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Mark Bower’s only change from the previous week was a forced one, with Wayne Brooksby being withdrawn due to injury and replaced by Javan Vidal.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

Five-star Avenue hammer sorry Trinity

After enduring a winless January, Bradford Park Avenue returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion with a 5-0 rout of Gainsborough Trinity.

Mark Bower shuffled the pack for the visit of 19^th-placed Gainsborough Trinity, with on-loan midfielder Dan Pybus making his first start at the Horsfall Stadium and fellow loan recruit Frank Mulhern being named a substitute. Wayne Brooksby returned from a hamstring injury to reclaim his spot on the right-hand side of midfield, and Nicky Clee switched to left-back in a surprising change.

The hosts took an early lead via the returning Brooksby, who rifled into the top corner after pouncing on a Clee corner that had rebounded off the post.

Avenue took advantage of the early momentum, piling forward in droves as they hunted for a second. Nicky Wroe and Clee both saw long-range piledrivers deflected wide, and Shane Killock almost weighed in with a rare goal but volleyed over from just inside the box.

Brooksby looked extremely lively in his first outing since the defeat to York and stung the palms of Henrich Ravas with a powerful drive in the early stages.

The dominant home side soon found a way past Ravas again, with Adam Boyes providing one of his most unique finishes of the season to double Avenue’s lead. His perfectly executed cushioned volley allowed him to continue his rich vein of goalscoring form.

The Trinity goalkeeper was called into action shortly after conceding, as Ryan Toulson’s cross was headed back across goal by Boyes and into the path of Oli Johnson. However, the forward couldn’t direct his low drive past Rivas who made an impressive save.

Boyes came agonisingly close to netting again when he raced through to latch on to a through-ball, but saw his deft touch parried wide.

The visitors’ best chance of the first-half came when Shane Clarke struck goal wards from distance, but the midfielder’s effort fizzed wide of the post.

Pybus certainly made an impression on his debut following a loan move from Bradford City, and almost marked his arrival with a goal but saw his strike blocked on the line despite rounding a stranded Rivas.

Trinity threatened through Liam King late on, but the half-time whistle blew with Avenue firmly in the driving seat.

The hosts made a dream start to the second-half despite the visitors ringing the changes with a double substitution at the interval, as Boyes dispossessed Nathan Stainfield before coolly dispatching past Rivas.

Somewhat surprisingly given the comfortable nature of the lead, Mark Bower’s side continued to pile pressure on their opponents and Johnson forced another vital stop from Rivas after latching on to a Pybus flick.

Pybus then well and truly introduced himself to the Avenue faithful with a marauding run down the left, with the youngster evading the challenges of several players and covering an impressive distance before striking the post and allowing Brooksby to poke home the rebound.

Former Avenue favourite Craig King hammered an effort against the post as Trinity began to appear desperate, but the visitors couldn’t find a way past an Avenue defence that seemed impenetrable.

Avenue then entered dreamland as Johnson cut-in from the left before drifting back out wide and hammering a left-footed strike across goal and into the bottom corner.

The struggling visitors rarely threatened in the latter stages, and Avenue saw the game out in relatively comfortable fashion. It could have even been six when Clee darted into the box but saw his teasing delivery fly across the box without receiving the elusive finishing touch.

Another former Avenue player, Tom Davie, headed goal wards with two minutes remaining on the clock but Steve Drench held comfortably before the curtain was drawn on a mesmerising performance.

Mark Bower gave a special mention to those that worked on the pitch prior to the game in his post-match interview, stating that the Horsfall surface was in “great condition” in spite of heavy downpours. He also hailed the impact of debutants Dan Pybus and Frank Mulhern and referenced another new arrival in Adam Smith when discussing the “bench full of quality” at his disposal.

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Toulson, Clee, Wroe (c), Killock, Havern, Brooksby (Smith 68’), Pybus (Vidal 73’), Boyes (Mulhern 71’), Johnson, Spencer.

Unused substitutes: Hill, Nowakowski.

Gainsborough Trinity: Ravas, Vann (Stainfield 45’), Davie, Richards (Bateson 45’), Beatson, Jacklin, C. King, Clarke (Russell 60’), Jarman, Horsfield, L. King.

Unused substiutes: Wells, Simmons.

Booked: Brooksby, Mulhern (Avenue), C. King, Bateson, Jarman (Trinity).

Referee: Alex Kirkley