that the season is curtailed we will refund pro rata for any home league matches that are cancelled, making it completely risk free.
We look forward to seeing you all very soon where we can get behind the mighty Mark Bower Green and White Army
#UTA
Bradford (Park Avenue) fell to their first pre-season friendly defeat when they conceded a late header from Jack Cowgill to give Ossett United a dramatic victory.
The visitors broke the deadlock with a magnificent effort from Trialist C before Elliott Harrison equalised on the stroke of half-time with a well-executed lob into the top corner from outside the box.
With time ticking away, it looked like the game would end as a draw, only for Cowgill to nod home from close range to the delight of the majority 200 spectators inside Ingfield.
The Avenue took a deserved lead after a bright opening. Despite watching a couple of headers from Adam Nowakowski failing to trouble goalkeeper Max Dearnley, Mark Bower’s men made their pressure count. A loose pass from Luke Blackburn was picked up Trialist C, and his impressive footwork allowed him to unleash a stunning right-footed strike into the top corner from 20 yards.
A few minutes later, the Avenue nearly doubled their advantage with another well-worked move. Nicky Clee, playing in an unfamiliar left-back role, spotted the run of Brad Dockerty at the back-post with a superb delivery, and the young winger timed his volley to perfection, but skimmed the top of the bar from 14 yards.
Just before the half-time whistle, an Ossett United corner caused problems amongst the Bradford defence. A solid header from Mark Ross was collected by the unmarked Harrison on the edge of the box, who controlled the ball and fired a right-footed looping effort past Dan Atkinson into the roof of the net.
The second half saw plenty of changes for both teams. The visitors had a new starting eleven apart from Trialist A who played the full 90 minutes.
With few notable goalscoring opportunities for the first 30 minutes, the game started to open up a bit more. Wayne Benn, a former Avenue favourite, watched on from the dugout as left-back Cameron Clark had a couple of chances on goal, one brushing the post from 25 yards and Cowgill poking an effort wide from a corner.
With five minutes remaining, it was Cowgill involved from a corner. The tall defender rose above his marker to nod the ball home past the Avenue’s substitute goalkeeper.
The away side tried to respond with a quick equaliser as young Academy product Jamie Lyons was set free, but with the goalkeeper off his line trying to narrow the angle, the striker looked to curl the ball around him only for his left-footed strike to be easily saved from 20 yards.
Ossett United:
Dearnley, Blackburn (Connolly 45), Clark, Cowgill, Viggars, Cass (Whittaker 16), Harrison (Ripley 45), Hogg (Teasdale 45), Greaves (Chipamaunga 65), Guest (Stockdil 45), Green (Haswell 65)
Goals: Harrison (40), Cowgill (85)
BPA First half:
Atkinson, Ross, Nowakowski, Havern, Trialist A, Hibbs, Clee, Trialist B, Dockerty, Trialist C, Johnson
Second half:
Atkinson (Sub 70), Trialist A, Toulson, Trialist D, Trialist E, Trialist F, Trialist G, Marriott, Knight, Trialist H, Lyons.
Goal: Trialist C (18)
Attendance: 200
Unfortunately, due to the persistent rainfall over the last 24 hours, and the forecast for this to continue, the friendly versus Campion tonight has been called off
