Avenue returned from Edgar Street with a single bitter-sweet point yesterday following a superb performance that was only thwarted by some superb goal keeping.

The game didn’t start out as well as it was set to go on however, as Pope’s deflected shot from outside the box trickled in beyond the reach of a stranded Joe Green, Hereford taking the lead inside of 5 minutes.

Not long after Johnson had a chance to level the scores as he was played through by Adam Nowakowski, but it wasn’t to be as his resulting shot went wide.

Green was then called into action to save an Alex Bray effort after the Bradford defence failed to close the midfielder down.

Hereford’s early lead was quickly put to an end on 19 minutes. It was Avenue captain Nicky Clee who stepped up and scored his second goal in as many games, reading a loose ball in the box to smash in a half volley.

Having gotten a taste for goal, Clee received the ball inside his own half and, spotting the Hereford stopper off his line, took a shot from 50 yards that only missed by a fine margin.

Half Time: Hereford 1 – 1 Bradford

Having dominated possession and play in the first half, Avenue came out to find Hereford’s resolve had strengthened. Assisted by a strong wind the Bulls would have the better of chances in the early part of the second half.

Sodiende used his superior pace to break through the Bradford back line, going one on one with an on rushing Green, but his chipped shot was too high. Just clearing the bar to the shock of the Hereford supporters who had already cheered in unfounded celebration.

The Hereford number 10 had his best chance to find the net as the Bulls won a penalty following a miss kicked clearance from Lund. Sodiende latched onto the loose ball and drove forward into the box to be brought down by a last ditch tackle from Priestley, who received a yellow for his efforts.

Again, the Hereford supporters were ready to cheer, but it turned to groans as Sodiende’s effort hit the bar, and despite coming back across the face of the goal, it went out for a goal kick much to the relief of the travelling green army.

A 70th minute substitution saw Lewis Knight inject some much needed pace to the Avenue side, and he quickly had an impact, setting up Oli Johnson with a low cross, but Will Henry saved the shot before turning away a curled effort from Lund.

Bradford continued to apply pressure as Knight received the ball in his own half, racing past a stranded Hereford defence to produce an unbelievable save from man of the match, Henry.

Full Time: Hereford 1 – 1 Bradford

Attendance: 1586

Teams:

A second half capitulation saw Bradford (Park Avenue) hammered at near neighbours Farsley Celtic.

Avenue were on top for the first period, missing a handful of chances before two penalties and three set-pieces gifted play-off chasing Farsley a victory.

Mark Bower’s visitors had some early danger to deal with as Tom Nicholson failed to gather a Farsley free-kick, and as Tom Allen looked set to prod the loose ball home, somehow Ryan Toulson got back to deny a certain goal.

The pitch was proving problematic for both sides as home goalkeeper Kyle Trenerry saw a miscued effort cannon dangerously off Lewis Knight, who saw a shot blocked away before he was forced off injured after just 19 minutes.

Avenue were well on top of their opponents as Isiah Bazeley, one of two changes to Bower’s starting 11, saw a low effort blocked away before Alex Hurst stung Trennery’s palms after cutting inside.

That preceeded a frantic last five minutes of the half, which saw both sides have their eyes on opening the scoring.

First, Hurst burst forward on the left, finding Johnson who couldn’t work room for a strike, Isaac Marriott’s eventual effort flying just wide.

Johnson then worked space in the area for a powerful strike which Trenerry again held at the second attempt, before Avenue’s biggest chance of the half.

A ricochet in midfield put Hurst through on goal but he couldn’t beat an onrushing Trenerry as the ball just wouldn’t settle for a strike.

And straight up the other end, Nicholson had to be at his best as a fortuotous bounce saw the loose ball fall Will Hayhurst’s way, but his low effort was well saved by the legs of Avenue’s number one.

Nicky Clee then saw an effort blocked by former Avenue man Adam Clayton, before Tom Allen flashed a dangerous cross across the face of Nicholson’s goal moments before the half-time whistle.

But immediately after the break, Avenue capitulated as Cartman opened the scoring little over two minutes into the half.

Bradford failed to defend a deep free-kick which Clayton volleyed across goal, Cartman there to bundle the ball over the line at the back post.

And less than two minutes later, Farsley were gifted the chance to double their lead as Marriott appeared to have prevent the danger from Tyler Walton’s burst into the box, but the Huddersfield loanee attempted a slide tackle, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Hayhurst, who had been wrongly announced as the scorer of the first, stepped up and found the bottom corner giving Farsley a two-goal lead after just five minutes of the second period.

It was a complete turnaround from the first half as Avenue couldn’t get out of their half, and their inability to defend set-pieces was their downfall once more.

A corner came in from the left on 63 minutes and fell perfectly for Dave Syers, who lashed home on the half-volley.

The pick of the goals came moments later, again as Avenue failed to clear a corner, the ball was headed around and found its way to centre-back Jack Higgins, who acrobatically volleyed the ball into the top corner, wheeling away in wild celebration.

Nicholson was still alert, keeping out a Hayhurst header which looked bound for the top corner, before Reece Staunton did brilliantly to get back as Syers was in on goal, the number one then unconventionally saving Luke Parkin’s follow-up with his feet.

There was time late in the day for Farsley to add a fifth as another ridiculous slide tackle came in in the area, and the referee had no hesitation pointing to the spot again. Hayhurst picked himself up and converted once more to round off the scoring.

There was a moment to celebrate for Avenue in the second period, as Jamie Lyons came off the bench for his league debut, the first time an Avenue Academy graduate has appeared for the first team.

Farsley Celtic: Trenerry, Richards, Allen, C.Atkinson, Higgins, Clayton (c), Walton (B.Atkinson 79), Syers, Cartman (Parkin 71), Hayhurst, Francis

Subs not used: Wynne, Ellis, Regan

Goals: Cartman (48), Hayhurst (50P), Syers (63), Higgins (65)

Booked: Higgins (66), Allen (74)

Bradford (Park Avenue): Nicholson, Toulson, Staunton, Lowe (c), Priestley, Bazeley (Lyons 73), Knight (O.Johnson 19), Marriott, Clare, Hurst, Clee (Hughes 73)

Subs not used: Lund, Dickinson

Referee: Dean Hulme

Attendance: 784