Tonight, Bradford (Park Avenue) face a significant challenge as they host league leaders Emley AFC at the Horsfall Community Stadium. With the match kicking off at 7:45 pm, it’s set to be a high-stakes clash as Avenue aim to continue their strong form and close the gap at the top of the table.

Form Guide:

• Bradford (Park Avenue) come into the game unbeaten in their last six league matches, with an impressive five wins and one draw. Recent victories include a solid 3-1 win at Consett, 2-1 vs Sheffield FC, and a 3-0 away win against Stocksbridge Park Steels, showcasing the team’s resilience and growing momentum. Sitting fifth in the table with 23 points, Avenue are just one point away from second place, making tomorrow’s match crucial in their push for the top spots.
• Emley AFC, on the other hand, lead the league with 29 points and have been formidable this season, losing just once in the league. Their recent form is hampered slightly, with their only loss, 2-1 to North Ferriby. Emley have shown they can bounce back quickly though, and since that defeat they have won against Sherwood Colliery, Ossett United, and Carlton Town.

Key Factors:

• Defensive Steel vs. Attacking Firepower: Avenue’s recent success has been built on solid defending and clinical finishing. The addition of experienced players like Ben Blythe, Josh Ashman, and Mark Beevers has bolstered the backline, while Paddy Sykes, fresh off scoring twice against Consett, is in fine form up front. However, they will need to be at their best to keep out an Emley side that has scored 27 goals – the most in the division.
• Battle for the Summit: With Emley having scored the most goals and conceded the least in the league, they represent the ultimate test for Avenue’s improving squad. But with home advantage and a buzzing atmosphere at Horsfall, Bradford (Park Avenue) will fancy their chances of upsetting the league leaders and cutting the gap at the top to just three points.

What’s at Stake:

A win for Avenue would not only boost their play-off credentials but also thrust them firmly into the title race. Meanwhile, Emley will look to solidify their place at the top and extend their lead over the chasing pack.

🕢 Kick-off at 7:45 pm – let’s fill the stands and create a powerful atmosphere! 🔥

🎟️ Admission Prices:

• £8 for EFL, EPL, Bulls, Huddersfield Town, Bradford City, and Halifax season ticket holders
• £13 Adults, £10 Concessions
• £5 for Students, Armed Forces & Blue Light Cardholders
• £3 Youths (12-17), £1 Juniors (U12s)

🍺 Happy Hour on all draft and hand-pulled pints from 6-7 pm with 50p off your first pint. Come early, grab a drink, and get ready for a big night of football! 🍻

Get down to Horsfall, back the lads, and let’s make tomorrow night one to remember! 🟢⚪ #GreenArmy #BPAFC #Matchday #NorthernPremierLeague #UpTheAvenue

Date: Tuesday, 15th October 2024
Kick-Off: 7:45 PM
Venue: Horsfall Community Stadium

Bradford (Park Avenue) prepare to welcome Carlton Town in a crucial Northern Premier League East Division clash under the lights at Horsfall Community Stadium. Both teams come into this fixture with a close gap on the recent form table, and with points at a premium, this encounter promises to be a competitive affair.

Current Form Table:

Bradford (Park Avenue) have been on an impressive run, currently sitting at the top of the form table with 15 points from six games. They are in fine form, having won five of their last six matches, including a 3-1 win over Grimsby Borough and a recent 2-1 victory against Sheffield on the 12th of October. Paddy Sykes and Ben Blythe were on the scoresheet for the Avenue in that match, continuing their excellent form in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Carlton Town have also shown moments of quality but have been inconsistent in their last few outings. Carlton are positioned 5th on the form table with 13 points from six games, following a strong 3-0 win over Consett AFC in their most recent match. Alex Howes, Dean Freeman, and Liam Moran were the goal scorers for Carlton in that encounter, underlining their attacking threat.

Head-to-Head:

This will be a tightly contested match, as both teams are vying for a top-four finish. Bradford (Park Avenue) have demonstrated strong home form this season, winning three of their five matches at Horsfall. Carlton, on the other hand, have proven to be a dangerous team on their travels, with three wins and a two losses from five away matches.

Key Players to Watch:

• Paddy Sykes (Bradford PA): The in-form striker has been a consistent goal threat, netting key goals in recent fixtures, including the opener against Sheffield. His movement and finishing make him one of Bradford’s most dangerous players.
• Ben Blythe (Bradford PA): A rock at the back, Blythe is also capable of contributing with important goals, as shown in the Sheffield match.
• Lamin Manneh (Carlton Town): With 7 goals this season, Manneh is Carlton’s leading scorer and will be the main man Bradford’s defense must contain.
• Dean Freeman (Carlton Town): Scoring in the last match against Consett, Freeman is a versatile player who can provide solidity at the back and is a threat from set-pieces.

Final Thoughts:

With Bradford (Park Avenue) sitting at the top of the form table, Craig Elliott’s men will be aiming to consolidate their position with another home victory. However, Carlton Town pose a significant challenge and will be eager to close the gap at the top of the table. This match has all the makings of a thrilling encounter, with both sides possessing the quality to make a difference on the night.

Expect a high-intensity, end-to-end game as two of the division’s strongest sides go head-to-head at Horsfall Community Stadium.

📅 Saturday, 12th October 2024
🕒 Kick-off: 3:00 PM
🏟️ Horsfall Community Stadium
📍 BD6 2NG

Bradford (Park Avenue) return to the Horsfall Community Stadium tomorrow afternoon, hosting Sheffield FC in what promises to be another exciting Northern Premier League clash. Craig Elliott’s men come into this fixture riding high on a run of four consecutive wins, including a dominant 3-0 victory away to Stocksbridge Park Steels midweek. Currently 8th in the table with 16 points, Avenue will look to keep their excellent form going as they take on a Sheffield FC side that sits 21st with just 5 points.

Recent Form:

Bradford (Park Avenue) have been outstanding in recent weeks, securing back-to-back clean sheets and showcasing attacking power in front of goal. Key performances have come from Myles La Bastide, who scored two goals against Stocksbridge, and Paddy Sykes, who netted his second league goal of the season in that same match. Earlier in the week, Connor Shanks delivered a spectacular volley in a 1-0 win over Garforth Town, highlighting his contribution to the team’s success.

In late September, Avenue also defeated Heaton Stannington 2-0, with Jack Normanton and Connor Shanks finding the net early in the first half. Normanton, making his league debut that day, has continued to impress with his goal-scoring ability.

Sheffield FC:

Sheffield FC have struggled to find consistency this season, with only one win to their name. However, as the world’s oldest football club, they are always up for a fight and will be looking to pull off an upset against an in-form Bradford side. Avenue must be wary of Sheffield’s ability to grind out results when it matters most.

Players to Watch:

• Myles La Bastide: Coming off a two-goal performance against Stocksbridge, La Bastide has emerged as a key player for Avenue and will be eager to add to his tally.
• Paddy Sykes: After scoring his 2nd league goal on Wednesday, Sykes’ presence up front will be crucial in tomorrow’s fixture.
• Jack Normanton: After his early goal against Heaton Stannington, Normanton continues to pose a significant threat going forward, having settled well into Craig Elliott’s side.
• Connor Shanks: Shanks has been consistent in front of goal, and his game-winning volley against Garforth Town could inspire more magic in tomorrow’s match.
• Mark Beevers: The experienced defender has anchored Avenue’s backline and will be looking to guide the team to a third consecutive clean sheet.

League Standings:

• Bradford (Park Avenue): 8th place, 16 points, +4 goal difference.
• Sheffield FC: 21st place, 5 points, -6 goal difference.

Bradford will be looking to exploit Sheffield’s defensive vulnerabilities while continuing their own run of clean sheets. The Horsfall faithful will be in full voice, expecting another strong performance from Craig Elliott’s new-look squad.

Ticket Information:

• £13 Adults
• £10 Concessions
• £5 Students, Armed Forces & Blue Light Cardholders
• £3 Youths (12-17)
• £1 Juniors (U12s)

Join us at Horsfall Community Stadium tomorrow to cheer on the Green Army and enjoy some of our world-famous chips. With momentum on their side, Bradford (Park Avenue) will be aiming for a fifth consecutive win and another climb up the table!

Northern Premier League East – Wednesday, 9th October, 7:45 PM KO

Venue: Bracken Moor Stadium, S36 2AN

Tonight, Bradford (Park Avenue) travel to Stocksbridge Park Steels for a highly anticipated clash in the Northern Premier League East. The match kicks off at 7:45 PM at Bracken Moor Stadium, where both teams will be looking to claim three important points in what promises to be an exciting contest.

Bradford (Park Avenue) come into this match full of confidence, riding the wave of a three-match winning streak. With goals coming from key players such as Connor Shanks (4 goals) and Dan Francis (3 goals), the Avenue will be looking to extend their excellent run of form under manager Craig Elliott.

Meanwhile, Stocksbridge Park Steels, sitting in 6th place with 17 points from 8 matches, will be a tough challenge. Their top scorers, Jack Haslam (8 goals) and Alexander Hardwick (7 goals), have been in fine form and will pose a significant threat to Bradford’s defence. Stocksbridge are coming off the back of a 1-1 FA Trophy draw vs Warrington Rylands, which the opposition won 3-1 in penalties. Prior to their last match however, they pulled off 2-0 and 3-0 home wins against Bridlington Town and Garforth Town respectively.

Both teams are strong going forward, making this a potentially high-scoring affair. However, Bradford’s defence, led by Mark Beevers and Luke Hogg, will need to be at their best to contain the dangerous Stocksbridge attack.

Match Details:

• Kickoff: 7:45 PM
• Location: Bracken Moor Stadium, S36 2AN
• Tickets:
  • Adults: £9
  • Concessions & Students: £7
  • U16s: £3
  • U12s: Free with a paying adult

Key Players to Watch:

• Connor Shanks (Bradford PA): Avenue’s top scorer will look to add to his tally and lead the team to victory.
• Jack Haslam (Stocksbridge): With 8 goals this season, Haslam’s threat in front of goal will need careful attention from the Avenue defence.
• Dan Francis (Bradford PA): A key part of Avenue’s attack, Francis’ creativity and goalscoring ability will be crucial.

Manager’s Perspective:

Bradford (Park Avenue) manager Craig Elliott will be eager to keep the winning streak alive, having recently bolstered the squad with signings like Sonny Whittingham, Ben Blythe, Mark Beevers and the return of Will Calligan. He’ll be keen for his side to start strongly and take control of the game early on.

Final Thoughts:

With both teams in good form, tonight’s match is set to be a thrilling contest. Bradford (Park Avenue) will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run, while Stocksbridge will want to protect their strong start to the season at home. Fans can expect a competitive, action-packed match under the lights at Bracken Moor.

Today, Bradford (Park Avenue) welcomes Liversedge to Horsfall Stadium for a Bank Holiday showdown in the Northern Premier League East. Both teams are eager to claim all three points, with Avenue looking to bounce back after a mixed start to the season. Liversedge, coming off a couple of draws and a loss, will be hungry for a win as well. With the home crowd behind them, Avenue will aim to capitalize on their home advantage and deliver a strong performance.

Match Details:

• Date: Monday, 26th August 2024
• Kick-off: 3:00 PM
• Venue: Horsfall Stadium, BD6 2NG
• Admission: £13 Adults | £10 Concessions | £5 Students/Blue Light/Armed Forces | £3 Youth | £1 U12s

Let’s get behind the lads and make Horsfall Stadium the fortress it needs to be!

Bradford (Park Avenue) will host Liversedge at Horsfall Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday, looking to secure a much-needed victory in the Northern Premier League East. Danny Whitaker’s squad has had mixed results in their opening three league fixtures, and they’ll be eager to bounce back with a strong performance.

Liversedge has also had a challenging start to their campaign, opening with a 3-0 defeat to Garforth Town, followed by draws against Dunston and Bridlington Town. They will face Cleethorpes Town this Saturday before making the trip to Horsfall.

With both teams seeking momentum, this Bank Holiday clash promises to be a competitive encounter. Bradford will aim to capitalize on home advantage and take all three points as they look to climb the league table.

Match Details:

• Date: Monday, 26th August 2024
• Kick-off: 3:00 PM
• Venue: Horsfall Stadium, BD6 2NG
• Admission: £13 Adults | £10 Concessions | £5 Students/Blue Light/Armed Forces | £3 Youth | £1 U12s

Come down to Horsfall Stadium and support the lads as they look to return to winning ways!

This weekend Avenue look for their first win since the 2nd of September when they beat Consett in the FA Cup first qualifying round. 

The Green Army return to Northern Premier League action, facing Hyde United at Horsfall Community Stadium.  Kick off is at 15:00 on Saturday. Gates open at 13:30.  

Admission prices are as follows: Adults will pay just £13 entry, Concessions are in at £10, Students with a valid ID pay just £5, Youth (12-17) is just £3, and u12s go completely free!

Bower’s green army could jump Gainsborough in the table if results go their way this weekend. Currently sitting in 18^th (two points above the drop) Mark understands the importance three points will mean for the team and the fans.

Avenue lost 5-2 to Tadcaster Albion in the West Riding Cup on Monday.   Mark took the sensible decision to rest the first team squad for that match.  The academy boys who stepped up put in a commendable performance and gained valuable experience.   Before the match Mark said

“It’ll be a young team that play that game. With the squad that we’ve got and the injuries we’ve got, we’re not going to risk many first team players for that game.” 

Being well rested, we can expect the first team squad to perform to the best of its abilities this weekend.

Hyde United sit seven places above Avenue and have won their last three league games against Atherton Collieries, Stafford Rangers and Basford United. 

After losing to Avro in the Manchester Premier Cup; manager Nick Spooner stated: 

“Hopefully everyone is back (from injury) … a couple could’ve done with a rest, but momentum was strong” – responding to the interviewer’s thoughts of: “Bradford Park Avenue being a good game to bounce back in.” 

Written by Finlay Sturges  

Twitter – @FinlaysturgesSJ 

Instagram – @FinlaysturgesSJ 

FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS – Tim Clapham @Avenueite

Bradford (Park Avenue) and Hyde United first met in Floodlit League football in the 1970s when they contested five matches over three seasons. 

The North West Floodlit League comprised of clubs from the Northern Premier League and Cheshire League, and Bradford took part in the four seasons 1970-1 to 1973-4. 

The visit of Hyde to Park Avenue in October 1970 was watched by 1,894, the club’s highest-ever crowd in the competition. 

The 1973 power strikes brought an early end to the floodlit league that season and Hyde’s home game against Bradford was one of only a handful of matches played. 

Rivalries were resumed in Northern Premier League football in 2001-2 when each team won their home game. 

The following season Hyde finished bottom of the league and were relegated with Colwyn Bay. They only won five league games, one being against Bradford at Hyde at the beginning of the season. 

The clubs did not meet again until October 2011, when they were drawn to meet in the 3rd qualifying round of the F.A. Cup. With home advantage, and top of the Blue Square Bet North, Hyde were firm favourites to beat Evo-Stik NPL Bradford from the league below. 

However, in one of the shock results of the day Bradford triumphed 1-0 with Tom Greaves netting the decisive goal in the final minute. The clubs last met in 2014-15 in Conference North when Bradford completed a league double. 

That season Bradford finished 13th, but Hyde dropped back into the NPL after being relegated with Colwyn Bay and Leamington.

Avenue return to Northern Premier League action this weekend, hosting Workington this Saturday 23rd September, at the Horsfall Community Stadium, Kick Off 3pm, and gates open at 1:30pm!

Adults will pay just £13 entry, Concessions are in at £10, Students with a valid ID pay just £5, Youth (12-17) is just £3, and u12s go completely free!

Card and Cash are taken at the Cemetery Road end, and the Park Road end is cash only.

Workington come into the game following a 3-1 defeat to National League North side Darlington last Friday in the 2RQ of the FA Cup.

The Reds have been a high-scoring team so far this season, their biggest League win so far was a 5-0 thrashing of Ashton United on the opening day of the NPL. Their biggest defeat came the following week, with Ilkeston Town netting 6 goals to Workington’s 1.

Avenue come into the game after FA Cup action, visiting Blyth Spartans on Saturday 16th and taking a 1-1 draw to force a replay at the Horsfall. 

The replay ended 1-1 at Full Time, but Avenue couldn’t hold out through Extra Time, and two quick goals from Jonathan Hooper (110’) and Cedric Main (118’) saw the Spartans progress in the FA Cup. 

Injury plagued the Avenue squad on that Saturday though, with Bower losing Jak Whiting in the 14th minute, and later Jamie Spencer in the 60th minute. 

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Mark Bower said;

“Jamie looks like he’s going to be out for a few months having damaged his knee.

“We’re waiting on his results to work out a plan of action but he’s probably going to need surgery, so I don’t expect to see him back this side of Christmas.

“We’ll be looking to strengthen in midfield because of that, as Spenner was our most experienced player in there, and it looks very young without him.

“Harry, Harrison Hopper and Will Lancaster have done a good job in there, but we need someone now with a bit of knowhow and that streetwise edge.

“That’s especially important with us getting into autumn and the weather turning, so hopefully we can bring someone in this week.”

Bower is hopeful of welcoming back the likes of Mason O’Malley, Myles La Bastide and Jak Whiting from injury tomorrow too, as well as Hopper from suspension.

And he said: “After our first two games of the season, we’ve only lost one of our last eight games inside 90 minutes.

“We’ve been away a lot so it’s nice to be at home on Saturday.

“We can try and continue the good form we’ve had at Horsfall and start building some momentum in the league, as we’ve only had one game in the division in the last three weeks.

“We’ve got a little run of Saturday and Tuesday league games coming up, so there are plenty of opportunities to pick up the points on offer, getting the points we should have had in previous games.”

Before that trip to Ashton United next Tuesday comes the home clash with Workington, the cornerstone of Avenue’s annual beer festival at Horsfall, which also sees the teens in FA Youth Cup action tonight, and an Avenue XI take on a Bantams XI on Sunday, with free admission for the latter.

Bower said: “I hope the weather holds for it, and it’ll make the event and the Sunday even better if the academy and seniors both win.

“It’s good to have the facility at Horsfall now that allows us to do that, as a few years ago, with the weather we’ve had over the last few days, it’d have probably been called off.”

The clash with Workington is Bower’s main focus at the weekend, and he said: “They’re a good team who are confident in possession.

“They play in good areas where others wouldn’t take those risks and like to build from the back like us.

“They’ve conceded a lot this season but scored plenty too.

“We’re good at home though, and it could be a high-scoring game, even though I’d take a scrappy 1-0 win to get us going.”

Confidence should come from the FA Cup game with Blyth and the subsequent replay defeat in extra-time though, and Bower said:

“The lads will be gutted and disappointed, and we did feel a bit hard done by with some of the decisions against us.

“But we’ll take the positives, as it helped players get stronger and fitter, and really looking like assets to us.