Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C 1 – 5 Rotherham United F.C

Strong Rotherham side provides another good run out as the seasons nears closer.

1st Half

The first half started badly for Avenue with Lapado pouncing in the first minute to give the away side an early lead. This lead was then doubled in the 10th minute after Cresswell got caught on the ball just inside the Avenue half by Wiles, who could only manage to find the post with his effort, however this was then tapped home by Vassell for his first of the evening. 

Bradford’s first half chance of the game came in the 23rd minute after some good footwork by a Trialist of the left hand side won Avenue a corner, however Avenue didn’t make use of the chance.

In the 27th minute Rotherham found the net again after a free kick, which wasn’t dealt with by the Bradford (Park Avenue) defence, found Vassell for his second of the game. 

In the 37th minute good work by Vassell down the Park Avenue right found Proctor in the middle, whose subsequent shot was saved by Andrew. Unfortunately for the Avenue Balsar was at hand to give the visitors a 4-0 lead.

Vassell then completed his hat-trick just before the half-time whistle after finding himself on the end of Olusundae’s cross. 

2nd Half

Garry Thompson then asked his side for a reaction in the second half, one which they managed to deliver with a much improved performance which saw them win the second half.

The Avenue finally made the breakthrough in the 77th minute when Gardner managed to get himself on the end of one of the trialists crosses, following on from some decent build up play in the Rotherham half. 

Teams 

Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C 

  1. Charlie Andrew (Trialist 65’)
  2. Alex Laird (Matty Clarke 64’)
  3. Mitchell Lund (Trialist 73’)
  4. Jon Moran 
  5. Ryan Cresswell (Trialist 45’)
  6. Lewis Rathbone (Sam Wright 64’)
  7. Alex Hurst 
  8. Ben Hedley 
  9. Garry Thompson (Holmes 45’)
  10. Trialist (Shaun Gardner 73’)
  11. Trialist

Unused subs: None

Rotherham United F.C

     12. Lewis Price (Laurence Bilboe 63’)

     22. Matthew Olusundae (Micheal Ihiekwe 65’)

     33. Jake Cooper

     15. Clark Robertson

     31. Akeem Hinds

     8. Ben Wiles

     11. Daniel Barlaser

     17. Matt Crooks

     10. Olayinka Lapado (Carlton Morris 59’)

     9. Jamie Proctor (Micheal Smith 63’)

     19. Kyle Vassell

Unused subs: Billy Jones, Richard Wood, Joe Mattock, Joshua Kayode.

Cards: None

Referee:  Matt Sowerby 

Assistants: Danny Bennett, Paul James

Attendance: 310

Bradford (Park Avenue) are delighted to announce the signing of young midfielder Sam Wright.

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The 21-year-old came through the Bradford City academy making his debut in the EFL trophy in 2016 before moving on to spells at Ossett Town and Sheffield F.C.

After being invited down to trial with Park Avenue he has impressed manager Garry Thompson, earning himself a contract with the club.

Speaking about his move to Bradford (Park Avenue) Wright said :

 “ I’m really happy to sign and to be given an opportunity at a higher level.”

Wright continued :

 “I’m  looking forward  to continuing my development under the management team and show the fans what I’m capable of.”

Bradford (Park Avenue) continue to offer one of the leagues most affordable football packages with their #ProperBradford season ticket campaign providing incredibly affordable football for families and supporters of all ages.

Season tickets can be purchased here:

Brighouse town versus Bradford (Park Avenue)

3:00 pm kick-off 

July 13, 2019 

Dual Seal Stadium

FT Brighouse 2-3 Bradford 

Garry Thompson’s side travelled to Brighouse for their final away game before the commencement of the 2019/20 season.

The match ended in a 3-2 victory to Bradford (Park Avenue) in a strong hit- out for both teams.

Bradford Park Avenue opened the scoring after three minutes thanks to Sean Gardner who chipped the keeper from an inch perfect pass from Ben Hedley.

Despite conceding, Brighouse continued to keep the pressure on Bradford Park Avenue and made it difficult for them to move the ball about as the play became more fast paced and less structured. This change in pace allowed Ben Hedley to pounce on a loose ball in the Brighouse box that came about from a defensive error and slot it past the Trialist between the sticks.

A Period of possession by the hosts in attack led to a Trialist finding space and firing home to bring the deficit to one goal. Within ten minutes, a piercing cross delivered into the away teams box was met by the head of Carl Stewart who glanced it into the top right corner ten minutes before the halftime whistle.

Park Avenue maintained the lions share of possession during the final 10 minutes before half-time however were unable to create an attack of real danger.

2nd half

Three minutes into the second half a Bradford shot was palmed away by the keeper into the path of a Trialist who gently guided the ball into the bottom corner and capitalised on the handling error. 

Despite the promising start to the half both sides struggled with possession. opportunities were difficult to come by.

Garry Thompson and Shaun Gardner we’re pleased with the performance and combinations being built throughout the squad. And are looking towards the August 3rd fixture at Curzon Ashton to mark the beginning of the season. 

Lineups

Bradford (Park Avenue)

‪1-Charlie Andrew ‬

‪2-Trialist‬

‪3-Matty Clarke‬

‪4-Mitchell Lund‬

‪5-Ryan Cresswell (C)‬

‪6-Trialist‬

‪7-Trialist‬

‪8-Ben Heddley‬

‪9-Shaun Gardner‬

‪10-Elliot Holmes‬

‪11-Trialist‬

‪Subs‬

‪12-Garry Thompson ‬-65’- Shaun Gardner 

‪13-Trialist‬ -65’- Charlie Andrew 

‪14-Lewis Rathbone -62’- Ben Hedley 

‪15-Jon Moran -62’- Ryan Cresswell 

Brighouse Town

1-Trialist

2-Joe Wilkinson (C)

3-Reece Kendall

4-Jack Lazenby

5-Kurt Harris 

6-James Hartley

7-Shiraz Khan

8-Trialist 

9-Trialist 

10-Carl Stewart 

11-Mikey Starkey 

Subs

12-Ousman Cham

13-Trialist 

14-Eddie Church 

15-Trialist

16-Trialist

17-Warren Hildred

18-Trialist 

Bradford (Park Avenue) announce the signing of Ryan Cresswell for the 2019/2020 season

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Bradford (Park Avenue) have today announced the signing of experienced defender Ryan Cresswell

The Sheffield youth academy product has made over 270 appearances across EFL league two and The Vanarama Conference with clubs such as Eastleigh, Northampton Town, Fleetwood Town, Southend United, and Bury.

Cresswell also made 41 appearances for Rotherham United who he will face next Wednesday 17th July when the Millers visit Horsfall Stadium for a pre-season friendly (7.30pm Kick Off)

The Defender spent time with York City on trial in February after departing Eastleigh with Steve Watson telling the York Press at the time:

“I could see there was certainly a player who would do well here and in this league,”

Craig Elliot at fellow National League North club Boston united then drafted in Cresswell in March to add a “ Big , experienced presence”

In a busy first Pre-season for Manager Garry Thompson, The Avenue have made a string of exciting signings with Cresswell adding experience alongside Thompson himself, Shaun Gardner, Mitchell Lund and Ben Hedley

Thompson was pleased to secure Cresswell, commenting:

“We’re really happy with the squad we are building and have had a few options for a player of Ryan’s experience and background which we have been considering. The support we have from the Directors is excellent and getting Ryan finalised today was a big part of that squad balance we have been focusing on. We’re looking forward to getting him on the pitch tomorrow and getting to know the squad”

Ryan Cresswell spoke about his move to The Horsfall Stadium

“Speaking with Garry and the club has been really positive and I’m just excited now to get started. The Pre-season schedule the club has is very strong and I can’t wait to get game time against Brighouse and then it’s my old club Rotherham on Wednesday night “

Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C 2 – 4 Mansfield Town F.C

Stern Stag’s test gives Bradford ideal pre-season preparation 

In a match that at times could have gone either way, Thompson would be pleased with what he has seen giving him a base to build on throughout pre-season.

The first half got off to an uneventful start with Mansfield having the better of the possession however despite a few early corners they failed to make a breakthrough. 

The moment of the half came when, in the 12th minute, Lewis Knight picked up the ball and produced a spectacular run towards the Mansfield goal-line where, after beating the defender for pace, he cut the ball back to the edge of the six yard box for player-manager Garry Thompson to calmly finish.

Both sides then kept the game at a good tempo, however neither side could manage to make any real clear-cut chances to threaten either of the keepers. Mansfield had a trio of corners in the 32nd minute however they couldn’t make them pay.

In the 36th minute following a collision with Lewis Knight, Stokes had to be stretchered off with an injury. Play then resumed in the 43rd minute however nothing of note took place for the rest of the half.

The start of the second half saw a host of changes for Mansfield as they changed their whole starting eleven. 

The changes clearly had their intended effect when pressure from the Mansfield attack saw Lund put the ball into the back of his own net in the 49th minute. Minutes later Mansfield took the lead for the first time during the match when a cross in from the Bradford (Park Avenue) left by Maynard found Rose in the 6-yard-box for a simple tap in.

Mansfield then won a free-kick from near the corner flag following a mistimed challenged from one of the trialists.  The resultant free kick was whipped in by Benning who managed to find Maynard unmarked near Avenue’s near post allowing him to head Mansfield into a 3-1 lead in the 61st minute. 

Following some changes for Bradford they nearly managed to find a way back into the match after Gardner managed to get away a shot from inside Mansfield area, unfortunately this ended up wide of the mark.

Fortunately for Bradford, the second goal wasn’t far away when in the 75th minute Holmes was able to place his shot in the bottom corner of the Mansfield net, drawing Avenue back into the game following on from some good pressure by the home side. 

The game was however just put out of Bradford’s reach when Maynard slotted past Andrew, who had also come on as second half substitute, to give Mansfield a 4-2 lead in the 83rd minute. Less than a minute later, the former West Ham striker was through again baring down on Andrew’s goal however this time it was Andrew who came out on top as he managed to deny Maynard while also conceding a corner in the process. 

The game ultimately fizzled out in the last five minutes as both sides battled for possession yet neither really managed to create more chances.

Teams 

Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C 

  1. Trialist (C. Andrew 62’)
  2. Trialist (A. Laird 62’)
  3. Mitchell Lund
  4. Trialist 
  5. Jon Moran (Trialist 70’)
  6. Ben Hedley (E. Holmes 62’)
  7. Alex Hurst (Trialist 70’)
  8. Lewis Rathbone (Trialist 70’)
  9. Garry Thompson (S. Gardner 62’)
  10. Lewis Knight (Trialist 45’)
  11. Matty Clarke

Unused subs: None

Mansfield Town F.C 

     31. Aidan Stone (C.Logan 45’)

     2. Hayden White (J. Clarke 45’)

     4. Matt Preston (K. Pearce 45’)

     6. Neal Bishop (L. Gibbens 45’)

     10. Otis Khan (Benning 45’)

     19. Andy Cook (O. Sterling-James 45’)

     30. Alistair Smith (J.Mellis 45’)

     46. Jason Law (W. Tomlinson 45’)

     47. Jimmy Knowles (C. Hamilton 45’)

     49. Noah Stokes (N. Maynard 45’)

     17. Ryan Sweeney (D. Rose 45’)

Unused subs: T. Sinclair, T. Fielding

Cards: None

Referee: S. Barrott

Attendance: 246

Bradford (Park Avenue) vs Hemsworth Miners


FULL TIME SCORE 2-2

Fitzwilliam Stadium

3:00pm Kick off

July 6th 2019

Bradford Park Avenue made the trip to the outskirts of Wakefield to the Fitzwilliam Stadium, home to the Hemsworth Miners for the first game of both sides’ pre-season. The afternoon ended in a draw with plenty of positives to be taken away and reflected in both dressing rooms.

Garry Thompson took the opportunity to see how his players and trialists performed given solid game time, opting to field two very different sides for each half.

Hemsworth began well dominating early possession leading to Sydney Cantos finding creating a one on one with Charlie Andrew,however he fired left of goal.

Bradford side began to warm into the game with Ben Hedley and Matty Clarke particularly strong in Mid-Field.

Hemsworth took the lead before halftime with a well taken header by  Viggars who was unmarked at the far post.

After the conceded goal, Bradford park avenue lifted the tempo and a long switch pass from Ben Hedley before halftime was delivered into the box for trialist Brad Dockerty whose deflected shot earned him a goal on visiting his home club.

HALFTIME – Hemsworth Miners 1-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Charlie Andrew made a number of good saves in the first half whilst Jon Moran , Ben Hedley and Matty Clarke all gave solid first appearances for Bradford.

The second half saw Bradford more dominant in possession, making a concerted effort to play out from the back and increase the tempo. One of these moves saw Lewis Knight find himself one on one with the Hemsworth ‘keeper before turning inside and out and slotting his shot to take the lead for the visitors.

Mitchell Lund made several important challenges as Hemsworth replied before a lovely team goal from Hemsworth was finished by Adam Knight

FULLTIME – Hemsworth Miners 2-2 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Both Managers were pleased with their sides in the first hit-out of the season. Garry Thompson reported his side was injury free and looking forward to next weeks first home pre season fixture against Mansfield Town.

Line-ups 

First half

GK-Charlie Andrew

RB-Trialist

CB-Trialist

CB-Jon Moran

LB-Alex Laird

CDM-Lewis Rathbone

CM-Trialist

CM-Ben Hedley

CAM-Alex Hurst

ST-Trialist

ST-Trialist

Second half 

GK-Charlie Andrew

CB-Alex Laird

CB-Trialist

CB-Mitchell Lund

CM-Trialist

CM-Trialist

CAM-Elliot Holmes

RM-Trialist

LM-Matthew Clarke

ST-Lewis Knight

ST- Garry Thompson

Garry Thompson alongside two young fans discussing how the new signings are training before kick off

Charlie Andrew returns to Bradford (Park Avenue)

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Goalkeeper Charlie Andrew has re-joined National League North side Bradford Park Avenue on loan.

The 19-year-old – who signed a new one-year deal with the Tigers this summer – will stay at the Horsfall Stadium until January.

Andrew impressed between the posts in a five-month temporary spell with The Avenue last season making 15 appearances and keeping 4 clean sheets. His arrival saw the start of a 7 game unbeaten run and he went on to help Park Avenue reach the National League North play-offs after securing a seventh-place finish.

A popular figure in his initial spell at Horsfall, Andrews return will be well received by The Avenue faithful

Bradford (Park Avenue) enjoy a strong working relationship with Hull City and would like to thank their Chairman and the staff for again entrusting us with the development of young stars such as Charlie.

Mitchell Lund Joins Bradford (Park Avenue) Bradford

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Bradford (Park Avenue) have secured former Doncaster Rovers defender Mitchell Lund for the 2019/2020 season.

The promising 22 year old spent his development years at Doncaster before making over 60 senior appearances at League 1 and League 2 level including loan spells with Wrexham and Morecambe.

Manager Garry Thompson worked with Lund at league 2 Morecambe last season, and like Ben Hedley who also joined Bradford (Park Avenue) this pre-season, Thompson saw enough to pursue the signature of Lund prior to the first pre-season hit out V Hemsworth Miners tomorrow.

Thompson said today:

“We’re delighted to sign another player of the experience and quality of Mitch. He has an excellent background and experience of playing higher up the pyramid at a very strong period of Doncaster Rovers history and will provide us with additional quality and poise from the back”

Thompson Continued:

“I’ve seen first-hand the attitude and character of Mitch whilst at Morecambe. He has been training with us since we came back and fits perfectly the quality of individual we want to represent The Avenue. It’s a testament to the way the club is travelling currently in terms of the process and recruitment support in place. We are hand-picking the players we want and the deals are getting done, we can’t wait for the pre-season matches and season proper to kick-off”

Bradford (Park Avenue) launched their new season Kits today and Mitchel Lund was the first to see the home Kit when signing last night at the Clubs Bradford University Based Training facility.

info@bpafc.com

www.bpafc.com

BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) RELEASE 2019/20 KIT

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BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) RELEASE 2019/20 KIT

Bradford (Park Avenue) today launched its stunning new kit to be used in the 2019/20 season.

The bespoke designs will see The Avenue return to their traditional colours of red, amber and black at home. This combination is synonymous with Bradford’s proud sporting heritage, whilst the Club’s secondary green and white colours will be worn at away fixtures.

A third change kit of predominantly white, carrying red, amber and black hoops, also pays homage to the original Northern roots of the historic and famous Avenue.

The kits will display the classic badge of Bradford, based on the original badge of Bradford Borough, used by the club in 1907.  The updated badge maintains the exact details and dimensions of the original club badge and mimics the same style as the City of Bradford’s own updated city logo.  This badge is woven and applied to the kits alongside a #PROPERBRADFORD tag, detailing the latitude and longitude of the city.

Club director Jonathan Collura helped in the development of the new kits and badge design.  Collura has been commended in the United States on his design and attention to details with the clubs he has been involved with, namely Bugeaters FC based in Nebraska.

Mr Collura said on the launch of the designs:

“We spent months looking at the Club’s badges, colours, kits and the unique history of Park Avenue’s identity.  The best option was a bespoke kit given the patterns that the Club has typically used in the past and was the only way to emulate the classic designs.”

“We hope that the supporters will enjoy the detail and nod to Avenue both as a club and a community that we put in to the kits.”

“We began discussions with FBT back in January and finally got all of the details completed just in the last week.  We hope that the supporters will enjoy the detail to Bradford’s history both as a club and a community that we put in to the designs.  Hopefully, they see some of the classics in these designs.”

The new kits display the logos of new partners this season with energy company Utilita Energy as the primary partner.

Bradford University have been busy with its link to The Avenue and are on the back of the kit.  Texas-based oil company Devils River Resources (commonly owned by club executives Gareth Roberts and Jonathan Collura) adds a States-side element to the kit.

Last week the club announced a supporter donation will see the BPA FORUM logo displayed on the Red, Amber and Black Kit.

The kit is now available to pre-order on the club’s website www.bpafc.com at a competitive cost of £28 for children’s sizes and £38 for Adults   . Kits will be available at all home games.