The club are running a supporters coach to the FC United game on Sunday 2nd September. Current prices are set at £12 for adults & £8 for under 16’s. However if we can get another 10 fans to fill a 49 seat coach the prices will drop to £10 for adults and £5 for under 16’s. Please note prices will only drop if all 49 seats are sold. Pick up times are 12:00 from the Horsfall Stadium and 12:15 from Cedar Court.
To book your seat please contact Neil Fawcett on 07811959003.
Bradford (Park Avenue) edged past Boston United to pick up their fifth win of the 2018/19 campaign.
The opening stages provided little in the way of entertainment, and it seemed like the two sides were feeling each other out in the opening exchanges.
The game suddenly burst into life in the 14th minute, when the hosts were awarded a penalty.
Oli Johnson slid the ball into the path of an on-rushing Conor Branson, who had made a late surge into the box. Former Bradford defender Ryan Qualter brought Branson down, allowing Oli Johnson to step up and convert from 12-yards.
The goal breathed new life into Bradford but also lit a spark in Boston, creating a much more entertaining affair.
Pilgrims stopper George Willis had to vacate the six-yard box in order to thwart Jake Beesley, who slipped in behind the Boston defence but couldn’t reach the ball ahead of the visitors’ goalkeeper.
After Nicky Wroe felled Brad Abbott on the edge of the box, Jack Marriott was given the opportunity to test Bradford with a free-kick. His deflected shot fell at the feet of Jonny Margetts, who after losing his footing, knocked the ball towards a grateful Steven Drench.
Wroe then split open the Boston defence with an exquisite through ball, but Beesley dragged his effort wide.
The on-loan marksman makes a habit of being in the right place at the right time, and he was alert to meet Wroe’s deflected free-kick. However, with bodies surrounding him, he poked wide.
Boston’s Margetts found himself in a similar position moments later, as Nicky Walker’s free-kick found its way to him after cannoning off the crossbar. Luca Havern did well to edge the winger wide, causing him to fire into the side-netting.
The Pilgrims found the side-netting again barely a minute later as Jack Marriott accelerated away from Mark Ross but couldn’t finish.
On the stroke of half-time, a delivery from Lewis Knight caused chaos and both Beesley and Wroe had shots blocked.
HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Boston United
The visitors were quick out of the blocks after the interval and Drench was forced to beat away a close-range header from Spencer Harris.
Bradford, however, almost caught Boston out with a swift counter-attack that resulted in Jamie Spencer coming close to doubling the hosts’ lead. Knight delivered from the right, but Spencer could only watch as his header clipped the post on its way wide.
Another quick break-away almost provided Bradford supporters with the second goal they craved, but Beesley fired wide after combining well with Johnson.
Veteran striker Craig Westcarr, formerly of Portsmouth and Walsall, was introduced on the hour mark and almost made an immediate impact. He spun away from Nicky Clee and drilled across the face of goal, but fellow substitute Cieron Keane failed to meet it.
As the hunt for an equaliser intensified, Bradford stopper Drench found himself being peppered with shots. The goalkeeper, however, is in a rich vein of form and continued to impress with saves to deny Walker and Andi Thanoj.
Keane and Westcarr had made Boston a much more dangerous attacking force following their introductions. The former nodded into the path of the latter but Westcarr blasted wide under pressure from Havern.
The Pilgrims seemingly ran out of steam as the final whistle approached and Bradford were successful in pinning the visitors in their own half for prolonged spells.
They eventually broke out of their own half and won a free-kick when Thanoj was tripped, but the midfielder’s chipped effort flew wide.
FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Boston United
Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Clee, Branson, Killock (c), Havern, Wroe, Knight (Nowakowski 74’), Beesley, Johnson (Toulson 82’), Spencer (Dawson 66’).
Unused substitutes: Atkinson, Boshell.
Boston United: Willis (c), Davies, Gough, Thanoj, Harris, Qualter, Wafula (Johnson 80’), Abbott, Marriott (Westcarr 61’), Margetts (Keane 61’), Walker.
Unused substitutes: Middleton, Lees.
Referee: Dean Hulme
Report: Tom Coates
Bradford (Park Avenue) jumped to third in the National League North table after seeing off Hereford at Edgar Street.
It was Bradford’s fourth win in six games, and the West Yorkshire side swept aside the fancied hosts with another encouraging display.
Mark Bower made two changes from the side that held Stockport County, reinstating Nicky Wroe to the starting eleven and handing Lewis Knight his first start. Ben McKenna withdrew from the squad altogether with an injury and Chris Dawson had to settle for a place on the bench. In a formation that would infuriate kit number traditionalists, Wroe lined-up in central midfield despite sporting the number seven shirt and Knight operated on the right flank whilst wearing number eight.
The hosts started brightly, and Johnson had to make a crucial interception to prevent Mike McGrath’s pass reaching an on-rushing Harry White. Moments later, Lewis Knight had to blast clear as an advancing Jordan Liburd came close to connecting with a cross from the right.
White then nodded into the path of Eliot Richards, who arrived in the box unmarked but skewed wide.
The Bulls threatened again but once again failed to convert as Keyon Reffell failed to reach McGrath’s delivery ahead of Mark Ross.
The hosts had ventured forward on numerous occasions without troubling Steven Drench and the best opportunity of the opening twenty minutes fell to the visitors. Martin Horsell was forced to tip a powerful header from Oli Johnson over crossbar at point blank range and it proved to be the catalyst for a shift in momentum.
Wroe delivered from the right and found Conor Branson, who powered a header past Horsell in the Hereford goal.
McGrath sent a free-kick into the clutches of Drench barely a minute later as the hunt for an equaliser before the interval began. After Luca Havern challenged Jordan Lam strongly, the rebound fell to Danny Greenslade and the left-back forced Drench to push his thunderous effort wide.
Greenslade and Lam then combined well to release the former, but his cross was blocked by a back-tracking Johnson.
Greenslade accelerated down the left flank again as Hereford searched for the elusive equaliser and unleashed a vicious strike after cutting in, but was thwarted by Drench’s excellent save.
With half-time approaching, Jamie Spencer unleashed a thunderous effort of his own from around 30-yards out but watched as it whistled over the woodwork.
HALF-TIME: Hereford 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)
Johnson cut open Hereford’s defence within minutes of the restart. He threaded through to Jake Beesley, only for the forward to be dispossessed by a recovering Ryan Green before he could pull the trigger.
Hereford, however, broke quickly and Drench had to be alert to palm Harry White’s effort wide.
The lively Johnson was a persistent thorn in the Bulls’ side and became more dangerous as the second-half progressed. He skipped past Greenslade with ease and delivered from the left, but Beesley failed to wriggle away from Jordan Liburd and the opposition’s captain cleared.
Calvin Dinsley had been introduced before the half-time interval and found McGrath in space with an inch-perfect pass, only for the midfielder to lose his footing and allow Shane Killock to clear.
Branson almost scored his second headed goal of the game on the hour mark, but his powerful effort was tipped over the crossbar by Horsell.
Despite having a lead to protect, the visitors remained keen to pile bodies forward when in possession and continued to enjoy opportunites as the game entered its final 25 minutes.
Beesley escaped his marker to slip in behind the Bulls backline, but saw a drilled effort beaten away by Horsell.
Barely 30 seconds later, a goal was nearly gifted to Mark Bower’s side. Keiran Thomas’ tame back pass was latched on to by Beesley, but the loanee failed to maintain his composure and blazed over.
Danny Boshell was introduced in the 76th minute and after just three minutes on the pitch, he won a penalty for his side. McGrath clipped the veteran’s ankles, giving Johnson the opportunity to step up and convert from 12-yards. The Bradford man did just that, steering the ball past Horsell to double the visitors’ advantage.
An instant reply was required to give the hosts a chance of salvaging a point, but Jamie Bird sent a volley wide after the ball fell kindly for the substitute on the edge of the box.
McGrath tried his luck from a similar position, but saw his left-footed strike saved by a seemingly unstoppable Drench.
The stopper was eventually beaten, as White made no mistake from the penalty spot after Ross had collided with Bird.
Hereford rallied, but White’s low drive from the right-hand side of the box was beaten away by Drench and it proved to be the final opportunity of the game.
FULL-TIME: Hereford 1-2 Bradford (Park Avenue)
Hereford: Horsell, Thomas, Greenslade (L. Smith 64′), Murphy, Green, Liburd (c), Reffell (Dinsley 35′), Richards, White, McGrath, Lam (Bird 61′).
Unused substitutes: H. Smith, Mayebi.
Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Clee, Branson, Killock (c), Havern, Wroe, Knight (Nowakowski 84′), Beesley, Johnson (Dawson 90+3′), Spencer (Boshell 76′)
Unused substitutes: Toulson, Atkinson.
Referee: Richard Gardner
Report: Tom Coates
Bradford (Park Avenue) visit the side that sit one place above them in the league table this afternoon as Hereford provide the opposition in the club’s sixth game of the season.
The two sides are both level on ten points having both enjoyed promising starts to the 2018/19 campaign. Known as ‘the Bulls’, they kick-started their season with a 3-0 win over Blyth Spartans, a win that was followed by a draw with Nuneaton Borough. They then returned to winning ways, edging past Curzon Ashton and Leamington before league pacemakers Chorley inflicted defeat on Peter Beadle’s side.
Bradford suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Leamington after wins over Brackley Town and Blyth Spartans, but bounced back to accumulate four points from clashes with Spennymoor Town and Stockport County.
GUIDE TO THE OPPONENTS:
The Gaffer:
Peter Beadle
When Hereford F.C were born out of the ashes of the dissolved Hereford United, Beadle became the newly-formed club’s first-ever manager. He had previously worked as Director of Youth Football at Hereford United and also enjoyed a stint as Caretaker Manager. Beadle has also managed Taunton Town, Newport County and Clevedon Town. A treble-winner in his first season as manager of the Bulls, Beadle has guided Hereford to three consecutive promotions and is now on the hunt for a fourth.
The former forward hung up his boots in 2005, having played over 350 professional games. He started his career with Gillingham, impressing enough to earn a move to Tottenham Hotspur in 1992. The Lambeth-born forward failed to make a single competitive appearance at White Hart Lane and moved on after loan spells with Bournemouth and Southend United. He struggled during a spell at Watford but found form at Bristol Rovers, making more than 100 appearances for the club before departing for Port Vale. A brief stint with Notts County followed before Beadle returned to Bristol, this time arriving at Ashton Gate to represent his former side’s rivals, Bristol City. After making 82 appearances for the Robins, he spent time with Brentford, Barnet, Team Bath and Clevedon Town before retiring.
One To Watch:
Harry White
An experienced player despite his tender age, White has enjoyed a stellar start to the season. The 23-year-old opened his account on the opening day against Blyth Spartans and went on to notch against Curzon Ashton and Leamington. An industrious forward, he cut his teeth in non-league football after being released by Coventry City, plying his trade with a string of sides including Coventry Sphinx and Banbury United. He then moved to the USA but returned to England in 2014, joining Gloucester City. White demonstrated enough potential to earn a move to Barnsley, but made just two first-team appearances and made more of an impact during loan spells with Kidderminster Harriers and Boreham Wood. The forward left Oakwell in 2016, and represented Solihull Moors and Chester before sealing a move to Edgar Street in the summer of 2018.
Supporters coach departure times:
Horsfall Stadium: 8:30am
Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford: 8:45am
Alternatively, you can keep up with action by following @BPAFCOfficial on Twitter.
A late equaliser from substitute Adam Nowakowski salvaged a point for Bradford (Park Avenue) after Matty Warburton’s moment of magic had given Stockport County the lead.
Stockport supporters travelled in their numbers and were treated to a first-half display full of attacking intent from their side.
This didn’t faze Bradford, who did excellently to nullify the threat of the visitors’ attacking contingent.
Sam Minihan proved dangerous down the right flank, particularly in the first-half, and he found Jake Kirby with a cross after a marauding run. Kirby swivelled and shot but was denied by Steven Drench.
Former Bradford loanee Frank Mulhern was named in Stockport’s staring eleven on his return to the Horsfall, but he was forced off with an injury after just nine minutes following a collision with Shane Killock.
Minihan continued to threaten, skipping past Nicky Clee and pulling back to Matty Warburton, whose shot was deflected wide by Conor Branson.
Bradford did have opportunites of their own but didn’t trouble Ben Hinchliffe and failed to register a shot on target in the entirety of the first-half. A speculative effort from Ben McKenna flew wide and Oli Johnson miscued a cross after advancing into the 18-yard box.
The Hatters looked certain to break the deadlock when Kirby latched on to a perfectly weighted pass from Conor Dimaio, but he saw his powerful strike palmed wide by Drench.
Nicky Clee felled Kirby inside the 18-yard box to give Warburton the chance to convert from 12-yards, but Drench dived to his left and held the tame effort.
HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-0 Stockport County
Defensive lynchpin Luca Havern did excellently to thwart Minihan after the break, steering his cross behind for a corner as Sam Walker lurked.
Bradford registered their first shot on target in the 52nd minute, but Chris Dawson’s audacious volley was held by Hinchliffe.
Branson then had to be alert to prevent a Kirby cross reaching Dimaio, who had advanced into dangerous territory and was preparing to shoot.
The energetic Jamie Spencer looked to rally Bradford, darting forward and shooting but watching the effort cannon off the back of Jordan Keane before being cleared.
Ben McKenna provided an outlet for the hosts throughout but really hit his stride in the final fifteen minutes. His teasing delivery found Jake Beesley, but the forward sent a glancing header wide.
With twelve minutes remaining, the Hatters took the lead as Warburton found the top corner with a sensational strike from distance.
Bradford responded by piling bodies forward, and deployed the towering Adam Nowakowski as a makeshift striker. The decision was rewarded when Nowakowski put the hosts back on level terms, steering home after meeting a Beesley delivery from the left.
FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Stockport County
Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Clee, Branson, Killock (c), Havern, McKenna, Dawson (Wroe 53′), Beesley, Johnson (Knight 58′), Spencer (Nowakowski 71′).
Unused substitutes: Atkinson, Boshell.
Stockport County: Hinchliffe, Minihan, Askew, Keane, Smalley, Walker, Dimaio (Mantack 75′), Turnbull (c), Mulhern (Bell 9′), Warburton, Kirby (Stephenson 63′).
Unused substitutes: Cowan, Ormson.
Attendance: 825
Referee: James Bell
Bradford (Park Avenue) welcome a side that carry a lot of expectation on their shoulders to the Horsfall Stadium this afternoon as Stockport County provide the opposition.
Boasting a squad brimming with talent, the Hatters are among the favourites to gain promotion this season after losing narrowly to Chorley in the elimination round of last season’s play-offs.
They kick-started their 2018/19 campaign in style, convincingly disposing of F.C United of Manchester on the opening day with an emphatic 5-1 win. A defeat to York City followed, but Jim Gannon’s side put Southport to the sword after a late winner from former Republic of Ireland under-21 international Conor Dimaio. Guiseley visited Edgeley Park on Tuesday, holding the Hatters to a 1-1 draw.
County triumphed on their last visit to the Horsfall back in March 2018, as a crowd of 1,044 watched midfielder James Ball claim a 3-2 win for the visitors with a stoppage-time volley.
Today’s opponents will be keen to start showing consistency as they look to establish themselves as front-runners in the promotion race, but will be facing a confident Bradford.
The hosts have won three of their opening four games, and are yet to concede at the Horsfall Stadium following 1-0 wins over Brackley Town and Spennymoor Town at their West Yorkshire home.
There are several ex-Hatters in the Bradford squad, including Mark Ross, Gianluca Havern, Danny Boshell, Ben McKenna and Oli Johnson.
GUIDE TO THE OPPONENTS:
The Gaffer:
Jim Gannon
Gannon is currently enjoying his third spell as Stockport manager, having previously taken the reigns between 2005 and 2009, and 2011 and 2013. He led the Hatters to promotion from League Two via the play-offs in 2008 and kept the club afloat in League One despite a ten-point deduction. Gannon has experience of managing in the Championship following a spell in charge of Peterborough United in 2010, and has also managed Dundalk, Motherwell, Port Vale and Northwich Victoria. As a player, he made over 350 appearances for Stockport and also played in Yorkshire with Sheffield United and Halifax Town.
One To Watch:
Frank Mulhern
Bradford supporters are already aware of the talent possessed by 21-year-old Mulhern, who helped fire the club into to the play-offs during a loan spell at the Horsfall Stadium last season. A pacey and powerful forward, he can also operate on the wing and was utilised in both positions by Mark Bower during his time in Bradford. He dropped into non-league football with Guiseley after leaving Huddersfield Town, who swooped for him after his shock departure from Leeds United. After finding first-team opportunities at Nethermoor limited, he spent time on loan at Harrogate Town and Alfreton Town before joining Bradford on a temporary basis in February 2018. The former Republic of Ireland youth international was quickly off the mark for his new club, netting Stockport’s first in a 5-1 drubbing of F.C United of Manchester on the opening day.
Admission Prices:
Adults: £12
Concessions: £9
Students: £7
Under-16s: £2
Bradford (Park Avenue) goalkeeper Steven Drench has claimed that he and his teammates are relishing the prospect of another tough game ahead of Stockport County’s visit tomorrow.
The experienced stopper has kept clean sheets in both of the club’s home wins so far, and was particularly impressive on Tuesday night as he proved to be a thorn in the side of Spennymoor Town’s attacking contingent.
Speaking after the 1-0 victory over the Moors, Drench discussed the the importance of the win, the competitive nature of the division and the upcoming test against Stockport.
“We came unstuck against Leamington on Saturday, so we wanted to put in a performance against Spennymoor and we have done,” explained the goalkeeper.
“We started the season by playing against sides that we’d like to think will be up there at the end of the season, but Leamington was a tough place to go as well. People assume, because of where they finished last season, that we had a right to go there and win but no team does.
“Anyone can beat anybody in this league and some of the results have showed that. With the exception of Chorley, no team has set the world alight and it just shows how tight the league will be this season.
It’s still early days and a lot of teams are still sussing out their best eleven. It’s a case of feeling each other out, but we’ve won three of our first four games and we’d have taken that if it was offered to us at the start of the season. We’re looking forward to another tough game on Saturday.”
Bradford face Stockport County at the Horsfall Stadium tomorrow, with the action kicking off at 3pm. Admission is priced at just £12 for adults, £9 for concessions, £7 for students and £2 for under-16s.
A decision has been taken to make the match fully segregated but will not be all ticket as per previous games over the last few seasons.
With full segregation in place, Avenue fans will only be able to enter the ground on the day of the match via the Cemetery Road turnstiles. We are also encouraging home fans not to use Park Road car park, as that is where visiting Stockport County supporters will be directed to.
The club will be implementing additional facilities to accommodate the Stockport supporters. There will be a separate beer tent, burger van, as well as portable toilets, located at the Park Road end of the ground. The club will also be running a card payment only turnstile to try and ease congestion around the turnstiles.
Home supporters will, as usual, have access to the clubhouse and in-house cafe, and will be able to view the match from the main stand, one half of the pavilion side, and the stand behind the goal.
Fans are asked to arrive at the ground early to avoid queues, and take up their position in plenty of time with seating especially limited.
Bradford (Park Avenue) produced the perfect response to Saturday’s humbling with a hard-fought win over promotion-chasing Spennymoor Town.
The Moors invested heavily in their squad over the summer and handed starts to former Bradford duo Rob Atkinson and Adam Boyes. However, it was their former employers that demonstrated a clinical edge and wrapped up a third win in four games.
The visitors dominated possession in the opening exchanges, and almost opened the scoring early on when Shane Henry latched on to a stray pass from Jake Beesley before sending a shot wide.
Despite spraying the ball around with relative comfort for large portions of the opening twenty minutes, Spennymoor never really troubled Steven Drench and resorted to audacious strikes from distance that the goalkeeper held.
Glen Taylor came closest, combining well with Rob Ramshaw but seeing his shot blocked by Luca Havern with Drench beaten.
Oli Johnson began to open the game up as his incisive runs down the left flank stretched the Spennymoor defence. He raced to the byline after skipping past Callum Williams but Ben McKenna couldn’t convert after connecting with the cross.
McKenna then turned provider with a teasing delivery from the right that found Beesley, but the forward flicked wide under pressure from Atkinson.
The hosts then won a free-kick barely an inch into the Moors’ half when Henry felled Chris Dawson. From the set-piece, the ball was worked out to the left where Johnson drilled a cross in from and picked out McKenna, who steered past Matthew Gould.
As momentum began to shift in the hosts’ favour, Gould became busier as shots rained down on the former Stourbridge stopper, who was a thorn in Bradford’s side during the FA Trophy clashes with his former employers last season.
A powerful drive from Conor Branson was palmed away by Gould whilst at full stretch and a cross from Johnson was deflected wide as Beesley arrived at the back post, ready to pounce.
Bradford were dealt a blow with seven minutes of the first-half remaining as Danny Lowe was forced off with an injury. The experienced Nicky Clee, however, had deputised at left-back on numerous occasions before and slotted in well as Lowe’s replacement.
Former Bradford marksman Boyes had the ball in the back of the net in the 41st minute and wheeled away to celebrate after meeting a Jamie Chandler cross and flicking past Drench. Luckily for the hosts, he had strayed offside and was penalised.
HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Spennymoor Town
Boyes slipped in behind the Bradford backline early on in the second-half, but fired straight into the clutches of Drench after escaping his marker.
Pressure began to mount on the hosts, with Moors manager Jason Ainsley’s half-time team talk clearly paying dividends.
The slicker Spennymoor side that had emerged after the interval went close again as Boyes cut back to Mark Anderson but could only watch as he lost his balance and passed the ball wide.
Taylor forced Drench to beat away a low-drilled effort from the right-hand side of the box and the goalkeeper then did to superbly to thwart Atkinson, palming away a header powered towards him after the defender connected with Anderson’s corner delivery.
The referee was forced to dismiss appeals for a Moors penalty in the 72nd minute after Taylor and Shane Killock collided in the box, with the former convinced he had been bundled over.
Jamie Spencer had provided a much-needed injection of energy upon his return to the starting eleven, and he was crucial as Bradford looked to relieve the intense pressure they were under in the late stages. The midfielder wriggled away from Chandler and almost found the bottom corner with an effort that flew narrowly wide before turning provider for McKenna, who rattled the post.
The hosts hammered the woodwork once again barely a minute later as Branson struck goal wards but was denied by the post.
Spencer flicked the ball into the path of Beesley with a clever header but James Curtis was on-hand to sweep up and hook away from danger.
Former Bradford loanee Jake Hibbs was introduced in the final ten minutes and almost made an instant impact, unleashing a venomous strike from distance that Drench had to be alert to get down to and hold.
The visitors piled bodies forward as the full-time whistle approached but shot themselves in the foot on numerous occasions by giving away cheap free-kicks with niggly fouls, stifling their own attacks.
FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 Spennymoor Town
Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe (Clee 38′), Branson, Killock (c), Havern, McKenna, Dawson (Wroe 64′), Beesley, Johnson (Nowakowski 90+3′), Spencer.
Unused substitutes: Boshell, Knight.
Spennymoor Town: Gould, Williams, Brogan, Chandler, Atkinson, Curtis (c), Boyes (Foley 79′), Henry (Hibbs 81′), Taylor, Anderson (Johnson 69′), Ramshaw.
Unused substitutes: Thackray, Elliott.
Referee: Barry Lamb
Attendance: 392
Report: Tom Coates
Bradford return to the Horsfall Stadium after two away trips to host the side that they pipped to the post in last season’s race for the final play-off spot.
Spennymoor Town crumbled as the finishing line approached in the 2017/18 season, allowing Mark Bower’s side to secure a 7th-placed finish on the final day in dramatic fashion.
The Moors, however, have invested heavily in their squad over the summer and are among the favourites for promotion this season.
Jason Ainsley’s side are yet to succumb to a defeat and will be hoping that their record remains unblemished after tonight’s fixture. Despite avoiding defeat against Chester, Darlington and Altrincham, Spennymoor failed to clinch victory in all three ties and find themselves two points adrift of their opponents for the evening, who sit in 6th despite losing to Leamington in their previous fixture.
Bradford will be keen to make the Horsfall Stadium a fortress this season after celebrating victory there on the opening day, and welcome sides to their West Yorkshire home in quick succession with Stockport County awaiting after tonight’s visit from Spennymoor.
Tonight’s hosts last welcomed the Moors to the Horsfall in January, and suffered a 2-1 defeat despite Nicky Clee’s second-half strike sparking hope of a comeback.
Two members of Bradford’s 2017/18 squad could feature for the opposition, with Rob Atkinson and Adam Boyes now plying their trade in County Durham. Former Bradford loanee Jake Hibbs also joined the Moors during the summer and could line-up against his former employers.
The signing of former Leeds United forward Lewis Knight was announced today and he could be in line for a debut after receiving international clearance.
GUIDE TO THE OPPONENTS:
The Gaffer:
Jason Ainsley
48-year-old Ainsley has been in charge at The Brewery Field since 2007, where he took the reigns after bringing his playing career to an end and enjoying a spell as Assistant Manager. He has delivered four promotions, five league titles, two domestic cups and lifted the FA Vase as manager in 2013. As a player, he captained Spennymoor and also represented the likes of Hartlepool United, Blyth Spartans and Barrow. The former midfielder also played in Singapore and Australia. The 2018/19 season marks his 12th in charge of the Moors, making him one of the longest-serving bosses in the country.
One To Watch:
Glen Taylor
The robust 28-year-old forward has already notched two goals this season, including a crucial equaliser in a 4-4 draw with Altrincham. Taylor has proven himself to be a prolific marksman, surpassing the 20-goal mark last season having netted 19 in the 2016/17 campaign. A former FA Vase winner with Whitley Bay, he scored over 100 goals during his spell with Ashington and spent time with Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy in the summer of 2017.
Admission:
Adults: £12
Concessions: £9
Students: £7
Under-18s: £2
