Bradford (Park Avenue) Development Fund would like to invite you to an evening of Comedy & Curry (alternative pie ‘n’ peas) with top female Comedian Nina Gilligan on Friday 29th November 2019.
The evening will take place in the Clubhouse with doors opening at 7pm and the comedy starting at 8pm.
Tickets cost £10 and include hot supper. To purchase a ticket please see Dave Stordy or the Supporters Information Desk in the Clubhouse on match day.
Bradford (Park Avenue) will travel to Gloucester City’s in the Third Qualifying Round of The Buildbase FA Trophy.
Due to Gloucester’s ground sharing agreement with Evesham United and Evesham’s own fixtures the tie will take place at the Jubilee Stadium on Sunday 24th November 2019.
The club will be running a supporters coach to the game, with seats costing £15 for adults and £10 for under 16’s.
Pick up time will be 10:00 from The Horsfall Stadium and 10:15 from Cedar Court Hotel. Returning back to Bradford shortly after the game once the players have eaten.
To book your seat please contact Neil Fawcett on 07811959003 or see him at the Fans Forum Friday or Leamington Spa game Saturday.
Due to the International break this weekend Bradford City, Leeds United and Huddersfield Town are without a game. Also, Halifax Town are away at Woking in their National League fixture.
In the light of this, Bradford (Park Avenue) have sought and been given approval from the National League to offer season tickets holders from ANY other sports club a reduced admission price of £5 on production of their season ticket at the turnstile for our home game against Leamington Spa.
Please spread the message to all football supporters looking to get their football fix this weekend to help get a bumper crowd at the Horsfall on Saturday.
MANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH – MANAGER OF THE MONTH
Alun Armstrong (Darlington)
Some may have wondered why Alun Armstrong left Blyth after three fantastic years this summer.
He had hero status, and a team seemingly on the up. It soon became clear why Darlington moved heaven and earth to ge their man.
The Quakers boss didn’t make the immediate impact he wanted to with four defeats in August but good things come to those who wait.
A flawless October saw Darlo record four wins from four. Now ambitions have changed.
Kidderminster Harriers and Boston United were put to the sword in the National League North, and their FA Cup campaign is growing legs.
A win at tricky Tamworth, having already done the business at Leamington, set up this weekend’s visit to struggling Walsall. Many think an upset could occur.
Armstrong made his name as a player in the North East and he is certainly getting management tongues wagging in the area too.
MANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH – PLAYER OF THE MONTH
David Morgan (Southport)
A week is a long time in football, people usually say. But for Southport fans, the past year might have felt like a lifetime.
At this point last season, the Port were all at sea. Rock bottom of the National League North table with just one win, and eight points from their opening 14 games – five points adrift of safety.
Nowadays it’s a different story entirely. Fourth in the table and having won all but one of their games through October, it couldn’t be going any better.
Captain fantastic David Morgan has been at the forefront of the action for the highfliers – starting the month with a goal in their FA Cup win over Farsley Celtic.
Scoring the winner against Brackley Town was the icing on the cake before wins over Hereford and Bradford (Park Avenue) rounded off an incredible month for Liam Watson’s troops.
The ruthless skipper looks determined to take the game to anyone who stands in his team’s way.
MANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH – VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Don Holmes (Farsley Celtic)
Don Holmes has won Volunteer of the Month for Farsley Celtic in the National League North.
Don has been associated with the Club for 30 years, currently occupying the role of Vice-President.
He visits The Citadel every day of the week to help clean and maintain the facilities of the stadium.
As well as carrying out day-to-day tasks he is often seen repairing and improving all aspects of the site to improve the matchday experience for all attendees.
The Club believes Don’s efforts are invaluable and he is someone whose commitment they could simply not replace.
League sponsors MANarama caught up with the Bradford (Park Avenue) manager ahead of Saturday’s big game with King’s Lynn.
Bradford (Park Avenue) fans could be forgiven for thinking they have stepped back in time this season. Some events seem all too familiar. Mark Bower taking to the Horsfall hotseat with the whole league writing off their chances of success is almost a carbon copy of where they club was three years ago.
The rest, as they say, was history. Safety first and then back-to-back play-off campaigns had the fans believing again.
But after a catastrophic start to this season, the club went back to the future to reignite an old flame with the popular Bradford-born boss.
“You never say never in football,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave the club when I did but circumstances meant that between us, we had no option to make the decision that we did.
“There have been a number of changes at the club since I left which has made it easier for me to come back. I came in two years ago in a similar position when everyone said we were doomed and going down.
“Slowly but surely, we turned it around and got ourselves safe that season and built some strong foundations to have two very successful seasons following that – that’s what we’ve got to try and do again.”
Things couldn’t have been much worse when Bower stepped back through to door – an FA Cup defeat to Morpeth was swiftly followed by an 8-0 thumping at Brackley.
Garry Thompson was shown the door after two games before Marcus Law had a spell in interim charge. The club were now looking for their third manager of the season.
Many would have run the other way. But Bower is made of different stuff and instead, he’s relishing what is to come.
“Confidence was very low when I came in,” Bower explains. “We had just been knocked out of the FA Cup by a lower league team and then been beaten 8-0 so the dressing room was very low.
“But in the couple of weeks since, started well against Hereford and then we’ve been unfortunate in the other two games that followed, and we’ve shown a better side to our play. But there’s still plenty to work on.
“We’re not just down there, we’ve had some heavy defeats and look well short of the mark at times. If we can stay up this season, it will give us a bit of a clean slate to start again and build again from next summer.
“We’re in the same boat as a number of teams down there already but I’m more than confident with the players we’ve got in the dressing room that we can hold our own and get competitive.”
On history alone, many might see the 39-year-old as their knight in shining armour, on his way to save their season.
But the past means nothing for Bower, who also brought Danny Boshell back to the club with him. His message is simple. Judge me when I’m done.
“Winning that first game was probably the worst thing that could have happened because people might have relaxed. But there’s a lot of work to do and we need all the help we can get.
“I want to do my best for the club for as long as that lasts for. If you do the job well then, you’re more likely to stay around so obviously that’s what I’m trying to do.
“We’ve had a really good reaction to us coming back but I’m more interested to what people will think when we’ve finished the job. Hopefully people will think well of us when it comes to an end.”
ONE SIMPLE TEXT CAN BOOST THE MANARAMA CAMPAIGN!
Getting involved with the MANarama campaign as we try to combat Prostate Cancer could not be more straight forward.
Give… donate to Prostate Cancer via text
Go… then bring others into play by sharing on social media with #GiveAndGo.
Donate by texting “MAN £10”, “MAN £5” or “MAN £3” (depending on the amount you want to donate) to 70004 & help stop prostate cancer from being a killer. Texts costs £10, £5 or £3 plus network charge. Prostate Cancer UK receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payers permission. Customer care 0800 082 1616. Charity No 100554
FREE MINIBUS FOR YOUR CLUB
To say thank you to the incredible fans and clubs of The National League for supporting our MANarama campaign in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, we’re giving a FREE minibus away to one club.
When your club hits £500 they go into the hat!
Find your club’s page here: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/bradford-park-avenue
The club are running a supporters coach to the upcoming Kettering Town match this Saturday, with seats costing £15 for adults and £10 for under 16’s.
Pick up time will be 09:30 from The Horsfall Stadium and 09:45 from Cedar Court Hotel. Returning back to Bradford shortly after the game once the players have eaten.
Seats are selling fast so if you would like to reserve a seat please contact Neil Fawcett on 07811959003
To keep up to date with all future away travel run in connection with the clubs travel partner J&B Travel, please see the clubs away travel page by clicking here
The club can confirm that Ryan Cresswell has left the club by mutual consent.
The club would like to thank Ryan for his efforts in an Avenue shirt, and wish him all the best for the future.
Our home match against Hereford was a successful day on the pitch as well as off it, with the launch of Bradford (Park Avenue)’s new charitable campaign in association with the Horsfall Trust.
The campaign features a nominated charity every home game and aims to raise funds as well as awareness of the charity. The chosen charity for last Saturday’s fixture against Southport is Beyond Bea and was nominated by Ryan Burston.
At the game we ran a bucket collection and we are pleased to announce that we received £42.38 in donations. The donations will be equally split between the Horsfall Community Trust and Beyond Bea.
We would like to thank supporters for their generosity and especially the volunteers who gave up their time to help a fantastic cause.
Nominated Charity Information:
Beyond Bea is a charity based in Manchester, it was established by Steph, who is a Midwife. Steph has always had a keen interest in bereavement care since she started her midwifery training and since qualifying. In 2017, Steph’s daughter Bea was born and sadly died due to a severe brain abnormality. Combining her existing passion and her desire to create a legacy for Bea, Beyond Bea was established and now provides bereavement training throughout the UK for free. This year alone Beyond Bea will have training over 2000 students and health professionals.
Speaking about why he chose the charity, Ryan said:
“Beyond Bea offer free baby loss and bereavement training to healthcare professionals. The study days they provide help ensure people are looked after in the right way following the devastating loss of a child.
After losing my Daughter Adriana in April 2018 this charity has become one that is very close to my heart and the demand for their services is increasing, so every penny raised for them really does help.”
You can also support Beyond Bea online by following these links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondbeacharity
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beyondbea1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondbeacharity/
Website: https://www.beyondbea.co.uk
As a club we are asking for supporters to get involved with the scheme by suggesting charities. If you would like to nominate a charity, please email info@bpafc.com with the name of the charity you would like to nominate and a brief explanation of the type of work the charity does and why you feel the charity deserves support.
We would also be very grateful for any volunteers to help with the collection of donations at our forthcoming home games. This is a vital aspect of the scheme and we really appreciate any support and truly makes a difference in the local community.
The match official for today’s game has assessed the pitch and has confirmed the game will take place.
The club would like to thank all the volunteers who have worked hard on the pitch this morning to get the game on.
With heavy rain forecast through the night, there will be a precautionary pitch inspection ahead of Avenue’s home match with Southport.
Southport make the journey to the Horsfall this Saturday (26 October) and there will be a check of the playing surface at 10:30 in the morning ahead of their departure.
Please refer to the website tomorrow for a further update.
