Bradford (Park Avenue) reclaimed top spot in the Northern Premier League East Division on Tuesday evening with an impressive 2-0 away victory over Morpeth Town, extending their record-breaking unbeaten start to the league campaign to 16 matches.
With the Highwaymen looking to extend their own unbeaten run to 13 matches, the Avenue knew they would need to be at their best. From the outset, the visitors enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and restricted their hosts to few opportunities. However, despite appearing in control of proceedings, Bradford found the resolute Morpeth defence difficult to break down, with the home side producing some tight, disciplined defending throughout the first half. A wicked delivery from Avenue left back Scott Duxbury which flashed across the penalty area without finding a Bradford shirt, proved the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock before the interval.
Morpeth Town fashioned their first real opportunity of the game in the 35th minute when Ryan Chater found space on the right-hand side of the penalty area. However, he dragged his low effort wide of the target, leaving Avenue goalkeeper Declan Lambton untroubled.
Bradford continued to apply pressure after the restart and were rewarded just two minutes into the second half when a Morpeth defender handled an effort from outside the penalty area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Robbie Fox stepped up to take responsibility and confidently dispatched the penalty down the middle to give Avenue the lead, registering his eleventh goal of the season.
The Morpeth defence had kept Bradford goalscorer Fox relatively quiet for much of the contest, but just past the hour mark he found space to exploit down the left flank. Fox drove into the penalty area before seeing his low, left-footed effort well saved by Daniel Langley, who did well to keep the ball out with his feet.
Morpeth’s attacking threat increased following the introduction of 19-year-old Aaron Chungh midway through the second half. The lively forward picked up possession in the 70th minute, drove into the final third and unleashed a speculative effort from distance, but his strike was dealt with by Lambton, who was well positioned to make the save.
Space in the attacking third remained at a premium for both sides, but as Morpeth pushed forward in search of an equaliser, they were almost caught out on the counter-attack. Brad Abbott produced a fantastic through ball to the returning Kareem Hassan-Smith who looked to have timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap. However, the assistant referee’s flag was raised, much to the frustration of the Bradford bench.
However, the decision proved inconsequential as Avenue doubled their advantage in the 84th minute through Marcus Carver, who netted for the second consecutive match. A well-worked corner routine down the left culminated in Luke Parkin delivering an exquisite in-swinging cross, which Carver expertly glanced into the bottom corner with a fine header to seal all three points for the Green Army.
It was a thoroughly assured performance from the Avenue, particularly impressive given the long midweek trip to the North East. The victory brought Morpeth’s 12-game unbeaten run to an end while extending Bradford’s own remarkable sequence to 16 league matches without defeat. The three points also saw the Green Army return to the summit of the Northern Premier League East Division.
This Saturday brings a further test of Avenue’s credentials, with in-form Blyth Spartans visiting the Horsfall Community Stadium. The fixture also marks a welcome return to home soil for Bradford following four consecutive away matches, a run which has yielded an impressive 10 points from a possible 12. Craig Elliott’s side will be looking to strengthen their grip on top spot and extend their unbeaten run to 17 matches when the Spartans come to town.
Match Report by Ste Grimshaw
Date: Tuesday 3rd November 2026
Full Time: Morpeth Town 0-2 Bradford (Park Avenue)
Attendance: 329
Kick-off: 19:45pm
Referee: Tyler Dutton
Venue: Craik Park
Morpeth Town: Langley, Robson (Chungh 68′), Barlow, Hodgson, Henderson (c), Monaghan, Chater, Hancox, James, Burns (Lamah 73′), Rivers
Unused Substitutes: Gray, Heppell
Bradford (Park Avenue): Lambton, Brown, Duxbury (Winfield 80′), Abbott, Ible (c), Misambo, Hassan-Smith (Chorlton 90′), Ekpolo, Carver (B. Thompson 88′), Parkin (Songo’o 89′), Fox (Andreucci 85′)
Goalscorers: Fox (47′ pen) Carver (84′).