We can confirm tonight that Eddie Church has left the club to join Marske United for an undisclosed fee.
Everyone at the club would like to wish Eddie all the very best at his new club and thank him for his efforts whilst with Bradford (Park Avenue)
Fourth Academy Player Steps Up | Zak Kersey Joins First Team
We can confirm today that Academy Midfielder Zak Kersey has agreed non-contract terms with the first team.
Zak has been involved with the first team training for a few weeks now and has done enough to earn himself a deal! Those of you at the game will remember Zak for scoring in the County Cup game against Brighouse earlier this season.
The Academy man joins fellow players Miles La Bastide, Mason Brewis and Liam Hall in making the step up this season. Keep an eye out on our socials for his interview coming very soon!
Will Zak be in the squad tomorrow? Team news from 2pm.
ADEWOJU AND MAROODZA RETURN TO PARENT CLUB
We can today confirm that players David Adewoju and Shane Maroodza have returned to Huddersfield Town following the end of their loan spells.
We’d like to place on record our thanks to both players for their time here, and also a thanks to Huddersfield Town for their professionalism in getting these deals through.
VIEW FROM THE BOARDROOM – Paul Armitage’s notes (11/02/23)
Well there it goes. £815 million in transfer fees in January. What financial crisis? Trouble is, enough of it doesn’t go down the pyramid to where it’s needed most. A familiar story. Agents get more than the EFL or NL out of this, so, as the saying goes, the rich get richer.
It doesn’t need to be like this, but failing the Premier League creating a 10% levy for EFL and NL clubs to share, an independent regulator with such powers becomes more and more attractive as a proposition.
The PL clubs would be dragged kicking and screaming into an independent regulator’s arms but can’t seem to understand that football beyond the PL across England is fan-led, community focused and deserving of more than crumbs from the rich man’s table. They spend fortunes assessing overseas players and could be looking just around their own country for new blood. An obligatory transfer window one year where only UK players could be recruited might help!
Which reminds me, Tom Ogden is putting our U19 team on YouTube when we have games at Horsfall and the last two have been crackers – a 5-1 beating of FCUM and a 4-1 win over Marine.
Well worth watching and streamed live for free, usually on Wednesdays. Free entry to watch the games at Horsfall too. Come along for a free feast of football. They are a credit to our Academy team leaders and the first team sit proudly in second place in their league behind Wrexham’s U19 team.
The likes of first teamers, Lancaster, Maroodza, Brooks and Angell this season are only a year or so ahead of our own lads and I hope we get to see one or two of ours break through before too long.
As usual Mark and Danny find excellent young lads on loans and can now consider options from the Academy.
By the time you read this we will have held a Fans’ Forum session, Trust and Board meetings with our owner present.. Hopefully our league position will improve during Gareth’s visit and keen fans will have quizzed him on the club’s fortunes on and off the field. He has many important meetings planned for his UK visit.
We will always be looking for new investors to share the burden of costs, as are most clubs. We are always aiming to operate more efficiently and find new ways of earning more income, like all good businesses. We are hoping that we can start to grow a few of our own, ‘home-made’ first team players. All this despite a lack of better funding from the Premier League, which is well within their gift to make.
Locally this season has seen the loss in NLN of our relegated neighbours Guiseley and we have seen new director appointments at Farsley after the sad loss of their former benefactor. Liversedge have had pitch problems and Thackley have changed managers. Challenges for clubs all around the region remind us of the need to build our supporter base and prepare to face every type of challenge. Success on the pitch gets ever more important for success off it.
Back to some more mundane tasks. This month we are planning to repair broken seats and find more seats to add in, wherever possible! We are discussing new educational agreements with Bradford College to help our Academy to thrive; planning next season’s kit deal, aiming to help local families and fans with reduced kit prices. Given the increasing costs of coach hire we have purchased a minibus to move our Academy lads to games and this can, on occasion, be hired out for other users. (Contact Calum Cullen or Tom McStravick for details.).
Match Preview Double Header – Brackley Town (A) and Blyth Spartans (H)
Two games in three days await the Avenue in the Vanarama National League North.
Bradford (Park Avenue) will look to build on their impressive home win against Leamington last Saturday as they travel to high-flying Brackley Town this weekend.
Confidence will be high amongst Avenue ranks as they made light work of their opponents last time out, emerging with a vital 3-1 victory to strengthen their survival hopes after controlling large parts of the game. However, this weekend poses a different challenge entirely against a Brackley side that has had an impressive season so far in their hunt for promotion.
With a handful of sides around Bradford (Park Avenue) having played mid-week fixtures due to their games in hand, the Avenue find themselves travelling to Brackley’s St James Park in 19th place, three points ahead of the relegation zone. However, having still played more games than some of their rivals, every game is equally important in the fight for survival.
Brackley Town were also in action on Tuesday night, securing a narrow 2-1 victory away over Kidderminster Harriers. The Saints will entertain the Avenue on Saturday from 3rd place in the National League North, but have struggled for consistency in recent weeks. Despite suffering only one defeat in their previous 21 league fixtures, Brackley have failed to string together successive victories since early November, a statistic which the Green Army will hope to continue beyond this weekend.
One player that Bradford (Park Avenue) will need to keep a watchful eye on is Brackley’s Callum Stead. The Saints forward has netted 11 times in 30 league appearances, averaging 0.41 goals per game. His attacking prowess has complimented Brackley’s stubborn defence, with the Saints boasting the league’s best goals against tally so far this season having conceded just 23 times.
The reverse fixture between these two sides saw Brackley emerge from the Horsfall Community Stadium with a 2-1 victory back in October. The Avenue led at half time through a Will Longbottom strike on the quarter of an hour mark, only for second half goals from Martin Woods and Cosmos Matwasa to turn the game around for the Saints. In fact, Bradford (Park Avenue) will be hoping to break what has become a torrid run of form against this weekend’s opponents, having lost the last six meetings between the pair. The Avenue’s last victory at Brackley came back in April 2018, a 1-0 victory courtesy of an 80th minute goal from Ryan Toulson.
A win at St James Park on Saturday could lift Bradford (Park Avenue) as high as 17th place, whilst defeat could leave the Avenue 21st and in the relegation zone depending on results elsewhere.
Just two days after the trip to Brackley, Bradford (Park Avenue) will be welcoming Blyth Spartans to the Horsfall Community Stadium in a game of huge importance at the bottom end of the league table.
At the time of writing, the Spartans sit 23rd in the National League North, four points from safety and six points behind the Avenue. Blyth will be travelling to Bradford after hosting 18th placed Kettering Town on Saturday and will then turn their attention to a trip to bottom of the league AFC Telford United the following weekend. Many of the Spartans faithful will therefore see the next three games against fellow strugglers as a make-or-break period for the remainder of their season.
The reverse fixture back in late October was a significant one for Bradford (Park Avenue) as the 1-0 victory at Croft Park was their first away win of the season, part of a run of games which helped propel the Avenue off the foot of the table. In fact, Bradford have come out on top in each of their last three meetings against the Spartans and are unbeaten in their previous six against Monday’s visitors. Last season’s home encounter against Blyth resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Avenue thanks to goals from Luca Havern and Luke Rawson, despite the Spartans taking the lead on the brink of half time. Bradford’s Green Army will be hoping their excellent head-to-head record holds to key to taking another giant step towards survival against a fellow struggler under the lights at the Horsfall.
Match Previews by Stephen Grimshaw (@sgsportswriter on Twitter)
Saturday 18th February – Brackley Town vs Bradford (Park Avenue)
Kick off: 3pm
Address
Brackley Town F.C. St James Park, Churchill Way, Brackley, NN13 7EJ
Public Transport
Brackley doesn’t have a train station, the closest station is Banbury, which is around 10 miles away. Banbury bus station is a 5 minute walk from the train station and from there you can catch a Stagecoach No 500 bus to Brackley which takes around 30 mins.
Traveling by Bus
The nearest bus stops to St James Park are on Bridge Street or around the Market Place which are around a 5 to 10-minute walk to St James Park.
TRAVELING BY CAR
From the South (M40 & A43)
From, or crossing the M40 at Junction 10, follow the A43 towards Northampton. (The road is a dual carriageway all the way to Brackley – 9 miles). At the large roundabout at the bottom of the hill as you approach the town, take the 2nd exit signposted Brackley (South).
* After approximately 100 metres, take the 2nd exit at the mini roundabout (Tesco store on the left, Mercedes / Petronas Formula One Racing on the right), and follow the road towards the town. The New Locomotive public house is almost immediately on the left hand side and Churchill Way is the next turning on the right as you go up the hill. (Signposted Football Club). Turn into Churchill Way and follow this road which leads directly into the Club car park.
From the East (A422 Buckingham)
From Buckingham, follow the A422 to Brackley (8 miles). The A422 joins the A43 at a roundabout as you enter the town at the bottom of a hill. Take the first exit (signposted Oxford, A43 & M40) and follow this dual carriageway for approximately three quarters of a mile. At the next roundabout, take the last exit signposted Brackley (South). Then follow the directions marked * above.
From the West (A422 Banbury & M40 Junction 11)
Leave Banbury at the M40 junction 11 and follow the A422 (signposted Brackley). After approximately 8 miles go straight over the first small roundabout and follow the signs for the A43. About a mile further on the road passes a Tesco store on the left and almost immediately take the first exit at the roundabout signposted Brackley (South). Then follow the directions marked * above.
From the North (A43 Northampton, M1 and the A5)
Leave the M1 at Junction 15A and follow the A43 South (signposted Oxford & M40).
After approximately 8 miles the road crosses the A5 at a roundabout just outside Towcester. Follow the A43 past Silverstone to Brackley and at the first roundabout (BP garage), take the first exit (signposted A43, Oxford & M40). At the second roundabout, take the second exit (signposted A43, Oxford & M40). At the third roundabout, take the third exit (signposted Brackley, South). Then follow the directions marked * above.
Monday 20th February – Bradford (Park Avenue) vs Blyth Spartans
Kick off: 7:45pm
Where To Find Us:
Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC, Horsfall Community Stadium, Cemetery Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD6 2NG
Directions By Car:
Leave the M62 at junction 26 and follow signs for the M606. Continue on the M606 to junction 3 and take the A6117 exit to Ring Road West. At the roundabout take the 2nd exit on to Rooley Lane / A6036 signposted Halifax. Pass the Odsal Stadium on the left hand side and at the next roundabout take the 3rd exit on to Halifax Road / A6036 signposted Halifax. After approximately one mile turn left down Cemetery Road immediately before the Kids Planet Children’s Nursery, and the ground is 150 yards on the left. We have a car park which will be signposted off Cemetery Road and parking charges may apply.
Directions By Train:
Bradford Interchange rail station is the nearest to the ground and trains operate on the Calder Valley Line timetable from Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Manchester, Preston and York.
From there you can catch the bus directly to the ground (details below):
Bradford Forster Square rail station There are regular services from Leeds (Leeds-Bradford Line timetable), Skipton (Airedale Line timetable) and Ilkley (Wharfedale Line timetable).
From Forster Square it is a 10 minute walk to Bradford Interchange bus station for a bus onwards to the stadium.
Directions By Bus:
From Bradford Interchange bus station bus services 681 and 682 and Halifax Bus Station bus services 508, 681 and 682.
These services stop at the Halifax Road Cemetery Road stop near to the stadium.
Turnstiles:
The turnstiles open around an hour and a half before kick off and are located at either end of the ground on Cemetery Road and Park Road. Matchday prices for league games are as follows:
Adult – £14
Concession – £10
Student – £5
Youth (12-17) – £3
Junior (under 12, must be accompanied by an adult) – £1
LONGBOTTOM STRIKES NEW DEAL WITH AVENUE!
We can today confirm that forward Will Longbottom has signed a new deal with Bradford (Park Avenue) until the end of the 23/24 season!
Will has been an important part of the team this year, playing in multiple positions where needed, and scoring 5 league goals so far in 29 appearances. He also scored in the FA Cup vs Ashington.
He has proved his goalscoring ability, opening the scoring in our first win vs Curzon Ashton, and providing plenty of assists for both Preston and Blyth.
LLOYD SMITH EXTENDS LOAN WITH FRICKLEY!
We can today confirm that Lloyd Smith has today had his loan extended with Frickley Athletic until the end of the season.
Lloyd has impressed so far, scoring 6 goals in 12 appearances since joining in November, and taking 2nd in the teams top scorers. He has also won the Player of the Month award at Frickley every month since joining.
AVENUE SIGN LEWIS COULTON ON LOAN FROM PRESTON NORTH END!
We are delighted to announce that we have agreed a loan deal with Championship side Preston North End for Defender Lewis Coulton, which will see him at the Horsfall for the remainder of the season.
Lewis first joined the PNE academy as an u11, making his youth team debut at u15 level, and has also progressed through the youth levels with Scotland, up to their u19s who he helped get to the elite round of the European Championship qualification.
Coulton also played in several bounce matches alongside PNE first team players in the 2019/20 season, most notably in the Lancashire Senior Cup win at Chorley’s Victory Park, and was later named as a first team substitute in the 2020/21 campaign.
Over his first year as a professional, he enjoyed loan spells with Bamber Bridge and Warrington Town, reaching the play-offs with the latter.
During the 22/23 season, Lewis also spent time with Chester for a few months, helping them push towards a play-off position throughout July until November.
We look forward to seeing Coulton in Green and White! Stay tuned to our socials to see if he makes it into the squad for Saturday’s game v Brackley Town!
Three the magic number for Avenue against nine-man Leamington.
Bradford (Park Avenue) took a big step away from the relegation zone on Saturday as they secured an emphatic 3-1 victory at home against fellow strugglers Leamington.
The Avenue came into the game under immense pressure following back-to-back away defeats and a run of eight games without a victory dating back to early December. However, any nerves were soon dispelled after 25 minutes as Will Longbottom rounded off a superb passing move by firing a powerful effort beyond Leamington goalkeeper Ted Cann.
Bradford continued to assert their influence on the game and deep into first half added time Brad Dockerty doubled their advantage, latching onto a great through ball and firing his effort with fine precision into the bottom corner to send the Avenue into the break two goals to the good.
Sensing blood, the Green Army were quick out of the blocks after the interval and almost found a third when Harrison Hopper’s effort crashed back off the crossbar.
Any chances of Leamington finding a way back into the game seemed lost just before the hour mark when captain Jack Edwards received a second yellow for a late tackle on Mitchell Lund. The Brakes’ skipper was cautioned in the first half for an elbow on Jamie Spencer, a challenge which many in Avenue colours thought worthy of a dismissal itself.
With 20 minutes remaining the visitors found themselves reduced to nine men, a dangerous tackle from Louis Hall on Hopper deemed worthy of a straight red by the referee who showed no hesitation in dismissing the Leamington defender.
Undeterred by the rough tackle, it didn’t take long for Hopper to return to the thick of the action. Just a minute later the Avenue midfielder notched his side’s third of the afternoon after some great work from the industrious forward Eddie Church to find his teammate.
The Avenue took the three-goal lead as an opportunity to try and close the game out by keeping hold of possession, but their defence were undone in the final ten minutes by a rare Leamington attack. Dan Meredith produced a fine run down the right for the visitors, cutting back to Devon Kelly-Evans for a tap-in and a consolation goal.
After the game, Avenue boss Mark Bower was quick to praise his side’s performance, saying “we were really really good, I thought we moved the ball well and caused them problems”.
Bower also recognised the effort of his players prior to the two Leamington dismissals, adding: “whilst the last 20 to 25 minutes were not particularly enjoyable for anyone in the ground, I’m really really pleased with the performance for around about an hour where we’ve won the game against a really tough team to play against”.
The result has moved Bradford (Park Avenue) up to 18th in the Vanarama National League North, level on points with both Buxton and Kettering Town following their goalless draw on Saturday. More importantly, the Green Army are now four points ahead of the relegation zone and will be hoping results go their way in the midweek as a handful of sides also fighting for survival are playing catch up with games in hand.
Next up is a double-header for the Avenue as they face a trip to high-flying Brackley Town on Saturday, before returning home to host relegation-threatened Blyth Spartans on Monday in another crucial home fixture under the lights at the Horsfall Community Stadium.
FULL TIME: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 3-1 LEAMINGTON
(25’) GOAL – Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Leamington – Will Longbottom
(45+2’) GOAL – Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-0 Leamington – Brad Dockerty
(56’) RED CARD – Leamington – Jack Edwards
(70’) RED CARD – Leamington – Louis Hall
(71’) GOAL – Bradford (Park Avenue) 3-0 Leamington – Harrison Hopper
(81’) GOAL – Bradford (Park Avenue) 3-1 Leamington – Devon Kelly-Evans
Writer: Stephen Grimshaw (@sgsportswriter on Twitter)
WATCH THE FULL HIGHLIGHTS HERE;
Fans Forum | Zoom Link and Attendees
Tonight’s Fans Forum starts at 6pm in the clubhouse.
Attending the event are;
Gareth Roberts
Paul Armitage
Calum Cullen
Tom McStravick
There is a Zoom meeting available for those who cannot make the event, please follow the link below
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83493231753
Director of Football Martin Knight will be joining the Zoom and is available to answer questions.
The bar will be open for the Forum.