Bradford (Park Avenue) moved four points clear at the top of the Northern Premier League East Division with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Bridlington Town in testing conditions, extending their unbeaten league start to 13 games.
On a wet and windy evening on the East Yorkshire coast, both sides struggled to find their rhythm during a scrappy opening 45 minutes, with strong gusts and a sodden surface making fluid football difficult.
The opening half-hour offered few clear cut opportunities for the Avenue, as Bridlington Town’s resolute back line stood firm for much of the contest. With the visitors struggling to break the lines, Bradford were forced to try their luck from distance on occasions, but their efforts were well blocked and comfortably dealt with by the hosts.
Bridlington’s best opportunity of the half arrived in the 28th minute. Captain Ahmed Salam delivered a dangerous inswinging corner, which was met by Alex Markham, but his header drifted narrowly wide of the post.
The game finally burst into life in the 41st minute as Bradford (Park Avenue) took the lead in fortuitous fashion. Scott Duxbury launched a free-kick from inside the Avenue half, and, in an attempt to clear the ball, Bridlington defender Kyle Fanning inadvertently sent a looping header over the stranded Alex Baird and into the net. Duxbury, however, was quick to stake his claim after the game, insisting that his set piece had been on target and that the goal should therefore be credited to him!
It had been a frustrating first half for both sides, with Connor Brown and Jameel Ible picking up costly bookings that will see them miss Saturday’s trip to Heaton Stannington through suspension after reaching the yellow card threshold.
However, the second half brought an increase in tempo, with the Avenue starting brightly. In the 49th minute, the ball fell to Robbie Fox inside the Bridlington penalty area, but Alex Baird reacted well to smother the effort and prevent Fox from doubling the visitors’ advantage.
As the second half wore on, and with the elements in their favour, the Seasiders began to turn up the pressure. In the 69th minute, Avenue goalkeeper Declan Lambton was called into action, producing an excellent double-save to preserve his side’s lead. After making a superb one-on-one stop, Lambton reacted quickly to regain his position and keep out the follow-up effort on the rebound.
It was another decisive contribution from the Avenue number one, whose assured handling and distribution proved vital to his side’s success on a challenging evening.
The Avenue continued to withstand the mounting Bridlington pressure while looking to threaten on the counter-attack, but struggled to retain possession in the final third, with the ball repeatedly coming straight back at them. In the 84th minute, the hosts came agonisingly close to an equaliser when a clever move down the right culminated in a Hamza Hamdosh cross that deflected off Charlie Winfield and looped across the face of goal, brushing the crossbar. The Green Army breathed a collective sigh of relief as the ball was eventually cleared.
Bradford managed the closing stages superbly, showing tremendous resilience to see out a hard-fought victory. Resolute defending, a battling attitude and some strong challenges ensured the visitors held firm under sustained pressure to secure all three points in extremely difficult weather conditions.
It was a significant result for the Avenue against a strong Bridlington Town side who had gone into the contest unbeaten in their previous four games. The 1-0 victory not only extended Avenue’s unbeaten league start to 13 matches but also moved them four points clear at the top of the Northern Premier League East Division.
The Green Army will look to maintain their unbeaten league start when they travel to Heaton Stannington on Saturday, 24 October. The Avenue will be keen to build on Tuesday night’s hard-earned victory and strengthen their position at the top of the table, but manager Craig Elliott will be forced to shuffle the pack, with Connor Brown and Jameel Ible both suspended following their bookings against Bridlington Town.
Match Report by Ste Grimshaw
Date: Tuesday 20 October 2026
Full Time: Bridlington Town 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)
Attendance: 234
Kick-off: 19:45pm
Referee: Conor Ledgeway
Venue: HDM Energies Stadium
Bridlington Town: Baird, Batty, Markham, Marshall (Hamdosh 82′), Fanning, Mcloughlin, Bolino (Kettlewell 65′), Tweed, Birdsall (Marriott 65′), Salam (c), Nnenanya (Stewart 73′)
Unused substitute: Tibbett
Bradford (Park Avenue): Lambton, Brown, Duxbury, Abbott, Ible (c), Ekpolo, Chorlton (Carver 58′), J. Thompson, Fox, Parkin (B. Thompson 73′). Andreucci (Winfield 57′)
Unused substitutes: Moke, Misambo
Goalscorer: Fanning (41′ og)