Bradford (Park Avenue) missed an opportunity to move into the play-off spots on Saturday, suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Carlton Town. The match, one of only three played in the league amidst the challenging weather brought by Storm Darragh, saw Avenue struggle to capitalize on key chances and remain eighth in the Northern Premier League East Division, three points off the play-off places.
The first half was largely dictated by the horrendous conditions in Nottinghamshire. Carlton looked the more dangerous, with Alex Howes narrowly missing the target and Niall Davie forcing Avenue goalkeeper Jack Hall to tip over a wind-assisted corner that almost flew straight in. Hall also denied Charlie Carter’s overlapping effort, keeping Avenue in the game.
Bradford came closest to breaking the deadlock when Iyrwah Gooden’s pinpoint free kick found Mark Beevers, whose powerful header rattled the crossbar. It was a missed opportunity that would prove costly as Carlton came out firing in the second half.
Within a minute of the restart, Alex Howes put the hosts ahead with a stunning strike from the edge of the box, following Avenue’s failure to clear their lines. Hall produced more heroics to deny Carter twice in one-on-one situations, but Oliver Clark doubled Carlton’s lead in the 65th minute. A half-cleared free kick fell to Clark, who chested the ball down and volleyed home a sublime finish.
Carlton nearly extended their lead further, with Nathan Watson narrowly missing the target. Bradford eventually found a lifeline in the 88th minute when a wind-assisted free kick caused chaos in the Carlton box, allowing Ben Blythe to bundle the ball home. Despite a frantic final push and extended stoppage time, Avenue couldn’t find the equalizer, falling to just their second defeat in 13 games.
Next Match
Bradford (Park Avenue) will look to get back on track on Friday when they host Bridlington Town at Horsfall Community Stadium. The struggling Yorkshire rivals will present an opportunity for Avenue to close the gap on the play-off places.
Teams
Carlton Town
- Felix Annan
- Lawrence Stewart Gorman
- Niall Davie (C)
- Daniel Brown
- Dean Freeman
- Oliver Clark
- Charlie Carter
- Khyle Sargent
- Nathan Watson
- Alex Howes
- Niall Hylton
Substitutes: - Michael Ford
- Lewis Durow
- Harry Goddard
- Liam Moran
Bradford (Park Avenue)
- Jack Hall
- Josh Ashman
- Dan Francis
- Luke Hogg (C)
- Ben Blythe
- Mark Beevers
- Brad Williams
- Ted Lavelle
- Jack Goodman
- Connor Shanks
- Iyrwah Gooden
Substitutes: - Paddy Sykes
- Jack Normanton
- Ewan Gregson
- Sonny Whittingham
- Connor Dimaio