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

Myles La Bastide stole the show on Friday night at Horsfall, as his brilliant second-half brace secured a vital 3-1 win for Bradford (Park Avenue) over Bridlington Town in the Northern Premier League East Division. The result brought Avenue to within a point of the play-off spots, further energizing their campaign under Craig Elliott.

The visitors, who made the trip from the Yorkshire coast, began brightly, with Danny Earl forcing an early save from Jack Hall before narrowly missing the target minutes later. Bridlington continued their early pressure, with Sam Leverett drawing another fine save from Hall, tipping the ball over for a corner in the 11th minute.

However, Avenue struck with their first meaningful attack. A low ball to the back post was expertly knocked into the path of captain Connor Shanks, who confidently swept his shot past Sebastian Malkowski to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The first half saw an injury shakeup for Avenue, as Brad Williams was forced off just after the half-hour mark, bringing La Bastide into the action earlier than planned. Despite his introduction, Bridlington dominated the latter stages of the half.

Benn Lewis came close, heading wide while off balance, and Avenue had to show their defensive resilience to block Dan Hartley’s effort out for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Leverett delivered a pinpoint cross for Lewis, whose powerful header flew past Hall into the top corner to make it 1-1.

The visitors nearly took the lead before halftime, but Ahmed Salam’s strike was ruled out for offside, allowing Avenue to regroup during the break.

Elliott’s halftime team talk clearly had an impact, as the home side emerged with renewed purpose. Within minutes of the restart, Avenue created several chances, with Bridlington’s defense producing crucial blocks before Sonny Whittingham sent a rebound over the bar.

La Bastide then began to influence proceedings, cracking a shot wide moments after Bridlington striker Alex Peterson was forced off with a broken arm. Shortly after, Avenue’s patience paid off. Following a flowing team move, the ball found La Bastide on the edge of the box. He cut inside with composure and rifled a stunning shot off the crossbar and into the net, restoring Avenue’s lead at 2-1.

La Bastide continued to torment Bridlington’s defense, narrowly missing a chipped effort after a defensive mix-up. His persistence paid off again late on when he sealed the win in spectacular fashion, volleying into the top corner from just inside the box.

Despite a late chance for La Bastide to complete his hat-trick, Malkowski denied him, but the damage was already done. Avenue saw out the match comfortably, with Shanks nearly adding a fourth after another defensive lapse by the visitors.

It was a performance full of resilience and quality from Avenue, highlighted by La Bastide’s clinical finishing and the team’s ability to turn the game around. With three wins from their last four games, Elliott’s men will be eager to continue their momentum in their next outing.

Teams

Bradford (Park Avenue)
1 Jack Hall
2 Keenan Ferguson
3 Dan Francis
4 Ted Lavelle
5 Ben Blythe
6 Mark Beevers
7 Brad Williams
8 Sonny Whittingham
9 Jack Goodman
10 Connor Shanks (C)
11 Iyrwah Gooden
12 Paddy Sykes
14 Myles La Bastide
15 Josh Ashman
16 Luke Hogg
17 Kareem Hassan-Smith

Bridlington Town
1 Sebastian Malkowski
2 Derry Robson
3 Charlie Winfield
4 Simon Heslop (C)
5 Dan Hartley
6 Benn Lewis
7 Danny Earl
8 Sam Leverett
9 Alex Peterson
10 Michael Coulson
11 Ahmed Salam
12 Pete Davidson
14 Marshall Nock
15 Coby Scotter
16 Ryan Bemrose
17 Billy Ripley