Dudley double salvages point for Salford

A late brace from substitute Anthony Dudley rescued a point for the league leaders Salford City after Avenue had taken a shock 2-0 lead.

Mark Bower placed emphasis upon experience with his team selection, bringing the seasoned trio of Matt Hill, Danny Boshell and Adam Nowakowski into the starting eleven. Shane Killock, Jamie Spencer and Dan Pybus dropped to the bench whilst Ryan Toulson was dropped from the squad altogether. Guiseley defender Rob Atkinson had joined the club on loan that day, and was thrust into the action with an immediate start for his new club.

Atkinson showed little hesitation in giving supporters a glimpse of what to expect from him in the early stages as his first touch in Avenue shirt came with a full blooded challenge on Tom Walker.

The first-half was far from a thrilling spectacle, but the biggest chances of the opening stages fell to the hosts. Nathan Arnold powered an effort narrowly wide of the post and Jack Redshaw forced Steven Drench into an impressive stop after being played through on goal.

Tom Walker demonstrated his ability to trouble a defence with his set-piece deliveries throughout and Avenue were forced to desperately scramble away several dangerous crosses in the first-half especially. Danny Livesey leapt to meet a particularly teasing one but headed over.

Nicky Clee drew the first save of the game from Max Crocombe after being teed up by Adam Boyes, but saw his drilled effort held comfortably by the Salford stopper.

Avenue continued to frustrate Salford’s talented frontline and soon reaped the rewards for their patience when Nicky Wroe reacted quicker than his marker to latch on to a Clee cross before steering past Crocombe. The opening goal followed a lull in entertainment but was the catalyst for an increase in excitement in the second-half.

Salford came flying out of the blocks after the break, and Ibou Touray’s low cross somehow evaded the touch it needed to bundle it over the line.

However, Avenue held strong yet again and doubled their advantage with 53 minutes on the clock. Crocombe spilled a shot into the path of a lurking Adam Nowakowski and the midfielder made no mistake in steering home to extend the visitors’ deserved lead.

Mark Bower’s side even had opportunities to put the game beyond Salford with a third, and Boyes was unlucky to see his curling effort skim the post after bringing down a Clee cross in the box.

Crocombe, now defending the goal in front of the travelling fans, had been mercilessly mocked at half-time and would have made his situation worse had his poor clearance been capitalised on by Wroe, whose through ball to Oli Johnson was intercepted.

With their desperation becoming increasingly apparent, the hosts began to pile the pressure on Avenue’s backline. The tough nut of Avenue’s defence did, however, eventually crack. Drench parried an effort that was scurried away by Frank Mulhern, but Dudley pounced before his marker to poke home after the clearance fell to the back post.

After a period of sustained pressure, Dudley rescued a point for Salford in dramatic fashion in added time, rifling a shot into the top corner after a strong run down the right flank.

Salford City: Crocombe, Nottingham, Touray (Haughton 56’), Burton (Dudley 64’), Livesey, Maynard (c), Arnold, Mafuta, Phenix (Askew 64’), Redshaw, Walker.

Unused substitutes: Allen, Dieseruvwe.

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Vidal (Mulhern 65’), Hill, Wroe (c), Atkinson, Havern, Nowakowski (Spencer 76’), Boshell, Boyes, Johnson, Clee.

Unused substitutes: Killock, Pybus, Smith.

Referee: Sam Mulhall

Booked: Hill, Johnson (Avenue).

 

Despondent Avenue beaten in Blyth

Three unanswered Blyth Spartans goals condemned Avenue to their fourth defeat of the calendar year on a bitterly disappointing afternoon at Croft Park.

Mark Bower’s only change from the previous week was a forced one, with Wayne Brooksby being withdrawn due to injury and replaced by Javan Vidal. Veteran midfielder Danny Boshell was handed a place on the bench after serving his suspension for a red card against Nuneaton Town.

The score line would suggest that the encounter was predominantly one-sided, but Avenue had their fair share of opportunites and fell victim to some questionable officiating. Blyth, however, were ruthless in front of goal and made the visitors pay for some calamitous defending.

After a cagey opening ten minutes, the first two chances of the afternoon fell to the hosts in quick succession. Dan Maguire struck low from close-range but was denied by a Luca Havern block before Kieran Green’s follow-up was saved by Steven Drench.

Avenue then self-destructed after competing well in the early stages, as Shane Killock’s headed back pass failed to reach Drench and was latched on to by Maguire. He was brought down by the goalkeeper, which allowed Dale Hopson to step up and convert the resulting penalty.

After a brief spell on the backfoot in the aftermath of conceding, Avenue grew in confidence and began to threaten a Blyth backline that they had experienced so much joy against in the reverse fixture.

Oli Johnson burst past Michael Liddle down the left flank before rifling an unstoppable effort into the top corner, but the linesman’s flag brought a premature end to celebrations.

Vidal then turned sharply in the box before shooting goal wards, but Peter Jameson held comfortably despite a potentially dangerous deflection.

The offside trap proved to be an obstacle for the visitors throughout, and Dan Pybus was unimpressed by the raising of the linesman’s flag after the loanee latched on to a through-ball from Jamie Spencer.

Despite the improvement in Avenue’s performance as the second-half progressed, defensive fragilities proved costly as a sickening blow was dealt on the stroke of half-time. Robbie Dale rounded Ryan Toulson before cutting back to Jarrett Rivers, who steered past Drench from around 10-yards out.

Mark Bower had clearly challenged the players to test Jameson on a more frequent basis in the second-half, and a long-range drive from Spencer was spilled by the goalkeeper barely a minute after the restart. Unfortunately, the Blyth stopper pounced on the ball before a lurking Adam Boyes could.

The travelling Avenue supporters were then given a scare when Maguire jumped to block a Drench punt and would have been furious had the Avenue stopper not recovered to make a fantastic save.

Keen to regain a grip on the game, Bower introduced Frank Mulhern to the fray and the substitution was shortly followed by Adam Smith’s arrival as Avenue looked to haul themselves back into contention.

The dugout, the players and supporters alike were then left dumbfounded by the referee’s decision to book Johnson, who had been hauled down in the box after racing through to meet a Mulhern through ball. The official cited simulation as a reason for the issuing of the yellow card, only adding to the frustrations.

Johnson very nearly responded with a goal, as his header looked destined to make the net bulge before Jameson plucked it out of the top corner in impressive fashion. The chance followed a terrific delivery from Smith, who demonstrated his ability to trouble defenders after replacing Vidal.

The game, however, was put beyond Avenue when Hopson evaded two challenges by cutting in from the left before firing past Drench. Johnson and Boyes both came close in the latter stages, but Avenue couldn’t penetrate the sturdy Blyth backline. Avenue have an opportunity to bounce back on Tuesday, as they visit the Peninsula Stadium to take on Salford City.

Blyth Spartans: Jameson, Liddle, Watson (Gorman 84’), Green, Buddle, Hutchinson, Rivers (Langstaff 79’), Reid, Maguire (Wrightson 79’), Hopson, Dale (c).

Unused substitutes: Mullen, MacDonald.

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Toulson, Clee, Wroe (c), Killock, Havern, Vidal (Smith 65’), Pybus (Mulhern 57’), Boyes, Johnson, Spencer (Nowakowski 72’).

Unused substitutes: Hill, Boshell.

Referee: John Matthews

Booked: Green, Buddle (Blyth), Johnson (Avenue).

Attendance: 806

Written by Tom Coates

Syers strike sinks Avenue

Avenue suffered a 1-0 defeat to an in-form Darlington side, despite the Quakers being reduced to ten men in the latter stages.

Clearly satisfied with the convincing manner of Monday night’s rout of Gainsborough Trinity, Mark Bower named an unchanged squad for the visit of a Darlington side that hadn’t lost since the 10^th of January.

Avenue started brightly and had opportunities to break the deadlock in the early stages. Wayne Brooksby drew an early stop from Aynsley Pears and Luca Havern leapt to meet a corner before clipping the crossbar with a powerful header.

The visitors grew in confidence as the game progressed and began to start asking questions of the Avenue backline. Havern was forced into making a crucial sliding interception to prevent Josh Gillies latching on to a Stephen Thompson through-ball shortly before Reece Styche rifled over with an audacious overhead kick.

Thompson was a persistent threat for the Quakers and came close to etching his name on the scoresheet with a low drive from distance.

The visitors emerged for the second-half with a quicker tempo than they had demonstrated previously, and a breakthrough seemed imminent. Styche squandered a golden opportunity to edge Darlington ahead when he bundled a Galbraith cross past the wrong side of the post.

They did, however, break the deadlock when the dangerous Thompson embarked on a mazy run down the right before pulling back to David Syers. The midfielder then steered past a helpless Drench to give Darlington a deserved lead.

The midfielder then came close to doubling his tally when he broke clear of his marker in the box, but he headed wide with only Drench to beat.

Avenue finally found themselves on the front foot for a brief spell as the final whistle approached, but Jamie Spencer’s tame effort couldn’t find the back of the net after Nicky Clee cut the ball back to the midfielder.

Frank Mulhern offered a spark in Avenue’s tiring frontline, with the forward’s introduction rejuvenating Mark Bower’s side in the final fifteen minutes.

Further hope was offered when Darlington’s Stephen Thompson saw red for a second bookable offence after a dive, but the visitors held on to seal an impressive victory.

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Toulson (Mulhern 68’), Clee, Wroe (c), Killock, Havern, Brooksby (Vidal 50’), Pybus (Nowakowski 76’), Boyes, Johnson, Spencer.

Unused substitutes: Hill, Smith.

Darlington: Pears, Trotman, O’Hanlon, Turnbull, Heaton, Galbraith, Gillies (Brown 84’), Wheatley, Styche (c) (Mills 89’), Syers, Thompson.

Unused substitutes: Scott, Bancroft, Saunders

Attendance: 773

Referee: David Underwood