11 Jan 2023

LANCASTER RETURNS ON LOAN!

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We are delighted to announce the return of Will Lancaster, on loan from Barnsley until the end of the season.

Will re-joins having played 8 games for the Avenue in his previous spell and is available for selection straight away

On the deal Mark said ‘its great to get Lanny back, we are a bit short on players in that area of the pitch and we know what we are getting from him. Lanny did well for us in his previous spell and hopefully he continues that form now.

We can also confirm that following Reece Staunton’s injury we have decided to not pursue our appeal against his red card.

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10 Jan 2023

MATCH REPORT – Bradford (Park Avenue) 1 – 1 Kettering Town

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Six unbeaten for the Avenue after late equaliser secures vital point.

Bradford (Park Avenue) came from behind with a stoppage time equaliser from Jordan Preston to earn a 1-1 draw in what was at times an ill-tempered affair with Kettering Town on Saturday.

The Avenue came into the game on the back of a five game unbeaten run in the Vanarama National League North, but it was the visitors who struck first. Kettering made their early pressure count on 26 minutes when George Forsyth rounded off a well-worked corner as his effort looped over Avenue keeper Sykes-Kenworthy and into the goal.

Undeterred by the early setback, the Kettering opener seemed to act as a wakeup call for the Avenue with Will Longbottom’s fierce strike glancing the crossbar just minutes later.

As the first half wore on, Bradford (Park Avenue) continued to forge their way back into the game but tempers soon began to flare towards the end of the half. On the brink of halftime, the lively Longbottom found his name in the referee’s book after reacting angrily to a reckless Kettering challenge, and with seconds remaining of the first half, a melee ensued in the Kettering penalty area after a goalmouth scramble. Having consulted both of his on-field assistants, the referee adjudged Kettering goalkeeper Cameron Gregory to have lashed out at Avenue’s Jamie Spencer and brandished a red to the stopper, leaving Kettering Town to play the rest of the game with ten men and an outfield player (goal scorer George Forsyth) in goal.

However, despite their one man advantage Bradford (Park Avenue) struggled to break down the opposition’s resolute defence. Twice Avenue smashed the woodwork, and in the aftermath of the latter effort, half time substitute Harrison Hopper was brought down when challenging for the rebound. A penalty against an outfield player between the sticks seemed the perfect opportunity to net an equaliser, but Jacob Blyth’s spot kick was sent high over the crossbar, much to the frustration of the home crowd.

Various stoppages of play during the second half meant that a hefty eight minutes of added time was signalled by the fourth official, although Bradford boss Mark Bower was aggrieved in his post-match interview that more time was not given. The home support were convinced that it just was not their day as the Avenue once again rattled the woodwork, but five minutes into stoppage time Bradford’s pressure paid off when Jordan Preston took aim from the edge of the penalty area and found the bottom corner of the net through a sea of red shirts.

Not content with the point, Bradford (Park Avenue) pushed on for a winner in the few minutes that remained but it was to no avail as the referee blew for full time. Bower expressed his disappointment with the draw and the missed opportunities in the second half, accepting that his side had created “numerous good openings with efforts on goal missing the target”. Reflecting on his side running out of time, Bower admitted, “we got the goal too late I think, if we get the goal ten or fifteen minutes earlier I think we go on and win it comfortably”.

The result leaves Bradford (Park Avenue) 17th in the Vanarama National League North, three points ahead of Kettering Town who still occupy the final relegation spot in 21st. Next up for the Avenue is a trip to Spennymoor Town this Saturday 14th Jan, who are currently four games without defeat. The Green Army will be hoping to stretch their own unbeaten run to seven games and avenge the 1-0 defeat inflicted upon them in the reverse fixture back in August.

Watch the highlights from the match below!

YouTube player

FULL TIME: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 1 – 1 KETTERING TOWN

(26’) GOAL Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-1 Kettering Town – George Forsyth

(45+3’) RED CARD – Kettering Town – Cameron Gregory

(90+5’) GOAL – Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Kettering Town – Jordan Preston        

Attendance – 415

Writer: Stephen Grimshaw

Our next home game is our rescheduled match vs Scarborough Athletic! The match will take place on 16th January with a 7:45pm KO.

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7 Jan 2023

WINNERS! | Avenue Scoop Northern Enterprise Award

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We are delighted to announce that we have won an award at this year’s Northern Enterprise Awards. The club took home the prize of ‘Excellence Award in Youth Sports Development 2022‘.

A massive congratulations to all involved in winning this award, in particular our academy set up right from our U7 grassroots team, all the way through to our Scholarship sides. Well done!

On the Announcement Academy Technical director Thomas McStravick said; We are extremely happy to receive this award. This award is recognition of, not just the staff’s hard work over the last year, but also the player’s. Their passion to be the best they can has really shone through our player pathway and I am so happy for them. I would also like to pay thanks to our volunteer coaches, who give up their time to help our youth players be the best version of themselves. Well done everybody!”

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7 Jan 2023

Church Loan Extended

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We can confirm the Eddie Church will stay at Matlock Town for a further month until 6th February. The extension comes with a 24 hour re-call option.

Good Luck Eddie!

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5 Jan 2023

Match Preview – Bradford (Park Avenue) vs Kettering Town – The Green Army welcome The Poppies in the Vanarama National League North.

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Bradford (Park Avenue) will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games as they host Kettering Town on Saturday, the first side to visit the Horsfall Community Stadium in 2023.

The Avenue head into this weekend’s encounter fresh from a gruelling festive double header with local rivals Farsley Celtic, with both West Yorkshire sides proving to be inseparable across the two fixtures. A 1-1 Boxing Day draw in what appeared to be all weather conditions at the Horsfall was followed by an entertaining 2-2 at the Citadel on New Year’s Day.

Avenue’s fiery encounter away to Farsley saw them reduced to ten men after a questionable first half red card. Avenue boss Mark Bower expressed his disappointment with the referee’s decision, but conceded the unlikeliness of a successful appeal on his side’s behalf. However, Bower was delighted with his team’s resilience as they fought back to claim a vital point in their bid to continue their climb up the league table.

The visitors this weekend currently sit in 21st position, in the relegation zone only on goal difference behind Curzon Ashton. Incidentally the Northamptonshire-based side hold the second-worst goal difference in the National League North, a statistic Bradford (Park Avenue) will be aiming to exploit on Saturday afternoon. Despite this, Kettering will be arriving at the Horsfall in good spirits following an important 2-1 victory away to mid-table Peterborough Sports on Boxing Day, their first win in five games. The return fixture (originally scheduled for New Year’s Day) was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Latimer Park, meaning Kettering will have had an extra week’s rest as they prepare to make the trip north.

The reverse fixture between Bradford (Park Avenue) and Kettering Town earlier in the season saw the Avenue pick up their first point of the campaign. Adam Nowakowski’s 80th minute equaliser was enough to earn a 1-1 draw at Latimer Park on matchday 2. However it was this fixture last season which is arguably more memorable in Avenue minds. After two red cards in the space of five second half minutes for Bradford’s Havern and Toulson, Kettering thought they had salvaged a point with Lamine Sherif’s 89th minute equaliser, only for Avenue’s Nicky Clee to win it with virtually the last kick of the game.

With only three points currently separating the two sides and Kettering holding a game in hand, a win on Saturday for Bradford (Park Avenue) would be vital in pulling further clear of the relegation zone.

Match Preview by Stephen Grimshaw

Where To Find Us

Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC

Horsfall Community Stadium

Cemetery Road

Bradford

West Yorkshire

BD6 2NG

Directions By Car:

Leave the M62 at junction 26 and follow signs for the M606. Continue on the M606 to junction 3 and take the A6117 exit to Ring Road West. At the roundabout take the 2nd exit on to Rooley Lane / A6036 signposted Halifax. Pass the Odsal Stadium on the left hand side and at the next roundabout take the 3rd exit on to Halifax Road / A6036 signposted Halifax. After approximately one mile turn left down Cemetery Road immediately before the Kids Planet Children’s Nursery, and the ground is 150 yards on the left. We have a car park which will be signposted off Cemetery Road and parking charges may apply.

Directions By Train:

Bradford Interchange rail station is the nearest to the ground and trains operate on the  Calder Valley Line timetable from Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Manchester, Preston and York.

From there you can catch the bus directly to the ground (details below).

Bradford Forster Square rail station There are regular services from Leeds (Leeds-Bradford Line timetable), Skipton (Airedale Line timetable) and Ilkley (Wharfedale Line timetable).

From Forster Square it is a 10 minute walk to Bradford Interchange bus station for a bus onwards to the stadium.

Directions By Bus:

From Bradford Interchange bus station bus services 681 and 682 and Halifax Bus Station bus services 508, 681 and 682

These services stop at the Halifax Road Cemetery Road stop near to the stadium.

Turnstiles:

The turnstiles open around an hour and a half before kick off and are located at either end of the ground on Cemetery Road and Park Road. Matchday prices for league games are as follows:

Adult – £14

Concession – £10

Student – £5

Youth (12-17) – £3

Junior (under 12, must be accompanied by an adult) – £1

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5 Jan 2023

LOANEES ANGELL AND LANCASTER RETURN TO PARENT CLUBS

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We can confirm that loanees Thomas Angell from Sheffield United, and Will Lancaster from Barnsley have both returned to their parent clubs following the end of their loan deals.

Both players have played vital roles in their respective positions, so a huge thanks to Thomas and Will for their efforts at Avenue, and best of luck in their future careers.

We also send our thanks to both Sheffield United and Barnsley for their help in making these deals possible.

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31 Dec 2022

Myles Better for Avenue

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We are delighted to announce the non-contract signing of Academy player Myles La Bastide.

Myles, who has been training with the first team for the last two months, has signed on until the end of the season after impressing manager Mark Bower.

We spoke to Academy Technical Director Thomas McStravick on the deal and he said: “I am delighted for Myles who has developed a lot with us over the course of the last sixteen months. He’s becoming more physically robust and mature. He’s also been training with the first team for a while now and both Mark and Danny have taken good care of him. He’s a grafter and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from him. This is just another example of us, as a club, providing opportunity for young players”.

Club Secretary Calum Cullen added: ‘Its great for Myles and I’m really happy for him. He is under no illusion that the hard work really starts now and I am sure he will continue to work hard in the Academy and with the first team. A huge well done is due to the Academy staff too, who now have had 2 players in as many weeks make the step up’

Myles is registered in time for tomorrows local derby with Farsley Celtic. Kick off is at 1pm, follow the socials if you are unable to get to the game!

#UTA

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29 Dec 2022

New Years Message From Gareth | Update from Academy

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Dear Supporters of BPA,
I would like to wish a happy new year to all of those associated with our club. I have not been able to travel during this season, so I have not managed to see a real game. Hopefully I will be able to get over soon and see you all. 


I want to thank all of those that make the club work day in and out through these difficult times. Despite the national problems we have made slow and steady progress on improving the ground while our first team continues to outperform our limited budget. The club Development Committee has helped tremendously in this area. We will continue our efforts to further improve the facilities at the ground in this coming year. 


This past year Calum Cullen has taken on the responsibility of the stadium management and we are well on our way to reaching  financial stability despite the effects of Covid-19.  Thank you Calum. Thanks are also due to Neil and Ben for their help to keep the place running.


Thomas McStravick is the head of our Academy section and he has been successful in recruiting good youngsters. Please read his report below.


Our board currently consists of just three people, myself, Paul Armitage and David Little. In the coming year we intend to expand the board to include more local representation. We will be looking for candidates who love sport but also share our desire to build a club that serves the community that we are in.  We would like to hear from potential candidates. 


In addition, our board is studying various ways to involve our supporters in the management of the club in line with government recommendations. We hope to have a plan formulated at our next meeting in February. 


Finally I would like to thank Keith Bonney for his invaluable help on keeping our finances straight. 
With a bit of luck I will be able to attend a game in February and have a forum where we can talk about the plans for the future. 
UTA

Gareth Roberts
BPA

Report from the Academy.

The academy has seen significant growth over the last couple of years. We now have over 400 young people aged 5-18 in our juniors, performance centre and scholarship academy. We also have six full time staff working throughout our programme. This commitment from the club is a real reflection of our desire to build a long term sustainable and successful football club. The next generation of fans don’t just fall off trees so we need these young players coming through not only to produce the next first team superstar but also to produce the next Avenue diehard. 

There are some key dates coming up over the next few months for the academy. First up on the 11th January we have a trial evening for our BPA Player Pathway, which has seen over 350 registrations in less than eight months. These are parents who want their children to be involved at the Avenue from our juniors through to scholars. Encouraging signs but there’s still a lot of work ahead and we are aiming to increase the number of young players involved in our club from 400 to 600 in twelve months. Increasing the number of players involved in the club increases the number of potential new fans and also our chances of producing a first team player in the years ahead. To produce a quality academy it takes ten years of hard work. Players coming into the club aged 7, if looked after properly, can potentially play in our first team at 17 and then who knows after that. That’s our aim and we have some quality young players involved in our juniors at the moment with our u7’s recently invited to play in a selective tournament at west riding county FA with the other top teams in West Yorkshire at that age. The future is bright and it’s green and white. 

Another key date is the sponsors evening on 10th February. As a club we are focused on connecting with the local Bradford business community, this is an important aspect in our journey to becoming a sustainable football club. We will be inviting current academy player sponsors and also other potential sponsors to come along and enjoy an evening of entertainment at the Horsfall. We will have some food and entertainment on the night along with an auction to help us raise some funds.

In March and May we have our BPA Primary Schools Cup tournament with both boys and girls sections. Last year we have 24 teams participate. In 2023 we will have 48 teams taking part! Integra Insurance will once again be our sponsors for the event and we thank them for their support. 

So in summary we have lots to look forward to in 2023 and we welcome all support from our fan base to help us build the club and progress. 

Thomas

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29 Dec 2022

THE VIEW FROM THE BOARDROOM – Paul Armitage’s notes (26/12/22)

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We’re all over the disappointment of the World Cup now and can get back to real football again! Paying millions for a four year competition is a world away from non-league in local communities. No doubt the cost of one ‘pop up’ stadium in Qatar would cover all NL budgets for a season or two.

Which gets me back to the UK Fan-led Review.

One of its early themes is the reckless pursuit of wealth by clubs and the enormous financial losses most football clubs regularly incur.

Our own plans require us to establish the solid base of a sports-led stadium developing community-led and well-supported growth for young people of all abilities, so that they can find personal and educational development and link that to activities at Horsfall.

This tends to offer value for parents and their children at affordable levels and meaningful activity to harness youthful energy. Combining sport and non-academic education allows for personal growth and achievement and whether it is linked to soccer at Avenue, rugby at West Bowling or athletics with Bradford and Airedale, or even all three, we are moving towards organising age group progress and improving facilities for all those users.

It takes time and money to do this and each of our anchor users are moving along similar lines and uncovering funding and volunteers to create the vision.

We have relied on substantial grants and some loans, along with very generous contributions from our own benefactor to get us this far and we are all well aware that financial viability is essential.

Bradford has a good history of philanthropic benefactors over decades. My own favourite is Titus Salt as I was born in that neck of the woods, but there were many others and it would be good to see those who have made good in the city returning benefits for such good causes and getting involved in the quest for a viable sports stadium that aims to help youngsters.

It is proving to be only a little easier to find grants than to find patronage from entrepreneurs these days, but we are all keen to find the new patrons.

Running a football club is almost by definition a pathway to insolvency if we don’t manage the finances well and finding the next generation of players to eventually win a World Cup starts at the grassroots, which is where our investment plans start.

Here at Avenue we older supporters know only too well that the sudden loss of a benefactor can create havoc and Gareth knows that too. All benefactors must share the concerns of how their legacy is perceived, so finding the numbers of supporters or the individuals needed is a perpetual quest. Hopefully it will be more successful than seeking the Holy Grail!

See you again in what we all hope will be the Happy New Year and more NLN points.

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26 Dec 2022

Bradford (Park Avenue) mid-season review: Avenue’s second half of the season is looking brighter

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After a slow start to the season and early fears of falling through the NLN trapdoor, Bradford (Park Avenue) have shown resilience to drag themselves from the brink.

Avenue had one of the worst possible starts to the season, with fans spending the first two months wondering where the first win was coming from.  Losing seven and drawing four left Avenue sitting at the bottom of the table with no end to their dismal run in sight.

To compound matters, they even suffered defeat in the FA Cup second qualifying round against level nine side Ashington AFC away from home.

It looked like their fortunes were not going to change in October as they went down to their heaviest defeat of the season so far, losing 4-1 to Southport but the following weekend the patient Avenue faithful were rewarded with a welcome first win.  Curzon Ashton, so often our bogey team, surrendered all three points at Horsfall Stadium.  This result sparked a revival with the team going on to win their next two league games and, despite a blip against high-flying Brackley Town, they rounded off the month with a well fought victory over Gloucester City.  This excellent month propelled Avenue up the table and out of the drop zone for the first time in the season.

November didn’t start well.  The team kicked off with back-to-back defeats.  A creditable draw at Alfreton was followed by a disappointing exit from the FA Trophy at the hands of local rivals Farsley Celtic.  Hope was restored at the end of the month with wins against newly promoted Banbury and long-established NLN side Boston.

This put them in good stead for December and Avenue duly went on to win their opening two games.  The determination and resilience shown by the players in the match at Buxton will live long in the memories of those fortunate enough to witness it.   Finding themselves a goal down in added time, Avenue conjured two great goals to snatch all three points.

At this halfway point of the season Avenue are sitting in 17th place, four points away from the drop and, for the optimists among us, ten points off the play-off places. 

Avenue head into today’s Boxing Day derby against Farsley Celtic buoyed by their recent run of results and determined to take revenge for that defeat in the FA Trophy.   The sides resume their rivalry at the Citadel on New Year’s Day.

You can watch all the goals from the first half of the season on our YouTube Channel below.

YouTube player
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