Leamington condemned Bradford (Park Avenue) to their first defeat of the season despite a late rally from the West Yorkshire side.

The hosts started the game on the front foot, piling a lot of pressure on Leamington as they looked to assert their dominance early on.

Chris Dawson and Jake Beesley had shown signs that an impressive partnership was developing during the win over Blyth Spartans, and they picked up from where they left off against the Brakes.

They combined well to release Beesley in the opening three minutes and the forward won a corner when he was felled by James Mace. Nicky Clee’s delivery found Shane Killock, but the defender’s header was hooked away from danger by Jamie Hood.

Beesley then connected with a free-kick delivery from Nicky Wroe but looped his header over the crossbar.

The on-loan forward was the target of several deliveries and he headed narrowly wide minutes later when he connected with a Ben McKenna cross.

Leamington began to grow into the game as the half wore on and caught their first glimpse of goal when Matt Stenson headed wide after stooping to meet a Joe Clarke cross.

The hosts’ best opportunity came barely a minute later when Stenson rattled the crossbar with a header and Jamie Hood’s follow-up was blocked.

The chances seemed to breathe life into Leamington and the latter stages of the second-half were much more closely-fought.

Connor Taylor found space on the left-hand side of the box but blasted wide despite being in acres of space.

Dawson had an opportunity to open his Bradford account when Ryan Toulson drilled a cross in from the right, but he leaned back and blazed over.

With half-time looming, the brakes found another gear and took the lead with a devastating counter-attack. Toulson challenged Callum Gittings but the deflection was picked up by Stenson, who accelerated and tucked the ball away in the bottom corner.

The hosts started the second-half in similar fashion to how they finished the first and doubled their lead just four minutes after the restart. Shane Killock could only clear a corner as far as Gittings om the edge of the box, who rifled into the bottom corner.

Stenson then made an incisive dart into the box but fired wide under pressure from Luca Havern.

Stenson made his way into the box again moments later and this time, found the target. Drench was helpless as the forward’s well-struck effort flew past him and nestled in the bottom corner.

Adam Nowakowski was introduced on the hour mark and began causing problems instantly. He chased a seemingly lost cause before winning possession and pulling back to Oli Johnson, who delivered for Beesley but watched as the forward flicked wide.

As Bradford looked to defy the odds and overturn the deficit, they piled bodies forward in a desperate search for opportunites. A Beesley header was hooked off the line and McKenna drove an effort into the clutches of Breeden.

The winger then unleashed a curling effort towards goal that flew barely an inch wide of the post.

Nowakowski brought down a lofted pass from Conor Branson magnificently, but lifted a half-volley over the crossbar.

Late drama then ensued as Killock connected with Jamie Spencer’s cross and caused the roof of the net to bulge with a powerful header.

Barely a minute later, McKenna delivered the ball on a plate for Johnson and the striker steered home.

Hope of a comeback, however, was killed when Dwyer converted past Drench with a neat finish after escaping Killock.

Leamington: Breeden (c), English, Bowen, Clarke, Hood, Mace, Dunbar, Gittings, Stenson (Dwyer 75’), Edwards (Magunda 69’), Taylor (Steele 80’).

Unused substitutes: Morris, Obeng.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson (Johnson 45’), Ross, Wroe (Spencer 58’), Killock (c), Havern, McKenna, Branson, Beesley, Dawson (Nowakowski 61’), Clee.

Unused substitutes: Atkinson, Boshell.

Referee: Scott Simpson

A brace from recent loan recruit Jake Beesley made it back-to-back victories for a Bradford (Park Avenue) side riding high on a wave of confidence.

Beesley arrived on a season-long loan from Salford City prior to Bradford’s final pre-season friendly, and fired his new club to an impressive victory with two cool finishes.

An early error from Luca Havern allowed Dan Maguire to get in behind the Bradford defence early on, but after pulling back to the edge of the box, could only watch as communication broke down between Jamie Holmes and Kieran Green. The former’s shot was delayed and subsequently blocked by Shane Killock.

The hosts did threaten in the opening exchanges and Conor Branson received an early booking after clipping the legs of an advancing Holmes in the 9th minute.

Despite signs of attacking potency from Alun Armstrong’s Spartans, it was Bradford that took the lead when Beesley rounded Peter Jameson and slotted into a vacated net.

The goal seemed to light a spark in Bradford, who began to ask more questions of a Blyth backline that proved to be prone to lapses in concentration.

Beesley wriggled away from Nathan Buddle before nodding into the path of Nicky Wroe, who lost his footing at the crucial moment and saw his tame effort collected by Jameson.

When Blyth did advance forward, they failed to maintain composure in front of goal and Jarrett Rivers fired his effort straight into the clutches of Steven Drench after finding space on the right-hand side of the 18-yard box.

Robbie Dale, making his 601st appearance for the Spartans, won a free-kick in a dangerous area after being felled by Chris Dawson but drove his effort into the wall.

Connor Oliver took the next free-kick that was won moments later, but Drench held his dipping strike.

Dawson, operating at the front of Bradford’s midfield three, was a constant thorn in Blyth’s side and cut the hosts open with a defence-splitting pass that found Nicky Clee. Clee’s low-driven effort, however, was beaten away by Jameson.

Beesley eluded his marker to run in behind Blyth’s defence when the game reached the half-hour mark and looked to round Jameson again. Despite leaving defenders in his wake, Beesley couldn’t beat Jameson this time and was shepherded wide before the goalkeeper won possession with a slide tackle.

As half-time approached, Blyth enjoyed some opportunities of their own and Dan Maguire raced through on goal after Havern misjudged a hopeful punt forward. Despite having just the goalkeeper to beat, Maguire fired wide to the frustration of the Blyth supporters.

A clearance from Wroe was then badly misjudged by Sean Reid, allowing Beesley to race through on goal in similar fashion to how Maguire had moments earlier. The forward, however, couldn’t add to his tally and rifled wide.

With a minute remaining until the half-time whistle, Havern was forced to make a crucial block on the line to prevent a powerful effort from Rivers nestling in the bottom corner.

HALF-TIME: Blyth Spartans 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

The hosts emerged with a heightened sense of urgency after the break, and Bradford were forced to weather an early storm. Michael Liddle’s strike took a deflection off Maguire and changed the direction of the ball, forcing Drench to be alert and scramble across to save.

The Bradford stopper then pulled off another magnificent save, denying Holmes by tipping his thunderous effort over the crossbar.

After a snapped corner flag caused a brief stoppage, the action was resumed and Blyth continued to pile pressure on Bradford. A series of efforts on goal, however, were blocked as the visitors defended with admirable resilience.

A catalogue of errors from Blyth’s defence enabled the tide to turn in Bradford’s favour, and Beesley saw a well-struck effort hooked off the line after Buddle misjudged a Killock clearance.

After a brief spell of Bradford dominance enabled by sloppy Blyth defending, momentum shifted once again and Mark Bower’s side returned to the back foot for the final fifteen minutes.

Drench was forced to scurry across his line and thwart Liddle, who tested the goalkeeper with a series of long-range efforts from the left.

Midfielder Jamie Spencer entered the fray for Bradford in the 84th minute, providing a much-needed injection of energy. He registered an assist after just a minute on the pitch, drilling in a cross from the left and finding Beesley, who poked home.

Blyth produced a rapid response as Reid stooped to meet a delivery from the left and steered a header past the outstretched glove of Drench.

As Blyth bodies piled forward, Bradford had to defend with desperation. Drench was able to send the ball deep into the hosts’ half with a goal-kick when Bradley Fewster nodded over from an Adam Wrightson cross, and it proved to be the end of the late onslaught.

The Yorkshire side will be keen to continue their excellent start to the season when they visit Leamington on Saturday.

FULL-TIME: Blyth Spartans 1-2 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Blyth Spartans: Jameson, Nicholson, Liddle, Green, Buddle, Reid, Rivers (Wrightson 86′), Oliver, Maguire, Holmes (Fewster 90′), Dale (c).

Unused substitutes: Watson, Horner, Skirpan.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson, Lowe, Wroe, Killock (c), Havern, McKenna (Ross 73′), Branson, Beesley, Dawson (Spencer 84′), Clee (Johnson 65′).

Unused substitutes: Boshell, Nowakowski.

Referee: Andrew Kitchen

 

A sensational free-kick from Ben McKenna gave Bradford (Park Avenue) an opening day victory over Brackley Town.

Kevin Wilkin’s side knocked Bradford out of the play-offs last season, but McKenna’s sublime strike ensured that the West Yorkshire side emerged victorious this time.

The hosts set the pace early on, and recent loan recruit Jake Beesley forced Danny Lewis to beat away a powerful effort in the opening five minutes after he had dispossessed Luke Graham.

Nicky Wroe then stung the palms of Lewis with a thunderous strike from the right, and Graham was forced to blast clear after the effort was parried.

Mark Bower will have been pleased with the slick nature of Bradford’s passing in the early exchanges, and his side believed they should have had a penalty when Beesley was seemingly shoved in the back by Gareth Dean.

Brackley showed glimpses of their ability to cause problems going forward in the first-half and Bradford debutant Conor Branson had to make an excellent sliding challenge to thwart Matt Lowe, who had accelerated away from Wroe.

Saints stopper Lewis then had to be alert to tip Chris Dawson’s close-range effort over the crossbar as pressure began to mount on the hosts.

Opportunities continued to fall to the hosts as Brackley could only clear a corner as far as the edge of the 18-yard box, where Danny Lowe was waiting to drill towards goal. His effort, however, flew narrowly wide.

The tempo of the game slowed as the interval approached, but Ben McKenna produced a moment of inspiration on the stroke of half-time to edge Bradford ahead. Beesley was bundled over by Graham on the edge of the box, and McKenna stepped up to strike past a helpless Lewis.

The action wasn’t as enthralling after the break, and chances were few and far between. Lee Ndlovu headed wide after meeting Lowe’s cross and that was as close as Brackley got to troubling Steven Drench in the early stages of the second-half.

Jamie Spencer, a replacement for the ill Dawson, slipped through to Ryan Toulson who fired wide under pressure from Glenn Walker.

In the final twenty minutes, Brackley pressed forward more frequently and began to pile bodies forward in search of the elusive equaliser. Substitute Luke Fairlamb demonstrated impressive trickery on the left flank to evade the challenge of Toulson but his cross was steered away from danger by Luca Havern.

Drench then spilled a Walker delivery but Havern was once again on-hand to blast clear before Ndlovu could capitalise on the goalkeeper’s error.

Daniel Nti saw a strike from around 15-yards out blocked superbly by Shane Killock, before Ndlovu blazed over the follow-up.

Three minutes into stoppage time, a Shane Byrne delivery found Connor Franklin, but his header was blocked by his own teammate, Lee Ndlovu.

Bradford held on and celebrated a thoroughly-deserved victory on the opening day of the 2018/19 campaign.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Brackley Town

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson, Lowe, Wroe (Boshell 90′), Killock (c), Havern, McKenna, Branson, Beesley, Dawson (Spencer 50’), Clee (Johnson 72’).

Unused substitutes: Ross, Nowakowski.

Brackley Town: Lewis, Lowe, Franklin, Byrne, Graham (Fairlamb 63’), Dean (c), Walker, Armson, Smith (Nti 66’), Ndlovu, Murombedzi (Myles 76’).

Unused substitutes: Walker, Hall.

Referee: Aaron Williamson