Gaffers Review: Bradford Park Avenue Vs North Ferriby United Saturday 24th February 2018

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It was a day when too many of our players were way below what we expect from them and what I know they are capable of and in the end we suffered an embarrassing defeat. Whilst we have not been picking up many results recently, on the whole our performances have warranted a much better return, but in the Ferriby game, everyone in the dressing room knows that there was no excuse for what happened and we owe everyone connected with the club a much better performance on Saturday coming.

In a way the game summed up a lot of our season. When we have been good, we’ve been really good and chalked up some impressive and comprehensive victories, but what we haven’t done enough of is win the tight games, win ugly or take a point when we’ve not been at our best. The Ferriby game was a perfect example, we did not play well, but we had more than enough chances to win comfortably and they scored with their only real chance of the game. Of the 12 games we’ve lost this season, 9 have been one goal defeats, but of our 12 wins only three have been by a single goal. It’s clear that if we can turn more of these tight games in our favour in the final ten games we can still achieve our target for the season, but being more clinical in both boxes will be key.

We will be looking to bounce back on Saturday

Thanks

Mark

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Match Report: Bradford Park Avenue 0-1 North Ferriby United

Valiant Villagers stun Avenue

Rock-bottom North Ferriby United stunned Bradford Park Avenue with a 1-0 victory at the Horsfall Stadium.

Mark Bower shuffled the pack despite a respectable draw with Salford City on Tuesday, re-instating Ryan Toulson, Dany Pybus and Jamie Spencer to the starting eleven. On-loan Guiseley forward Frank Mulhern was handed his first start, whilst Matt Hill and Adam Nowakowski dropped to the bench. Veteran midfielder Danny Boshell was withdrawn from the squad altogether, as was Javan Vidal due to injury.

Avenue were on the front foot from the first whistle and dominated possession during the early stages but failed to muster an effort on goal as the Ferriby backline held strong. Jordan Cooke made a vital interception after a through ball from Oli Johnson almost allowed Pybus to race through on goal.

It was the young midfielder on loan from Bradford City that was the first to pull the trigger, but he saw his effort deflected wide before it could reach Ross Durrant.

The visitors then took a shock lead with 19 minutes on the clock as Lewis Collins darted into the box and drilled his effort past Steven Drench.

Avenue’s frustrations were intensified shortly after conceding, as Frank Mulhern saw a close-range effort blocked and Jamie Spencer was booked for a late and unnecessary challenge.

The hosts finally tested Durrant after thirty minutes of trying to do so, as Pybus forced a strong palm away from the ‘keeper after Johnson had threaded through to the young loanee.

Frank Mulhern was then hauled down in the box after a wrestle with the Ferriby centre-backs but saw his appeals for a penalty dismissed by the referee.

The robust forward almost weighed in with an assist shortly after, as he powered past Koyo Keyi before Adam Boyes failed to steer his cushioned volley on target.

Boyes then had another opportunity to equalise after a marauding run from Johnson allowed him to find Mulhern in the box. The Irish striker teed him up before Boyes’ shot was deflected wide.

HALF-TIME: Bradford Park Avenue 0-1 North Ferriby United

Avenue carved open the Ferriby defence twice within the opening five minutes of the second-half, as Mulhern blasted wide after rounding Cooke and Durrant before Nicky Clee forced a good save from the Villagers’ stopper two minutes later.

Luca Havern then got on the end of a deep cross but could only head into the clutches of a grateful Durrant.

Avenue continued to be let down by their final ball, but Adam Smith provided some quality in the final third following his introduction. He turned Cooke inside-out on the left before crossing to Rob Atkinson, who headed wide.

The Villagers continued to pose a threat on the break and Joe Walker was thwarted by a poor touch that allowed Drench to dive at his feet after the substitute had raced through.

Bobby Johnson then stung the palms of Drench with a powerful drive from distance that was originally spilled by the ‘keeper before being scooped up.

Avenue piled forward in droves as the clock ticked but couldn’t find a way past Durrant, and Ferriby even came close to extending their lead in stoppage time when Drench made a fantastic stop to deny Collins.

FULL-TIME: Bradford Park Avenue 0-1 North Ferriby United

Avenue visit Brackley Town next week, with the action kicking-off at 3pm.

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Toulson (Hill 76’), Clee, Wroe (c), Atkinson, Havern, Mulhern (Nowakowski 68’), Pybus (Smith 59’), Boyes, Johnson, Spencer.

Unused substitutes: Hall, Killock.

North Ferriby United: Durrant, Cooke, Keyi, Johnson, Piercy, Mail, Deacey (Dunkley 56’), Forrester (Walker 56’, replaced by Clappison 82’), Harrison, Collins, Lofts.

Unused substitutes: Exall.

Attendance: 423

Referee: Adam Herczog

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Match Report: Salford City 2-2 Bradford Park Avenue

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).

 

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Guiseley Defender Rob Atkinson Joins On Loan For Remainder Of Season

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Guiseley defender Rob Atkinson has joined Bradford Park Avenue on loan until the end of the season.

Atkinson started his professional career with Barnsley, and then spent time on loan with Scarborough, Halifax, Rochdale and Grimsby Town. Following three loan spells with Grimsby he joined the club on a permanent basis in 2009 before signing with Fleetwood Town two years later. During his first season with Fleetwood Town he was part of the squad that secured promotion from the National League to the Football League. Following his release from Fleetwood Town he joined Accrington Stanley in 2013 before joining Guiseley in 2015.

Rob will be available to go straight in to the team for the Salford City game tonight.

 

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Oli Johnson Signs Up For Next Season

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Mark Bower has secured the services of experienced forward Oli Johnson for the 2018-19 season. Johnson’s current contract was due to expire at the end of the current season, but after scoring 14 goals in all competitions so far this season Bower was keen to tie the influential forward down long term.

Oli joined Avenue on an initial one month’s loan from neighbours Guiseley in November 2016, linking up once more with former boss Mark Bower. After a brief spell back at Nethermoor, Johnson returned to Bradford on a permanent basis in January 2017, going on to impress supporters with a string of fine displays.

Johnson joins Adam Boyes as the second player already contracted for next season after Boyes signed a 2 year contract when he joined the club at the start of the 2017-18 season.

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Bradford Park Avenue V North Ferriby 15.00 KO: Match Price Offer: 24th February 2018 

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On Saturday 24th February 2018 Bradford Park Avenue will host North Ferriby at the Horsfall Stadium.

With Bradford City, Huddersfield, Halifax and Guiseley all away, Bradford Park Avenue has decided to offer all season ticket holders of any sports club, the opportunity to attend the game for only £5 (on production of current season ticket). A great opportunity for fans of the club and sports of all kinds.

So why not get yourself down to the Horsfall Stadium where we look forward to welcoming you to our Club.

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Match Report: Blyth Spartans 3-0 Bradford Park 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

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