Mark Bower’s Bradford (Park Avenue) side faced Altrincham away from home, with the pre-match coverage centring on the introduction of the home side’s campaign, Football vs Homophobia, in which they showed their support wearing a special rainbow kit.

The game started as brightly as the home side’s shirt for Avenue. Alex Hurst was fouled after only three minutes and the resulting free-kick was played in, leading to Shane Killock having an early effort charged down.

Immediately after that, though, the hosts broke forward. Joe Pigott was the man who met the ball but his effort was thwarted in similar fashion to Killock’s at the other end.

Altrincham looked to display their prowess on the counter-attack, doing so on a number of occasions, using the pace of Piggott and his strike partner, Josh Hancock to trouble the Bradford defence.

The game became livelier still. However, the football became a slight back-story, with the referee showing he was happy enough to use his whistle on a number of occasions. One of which incensed the Bradford bench, as Connor Branson received a blow to the head.

Killock was central to the action once again, minutes later. Good work from the Altrincham front line led to Hancock trying to square the ball, but the Avenue skipper stuck out a leg to prevent the hosts opening the scoring.

However, that only proved to be a delay to the inevitable. Luca Havern was swivelled on the half-way line, allowing the hosts to break. Piggott realeased Hancock who rounded debutant Charlie Andrew and slotted home for the opening goal.

Bradford looked to reply instantly and almost did. A mix-up in the defence saw the ball ricochet back to Jake Beesley, but the ball was judged to have come off an Avenue man last, and so his lob was in vain as the assistant raised his flag.

One almost became two shortly after. Max Harrop’s whipped free-kick looked as though it could nestle in the bottom corner but a slight deflection ensured it went the right side of the post from a Bradford perspective.

The game went a long time without significant action, until seven minutes before the break Alex Hurst showed good footwork in the box before blasting high and wide inside the area.

The final chance of the first-half came when, at the end of the half, a corner was given to the home side. At the edge of the box, an Altrincham man was waiting to strike, he duly did, but Andrew palmed over well.

The first chance of the second half went the way of the visitors. Nicky Clee sized one up from absolutely miles out, but his shot went way over the bar.

Max Harrop looked to add to the hosts tally when he picked the ball up in a promising position, his shot was dragged well wide, not troubling Andrew in the goal.

It was actually the hosts who looked the more likely to score, with a lovely drop of the shoulder leaving his man for dead, unfortunately for them the shot dropped wide of the far post.

Mark Bower sensed something needed to change and as a result he took off Oli Johnson, introducing Macauley Langstaff in the process, as he came on to join the search for an equaliser, on his debut.

With 23 minutes remaining on the clock, Bradford finally got some space to work with. Beesley made an opening for himself before the ball bobbled horribly, resulting in him slicing the ball wide, as Avenue looked less and less likely to grab a goal.

Just two minutes later, though. Lewis Knight saw an opportunity and went for it, his looping effort didn’t dip in time and went well over the bar.

With the game coming into the final few minutes, Bower threw on the last two substitutes at his disposal. Romaney Critchlow-Noble and Danny East making their way onto the field, meaning a change of shape.

Duly, it was that change of shape that contributed to the equaliser, more bodies flooded forward and it was East who bundled home the equaliser after good work from Knight and Clee.

Both sides searched for a winner, but ultimately it wasn’t forthcoming as Avenue took a point back to Yorkshire and remained inside the play-off places.

Teams

Altrincham:

1. Steven Drench 2. Shaun Densmore 3. Connor Hampson 4. James Jones 5. Tom Hannigan 6. Jake Moult (C) 7. John Johnston 8. Simon Richman 9. Joe Piggott 10. Josh Hancock 11. Max Harrop

Bench:

12. James Poole 14. Andy White 15. Mason Fawes (74) 16. Yousifu Ceasay (65) 17. Tony Thompson

Bradford:

1. Charlie Andrew 2. Mark Ross 3. Nicky Clee 4. Alex Hurst 5. Shane Killock (C) 6. Gianluca Havern 7. Lewis Knight 8. Conor Branson 9. Jake Beesley 10. Oli Johnson 11. Jamie Spencer

Bench:

12. Ryan Toulson 14. Macauley Langstaff (60) 15. Romaney Critchlow-Noble (78) 16. Danny East (78) 17. Adam Nowakowski

The hosts were the first to threaten as winger Matt Lowe came close to notching an early opener.

He was teed up by Lee Ndlovu and advanced into the box at an alarming speed, but saw his shot blocked by a sliding Shane Killock.

Brackley’s Omari Sterling-James then embarked on a mazy run down the left before cutting in and drawing an impressive stop from Steven Drench with a curling effort.

Drench was called into action again when the resulting corner delivery landed at the feet of Oran Jackson, who stung the goalkeeper’s palms with a close-range strike.

The Saints were eventually rewarded for their pressure when veteran midfielder Carl Baker broke the deadlock. Brackley’s latest signing rifled into top corner from around 25-yards out, rendering a diving Drench helpless.

After taking the lead, Brackley continued to cause Bradford problems and Drench was forced to palm Lowe’s shot wide after the winger advanced unchallenged.

As the second-half entered its latter stages, Bradford sought to mount a comeback and demonstrated a quicker tempo in the final third. Oli Johnson lifted into the box from the left, but Jake Beesley failed to connect cleanly with the ball under pressure from Jackson and headed wide.

Gianluca Havern connected with Lewis Knight’s corner delivery with just a minute of the first-half remaining, but his powerful header found the wrong side of the post.

Saints skipper Gareth Dean then thwarted Beesley, making a last-ditch tackle that prevented Bradford’s marksman going one-on-one with Danny Lewis.

HALF-TIME: Brackley Town 1-0 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Lowe had proven to be a thorn in Bradford’s side throughout the first-half and his direct running created an opportunity within two minutes of the second-half beginning. He accelerated down the right flank before rolling the ball into the path of Baker, who saw his shot blocked by Havern.

James Armson then tried his luck from 20-yards but his tame effort was held comfortably by Drench.

Drench, however, was powerless to prevent Ndlovu’s header nestling in the back of the net after the forward met Shane Byrne’s cross.

Bradford embarked on a hunt for an opening as they attempted to claw their way back into the game, but both Jamie Spencer and Knight saw efforts blocked in the 18-yard box.

The hosts continued to pose an attacking threat despite their relatively comfortable lead and Lowe was denied by Drench after darting into the box from the right flank.

Brackley’s lead was eventually extended through Baker, who fired into the top corner from close-range after the ball was delivered to him on a plate by Lowe.

The visitors failed to produce a response in the final ten minutes as Brackley held strong and nullified the attacking threat in Bradford’s frontline.

FULL-TIME: Brackley Town 3-0 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Brackley Town: Lewis, Myles, G. Walker, Byrne, Jackson, Dean (c), Lowe, Armson (A. Walker 78’), Ndlovu (Nti 88’), Baker, Sterling-James (Fairlamb 68’).

Unused substitutes: Jeffers.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe, Spencer, Killock (c) (Nowakowski 72’), Havern, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson (Hurst 52’), Clee (East 78’).

Unused substitutes: Atkinson, Dawson.

Referee: Matt Russell

Attendance: 487

Bradford (Park Avenue) picked up their first point of the calendar year against high-flying Blyth Spartans.

The hosts started brightly, putting Blyth on the back foot and testing stopper Peter Jameson on numerous occasions in the early stages.

Oli Johnson was denied by the goalkeeper after latching on to a through ball from Jamie Spencer and Jake Beesley saw a low shot held by Blyth’s number one.

Alun Armstrong’s side settled after a nervy start, but Bradford remained in control, spraying the ball around with conviction and confidence.

The hosts were, however, given a scare when Robbie Dale’s curling effort clipped the crossbar after the veteran winger cut in from the right and pulled the trigger.

Despite struggling to gain a foothold in the opening exchanges, Blyth took the lead as the half-hour mark approached. Michael Liddle swung in a delivery from the left that was met by the head of Sean Reid, who powered a header past Steven Drench.
Bradford immediately embarked on a hunt for an equaliser and demonstrated their ability to carve Blyth open in the late stages of the second-half.

Spencer’s volley was lifted just inches above the crossbar after the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the box, minutes before Jameson palmed Johnson’s curling effort wide at full stretch.

The Spartans did pose a greater attacking threat after taking the lead and went close through Daniel Maguire, whose cross almost found the bottom corner.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-1 Blyth Spartans

The early stages of the second-half yielded little in the way of entertainment but Danny Lowe did make a superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Dale going one-one-one with Drench.

Nicky Clee was the first player to catch a glimpse of goal after the break, but his speculative effort failed to find the target.
The palms of Drench were then stung by Maguire, but the goalkeeper collected after initially parrying the strike.

A corner delivery from Nicky Wroe was only cleared as far as Knight and the Bradford man struck, but a deflection diverted the effort away from danger.

As the hosts went for the jugular, Branson charged out of defence before unleashing a powerful strike that Jameson pushed wide in impressive fashion.

Barely a minute later, Branson put Bradford back on level terms when he was teed up by Mark Ross and saw his deflected header fly past Jameson.

With six minutes remaining on the clock, Blyth substitute Jarrett Rivers received his marching orders for a horrific foul on Spencer.

Deep into stoppage time, Blyth were awarded a penalty when the referee penalised Branson for a push on Maguire. Spartans stalwart Dale stepped up but was denied by Drench’s heroic save.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Blyth Spartans

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe, Wroe (Nowakowski 71’), Killock (c), Spencer, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson (Hurst 71’), Clee.

Unused Substitutes: Toulson, Atkinson, Dawson.

Blyth Spartans: Jameson, Nicholson, Liddle, Green (Laing 87’), Buddle, Watson, Holmes (Rivers 71’), Oliver, Maguire, Reid, Dale (c).

Unused substitutes: Fewster, Mullen, Wrightson.

Referee: Barry Lamb

Attendance: 373

Bradford (Park Avenue) were condemned to their third consecutive defeat after an old rivalry was renewed against F.C United of Manchester.

The first opportunity of the game fell to the visitors, who almost capitalised on what could have been a costly error from Ben McKenna. The midfielder gifted possession away to Stephen O’Halloran on the edge of the box, who unleashed a thunderous strike that whistled past the post.

Five minutes later, Elliott Simoes squandered a golden opportunity himself, skewing wide after being teed up by Joshua Wallen.
The Reds continued to knock on the door and Wallen had an opportunity himself after providing one for Simoes. The ball fell kindly for the midfielder on the edge of the box, but his low drive found the wrong side of the post.

After a brief spell camped inside their own half, Bradford began to demonstrate the threat they possess going forward. Lewis Knight drifted into space on the right-hand side of the box and left the woodwork shaking with a well-struck effort.
The difficult conditions stifled the frontlines of the two sides as the strikers were given little in the way of service. Through balls and crosses hung in the air or stuck in the mud of the pitch.

When the hosts did advance into the opposition’s box, they failed to keep their composure and Conor Branson lifted over the crossbar from the left-hand side of the box after Lloyd Allinson held Jake Beesley’s header.

A player renowned for the clinical nature of his finishing, Oli Johnson, did eventually break the deadlock with a low strike that rolled through a sea of bodies and nestled in the bottom corner.

However, former Bradford forward Chris Sharp etched his name on the scoresheet to put F.C United back on level terms. On the stroke of half-time, he cut in from the left and rifled into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 F.C United of Manchester

Kurt Willoughby called Drench into action immediately after the restart, drawing a save with a low drive on the turn.

Drench’s opposite number, Allinson, then had to be alert to deny Branson with a fantastic save.

The Reds’ goalkeeper then breathed a sigh of relief when Knight’s swerving effort found the wrong side of the post.

Two goals in quick succession put F.C United ahead shortly after the hour mark. Jack Banister found the top corner in sensational fashion, just two minutes before Willoughby fired into the bottom corner after a mazy run down the left flank.

The visitors weren’t allowed to cruise until the final whistle as Bradford piled pressure on the leaders. They were eventually rewarded for their pressure when Knight found the top corner with a stunning free-kick, ensuring that the late stages would be nervy for Neil Reynolds’ side.

Ryan Toulson delivered for Beesley as the final whistled approached, but the forward fired high and wide under pressure from Zehn Mohammed.

Substitute Adam Nowakowski came close in the first minute of stoppage time, but his powerful strike was beaten away by Allinson.
A late corner was only cleared as far as Nicky Wroe on the edge of the box and the midfielder was visibly frustrated when his deflected effort struck the crossbar.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-3 F.C United of Manchester

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson (Nowakowski 71’), Lowe, Wroe, Killock (c), Ross, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson, McKenna (Hurst 69’).
Unused substitutes: Atkinson, Dawson.

F.C United of Manchester: Allinson, Morton, O’Halloran, Mohammed, Sass-Dabies, Wallen, Simoes (Potts 83’), Winter (c), Willoughby, Sharp (Crawford 90+5’), Banister (Brierley 90+2’).
Unused substitutes: Senior, Palinkas.

Referee: Andrew Kitchen
Attendance: 713

A clinical Stockport County reduced the gap between themselves and second-placed Bradford (Park Avenue) in the table to a solitary point with a convincing 3-0 victory at Edgeley Park.

The hosts made a dream start, firing themselves into the lead after just five minutes. Matty Warburton found space on the edge of the box before unleashing a left-footed strike that found the bottom corner.

Bursting with confidence, the Hatters showed no reluctance to pile bodies forward and threatened to double their lead on numerous occasions in the early stages.

Jack Atkinson had to be alert to prevent Warburton notching his second, diving to hold on to a powerful drive from the Stockport forward.

The young stopper was then relieved to see Darren Stephenson’s speculative strike find the wrong side of the woodwork after the winger skipped past Ryan Toulson.

Former Bradford loanee Frank Mulhern also came close to etching his name on the scoresheet, diving to meet Scott Duxbury’s delivery but heading wide.

The visitors began to recover from the early blow as the half progressed and carved open some opportunites of their own.

Nicky Clee’s drilled effort flew past the post after the midfielder was teed up by Oli Johnson and Conor Branson saw a glancing header held on to by Ben Hinchliffe.

The hosts, however, continued to threaten and Adam Thomas was unlucky to see his close-range header palmed away from danger in impressive fashion by Atkinson.

In a frantic end to the first-half, both sides went for the jugular. Hinchliffe pushed Nicky Wroe’s effort wide after Jake Beesley’s shot was blocked by Ashley Palmer.

Stockport winger Adam Thomas then tucked the ball away in the bottom corner, but the goal was ruled out when the linesman penalised Mulhern for straying offside.

Former Hatters defender Mark Ross came close to netting against his former employers in the late stages, seeing his powerful header plucked out of the bottom corner by Hinchliffe.

HALF-TIME: Stockport County 1-0 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Atkinson was thrust into action immediately after the restart, being forced to make impressive stops to deny Warburton and Stephenson in quick succession.

The resulting corner was delivered by Duxbury and found Palmer, who headed wide after escaping his marker.

Bradford found themselves camped in their own half but launched a swift counter-attack when Lewis Knight burst down the right flank. Stephenson, however, managed to shepherd the forward wide, forcing his shot to come from a tight angle and making the save a routine one for Hinchliffe.

The hosts eventually doubled their lead when Stephenson’s low shot from just inside the 18-yard box nestled in the bottom corner, despite Atkinson getting a fingertip to the ball.

Six minutes later, the Hatters added to their advantage in bizarre circumstances. Mulhern emerged from behind Atkinson as he prepared to punt forward, stole possession and tucked away in a vacated net.

The lead was almost further extended almost immediately after the third goal when Warburton’s long-range strike left the crossbar shaking.

The visitors failed to mount a comeback as Stockport retained their control of what evolved into a one-sided affair.

Jim Gannon’s side even enjoyed more opportunites in the late stages and Nicky Wroe had to lunge to block Sam Minihan’s powerful drive.

Wroe did catch a glimpse of goal himself in stoppage time but his speculative strike lacked the power required to trouble Hinchliffe, who held.

With the full-time whistle set to blow, Dimaio’s swerving effort whistled past the post, to the relief of a diving Atkinson.

FULL-TIME: Stockport County 3-0 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Stockport County: Hinchliffe, Minihan, Duxbury, Keane, Palmer, Stott, Thomas, Turnbull (c) (Osborne 71’), Mulhern (Bell 79’), Warburton (Dimaio 81’) Stephenson.
Unused substitutes: Cowan, Ormson.
Bradford (Park Avenue): Atkinson, Toulson, Lowe, Hurst (Nowakowski 64’), Killock (c), Ross, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson (McKenna 45’), Clee (Wroe 30’).
Unused substitutes: Drench, Spencer.
Referee: John Matthews
Attendance: 4,105 (136 away)

Bradford (Park Avenue) were condemned to their first league defeat since October 2018 by Guiseley, in a Yorkshire derby somewhat marred by controversy.

In contrasting fashion to the Boxing Day encounter, Guiseley carved open more opportunities than Bradford did in the early stages.

An in-swinging delivery from Alex Purver caused chaos in the box and Will Thornton and Kingsley James both saw efforts blocked in the midst of a goalmouth scramble.

Thornton came close again moments later, sending a glancing header agonisingly wide of the post after Andrew Halls delivered from the right.

Bradford, however, grew into the game and began to cause problems of their own as the half progressed.
Jake Beesley nodded into the path of Oli Johnson, who drew a save from Marcus Dewhurst with a low drive.
The visitors were then given another scare when Lewis Knight’s cross struck the crossbar before dropping behind for a goal-kick.

Guiseley remained in contention despite an increase in the frequency of Bradford’s attacks and another goalmouth scramble ensued on the half-hour mark. Several players saw shots blocked before Oli Johnson managed to blast clear.

Lions stopper Dewhurst was forced to pull off a magnificent save to deny Beesley, tipping his flicked header over the woodwork after the striker met Nicky Clee’s long-throw.

Minutes after his throw teed up Beesley, Clee found himself furiously appealing for a penalty after being bundled to the ground by Kingsley James. Despite the protests from an incensed group of Bradford players, the referee deemed the incident to have taken place outside of the box.

The deadlock was broken by Guiseley on the stroke of half-time when Kayode Odejayi met Alex Purver’s free-kick delivery and nodded beyond the outstretched glove of Drench.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-1 Guiseley

Dewhurst was called into action early in the first-half, being forced to deny Beesley with his left leg after the forward burst into the box and struck low.

The pinpoint accuracy of Purver’s crosses continued to cause Bradford problems in the second-half and he found Rowan Liburd with a particularly impressive one. The forward leapt above his marker to meet the delivery but directed his header wide.

Former Nethermoor favourite Johnson drew level with 25 minutes remaining on the clock, steering home from close-range after the ball fell kindly to him inside the box.

However, celebrations were short-lived as Guiseley’s advantage was restored just five minutes later. Liburd advanced before flicking beyond Drench and into the bottom corner.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Bradford substitute Jamie Spencer was shown a second yellow card following a scuffle with Niall Heaton. To the fury of the home supporters, the Lions defender didn’t receive his marching orders for his involvement in the fracas.

The ten-man hosts failed to trouble the visitors in the late stages, miscuing crosses and shots whilst struggling to find any sort of rhythm.

Guiseley’s lead was almost added to on the stroke of full-time, but Mark Ross denied Liburd with an excellent block in the 6-yard box.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-2 Guiseley

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson (Nowakowski 80’), Lowe, Hurst (Spencer 50’), Ross, Havern, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson (c) (McKenna 82’), Clee.

Unused substitutes: Wroe, Killock.

Guiseley: Dewhurst, Moyo, Heaton, Purver, Thornton, Halls (c), Odejayi, James, Liburd, Hatfield, Smith (Felix 85’).

Unused substitutes: Green, Walsh, Walters, Clayton.

Referee: Paul Brown

Attendance: 665

Bradford (Park Avenue) extended their unbeaten league run to eleven games with a 2-2 draw against Boston United.

The high-flying visitors raced out of the blocks, heaping pressure on a Boston side that seemed shell-shocked by the early bombardment of attacks.

Oli Johnson was denied by Pilgrims stopper George Willis at close-range before Alex Hurst’s follow-up was hooked off the line in dramatic fashion.

Lewis Knight demonstrated his willingness to drive at Boston’s backline with an incisive dart that took him past Ashley Jackson, but his low cross was collected by Willis.

The onslaught continued, and Johnson was unlucky to see his cross fail to be capitalised upon after reaching the byline and firing across the face of goal.

The Bradford talisman then saw a close-range effort kept out by the right leg of Willis before Nicky Wroe’s follow-up found the wrong side of the crossbar.

Willis was called into action again soon after, being forced to push Gianluca Havern’s header wide after the defender had connected with Lewis Knight’s free-kick delivery.

Boston did enjoy an opportunity of their own on the half-hour mark, but Gavin Allott’s shot from inside the 18-yard box cannoned off the outstretched leg of a sliding Shane Killock.

The visitors were rewarded for the intense pressure heaped upon the hosts in the 35th minute when Knight opened the scoring in sensational fashion. The in-form marksman lifted the ball over the head of Willis from a long-range free-kick to send the travelling supporters into a frenzy.

He then came close to doubling his and the team’s tally, but his chipped effort found the wrong side of the woodwork.

HALF-TIME: Boston United 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Bradford were delivered an early blow in the second-half when Killock was adjudged to have fouled Nicky Walker inside the box. Ben Davies stepped up and converted despite Drench getting a fingertip to the effort.

Three minutes later, Max Wright fired the Pilgrims into the lead with a deflected strike that wrong-footed a helpless Drench.

The double salvo rallied Boston, who began to take control of an affair that Bradford dominated in the first-half.

Ryan Qualter nodded over the woodwork after connecting with Davies’ delivery, moments before Jay Rollins found Wright with an inch-perfect cross and the midfielder rattled the crossbar with a header.

Substitute Jordan Slew almost made an immediate impact following his introduction, drawing an impressive stop from Drench with a low drive from the left-hand side of the box.

Allott then tried his luck from close-range but was thwarted by Danny Lowe, who made a superb block.

Bradford launched a swift counter-attack as they hunted for an equaliser and Adam Nowakowski skipped past two players as he accelerated down the right flank. He squared to Beesley, who struck into the midriff of Willis and could only watch as Hurst followed up and fired over the crossbar.

Beesley was thwarted again just two minutes later as Willis tipped his powerful header wide at full stretch.

A scramble in the box saw several Bradford players desperately swing their foot at the ball as it bounced around, but Qualter hacked clear.

Deep into stoppage time, a point was salvaged when Ben McKenna burst forward and drilled past Willis with admirable composure.

FULL-TIME: Boston United 2-2 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Boston United: Willis, Davies, Jackson, Thanoj, Gibbens, Qualter, Wright, Abbott, Allott, Rollins (Slew 69’), Walker (Wafula 83’).

Unused substitutes: Chisholm, Rowe.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe, Wroe (Clee 76’), Killock (c), Havern, Knight, Branson, Beesley, Johnson (Nowakowski 72’), Hurst (McKenna 82’).

Unused substitutes: Toulson, Spencer.

Referee: David McNamara

Bradford Park Avenue’s Boxing Day clash with mid-table outfit Guiseley AFC was not one that disappointed the fans who made the trip to Nethermoor.

Jake Beesley celebrates his first goal of the afternoon – Photo by John Rhodes

Captain Oli Johnson opened the proceedings on 3 minutes after latching on to a pass from Alex Hurst, calmly slotting the ball past Joe Green who was in between the sticks for Guiseley. Then, on 19 minutes, Jake Beesley made it two for Avenue after he collected a long ball by Knight and powered home for his first of the afternoon.

8 minutes later, Jake Beesley notched his second of the game after deftly lifting the ball over the onrushing Green. This goal saw Avenue race into a three-goal lead on 27 minutes, surely a dream return to Nethermoor for Mark Bower. A few vital stops from Steve Drench against Guiseley danger man Rowan Liburd and penalty appeals from Guiseley waved away by referee Dean Watson saw Avenue through to half time with a three-goal advantage over the home side.

Half Time: Guiseley 0 – 3 Bradford

Avenue, again, were quick from the restart when on 54 minutes they were awarded a penalty. Beesley confidently stepped up and although Green got a strong hand to it, it was not enough to deny the number 9 converting and completing his hat-trick.

4 minutes later, another astounding run from Alex Hurst and the resulting shot saw Avenue awarded with a corner, from which Conor Branson bundled home Bradford’s 5th of the afternoon. Around 10 minutes later, in the 67th, Guiseley pulled one back after a loose ball from a goal mouth scramble was fired home by Alex Purver.

Just 2 minutes after conceding, Gianluca Havern was then shown a red card after a late challenge. With that, Avenue had to play out the final 20 minutes of the game with 10-men. Luckily for Avenue, a Guiseley comeback was well out of question, all-be-it more vital saves from Drench made absolutely sure of this.

Finally, after 3 minutes of additional time, the referee drew proceedings to a close at Nethermoor, and the game ended with Bradford Park Avenue claiming a 5-1 victory over the home side and maintaining their position at the top of the table.

Full Time: Guiseley 1 – 5 Bradford

Next Saturday’s fixture sees Bradford face up against Boston United away at the Jakemans Stadium. K.O: 3pm

Bradford (Park Avenue) returned to the league summit with a hard-fought victory over Hereford.

The visitors were given an early scare when Lewis Knight delivered from the right and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd’s misdirected header cannoned off the crossbar.

Nicky Wroe then tried his luck from distance but saw his swerving effort fly wide.
George Lloyd was the first Hereford player to catch a glimpse of goal and his shot was struck with venom, but the ball whistled narrowly wide of the post.

The hosts then had the ball in the back of the net when Oli Johnson swivelled and lashed past Matt Yates. However, to the dismay of the home supporters, the linesman’s flag appeared, and the goal was ruled out for offside.
Both sides continued to throw caution to the wind in the first-half and there was little reluctance to attack. A neat exchange between Tom Owen-Evans and Kyle Finn created space for the former to shoot but his effort was blocked by the outstretched boot of Mark Ross.

Nicky Wroe then saw a shot blocked on the stroke of half-time after skipping past two players and pulling the trigger.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-0 Hereford

Drench had to be alert to deny Hereford marksman Kyle Finn immediately after the restart, holding on to a thunderous strike from the forward.

Bradford then threatened with a swift counter-attack, which saw Oli Johnson thread through to an advancing Jake Beesley. The loanee skipped past Yates but was edged wide and blazed over the crossbar.
Johnson created an opportunity for himself by racing past Greenslade and making an incisive dart into the box, but his shot was lifted over the woodwork.

Despite Bradford’s pressure, the Bulls remained in contention and went close through George Lloyd. The forward drifted into space but his curling effort found the wrong side of the post.

The hosts broke the deadlock with twenty minutes remaining when Knight capitalised on a defensive mix-up to burst into the box and tap into a vacated net.

Despite having a deficit to overturn, Hereford failed to produce a response as the Bradford backline remained sturdy.
Penalty appeals were dismissed in stoppage time as Hereford players surrounded the referee, believing that James Roberts had been fouled inside the box.

Bradford were then appealing for a penalty of their own when Beesley was felled but the official, once again, ignored the protests.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Hereford

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson, Lowe, Wroe (Spencer 77’), Ross, Havern, Knight (McKenna 81’), Branson, Beesley, Johnson (c) (Killock 90+4’), Clee.

Unused substitutes: Dawson, Hurst.

Hereford: Yates, Thomas, Greenslade, O’Sullivan, Cullinane-Liburd (c), Gowling, Dinsley, Owen-Evans, Finn (Roberts 72’), Lloyd (Dielna 84’), Symons.

Unused substitutes: Murphy, Wharton, Horsell.

Referee: Adam Herczog

Attendance: 448

Bradford (Park Avenue) were denied victory by a stunning strike from Southport’s Bradley Bauress in a 2-2 draw at the Horsfall Stadium.

The early stages yielded little in the way of entertainment as both sides wrestled with the conditions and struggled to find any rhythm.

However, the visitors pounced in the 13th minute to edge themselves ahead. Dean Winnard connected with Bradley Bauress’ corner delivery and directed his header past a helpless Steven Drench.

The goal rallied Bradford, who struck back through Conor Branson just four minutes later. The returning midfielder dived to meet Lewis Knight’s free-kick delivery before heading into the bottom corner.

With the wind in their sails, Bradford began to attack with an increased sense of urgency and a quicker tempo. Knight sent a shot wide of the post from the right-hand side of the box and Conor Branson saw a header saved by Daniel Hanford after connecting with Nicky Wroe’s free-kick delivery.

Southport dealt with the onslaught and aimed to ask questions of the Bradford backline with swiftly-launched counter-attacks. A neat exchange between Jordan Archer and Dion Charles provided the latter with the opportunity to test Drench but he failed to do so, firing over the crossbar.

Archer then found himself on the end of an inch-perfect cross from Jordan Richards, but he headed wide after escaping Gianluca Havern in the box.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Southport

The first opportunity of the second-half fell to Southport skipper David Morgan, but Drench pushed his long-range effort wide and the resulting corner was cleared.

Morgan then saw a speculative effort from an even greater distance sail over the woodwork.
Beesley then found himself one-on-one with Hanford after a deflected pass from Nicky Clee put the ball in the forward’s path. The ball, however, ran out of play after Beesley knocked the ball to the side of an on-rushing Hanford.

Danny Lowe then had his blushes spared by Drench, who made a magnificent save to prevent the defender’s misdirected header nestling in Bradford’s own net.

The hosts took the lead in the 74th minute through stand-in skipper Oli Johnson, who raced away from Richards and steered past Hanford from the left-hand side of the box.

The Sandgrounders took just three minutes to produce a response and did so in sensational fashion. A stunning long-range strike from Bauress levelled proceedings after nestling in the bottom corner.

Southport substitute Devarn Green then demonstrated some deft footwork on the right flank before teeing up Charles, but the midfielder blasted over.

Both sides continued to hunt for the elusive winning goal but neither managed to make a breakthrough. Adam Nowakowski was denied by Hanford at close-range and Marcus Wood’s audacious piledriver flew narrowly wide before the referee blew the final whistle.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-2 Southport

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Toulson, Lowe, Wroe (Spencer 82’), Ross, Havern, Knight, Beesley, Johnson (c), Clee (Nowakowski 71’).

Unused substitutes: Dawson, Hurst, McKenna.

Southport: Hanford, Richards, Ogle, Edwards, Winnard, Morgan (c), Charles, Wood, Gilchrist (Green 62’), Archer (Sampson 72’), Bauress.

Unused substitutes: Homson-Smith, Mueller, Parry.

Referee: Tom Parsons