Bradford (Park Avenue) will look to return to home comforts on Saturday as they host Southport in the National League North.

After a winning start on his return to the club, Mark Bower’s Avenue slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Gloucester City last weekend, and will be looking to bounce back on their own turf.

A 3-2 victory over Hereford preceeded the Gloucester defeat, and Avenue have been boosted this week by the news that match-winner Dan Sweeney’s loan from Solihull has been extended by a further month.

There is expected to be further movement in the Avenue ranks ahead of the match as Bower continues to make the squad his own.

And Southport come armed with one of those Bower has seen move on, with ex-Bradford midfielder Marcus Wood now lining up for his former club once more.

Last time out for the Sandgrounders was in fact also a 3-2 home win over Hereford, as they overcame FA Cup disappointment to take three points on Tuesday night.

They have in fact won four home league matches in a row, and victory in the week saw them rise to sixth in the table, but have failed to win away from home since 13 August.

The game, which is due to kick-off at 3pm on Saturday, is subject to a precautionary pitch inspection at 10:30am with heavy rain forecast overnight, and the club will keep supporters informed of the outcome as swiftly as possible.

Recent League Form

Bradford (Park Avenue)
Glouccester City (A) L 0-1
Hereford (H) W 3-2
Brackley Town (A) L 0-8
Spennymoor Town (H) D 1-1
Boston United (A) L 1-2

Southport
Hereford (H) W 3-2
Brackley Town (H) W 1-0
Boston United (A) L 0-2
Blyth Spartans (H) W 2-0
York City (A) D 1-1

Admission Prices
Adult – £10
Concession (OAP, Student) – £8
Under-17 – £1

Bradford (Park Avenue) can confirm that the loan agreement for Solihull Forward Dan Sweeney has been extended for further month.

Sweeney initially joined on a months loan but Manager Mark Bower was keen to secure his services for longer after putting in some impressive performances.

The loan extension will secure Dan’s services until at least the Leamington game on the 16th November.

Bradford (Park Avenue) travel to Gloucester City this Saturday looking for their first back-to-back wins of the season.

Returning manager Mark Bower oversaw the club’s first home win of the season in his first game back in charge at the club, thanks to a 3-2 victory over Hereford at the Horsfall Stadium.

Lewis Knight, Dan Sweeney and Adam Nowakowski found the net in the victory which also marked the first time Avenue had scored more than once in a league game this term.

For Sweeney, it was his first goal since joining on loan from Solihull, while Nowakowski also marked his return to the club by opening the scoring inside 10 minutes.

Joe Green, another of Bower’s four-player haul ahead of his first game back, impressed at the other end with a string of fine saves and excellent handling to make sure of the three points.

Victory over Hereford also moved Bradford out of the bottom two, and further points at Gloucester could see them overtake Curzon Ashton into 19th place.

After being on the end of an FA Cup upset against a depleted Whitby Town last week, Gloucester were defeated at Gateshead in their second trip to the North East in two weekends.

Their home form has been commendable however, with three wins out of four in the league at their temporary Evesham base – with only a close 3-2 defeat to table toppers York tarnishing that record.

Avenue will be without Marcus Wood for the long trip down the M6, as he has left to join Southport, while it remains to be seen if Bower will add any fresh faces ahead of the contest.

You can join Avenue for the match with spaces still available on the official coach. Click here for more info.

Recent League Form

Bradford (Park Avenue)
Hereford (H) W 3-2
Brackley Town (A) L 0-8
Spennymoor Town (H) D 1-1
Boston United (A) L 1-2
Farsley Celtic (H) L 0-3

Gloucester City
Gateshead (A) L 0-1
Guiseley (H) W 3-1
King’s Lynn Town (A) D 2-2
Darlington (H) W 2-1
AFC Telford United (A) L 3-4

Last Time Out

Bradford (Park Avenue): Green, Lund, Priestley, Lowe (c), Hughes, Heaton, Knight (Bazeley 90), Agustien (Marriott 70), Sweeney (Johnson 90), Hurst, Nowakowski

Gloucester City: Bradley-Hurst; Hamilton, Harper, Harrison (Smith, 30’), Avery (c), Russe, Parker, Hanks, Jackson, Kotwica, Robert (Myrie-Williams, 65’)

Admission Prices
Adult – £13
Concession (OAP, Student) – £8
Under-15 – £3
Under-12 – FREE

Following an official approach, Marcus Wood has opted to leave the club and join Southport.

Wood is no stranger to Southport after spending 6 months of last season on loan from Bolton.

Bradford (Park Avenue) would like to thank Marcus for his efforts during his time with the club and wish him all the best for the future.

The club will be running a coach for our away trip to Gloucester City AFC on Saturday 19^th of October.

Departure times for the coach are:

Horsfall Stadium – 9:15 AM

Cedar Court Hotel – 9:30 AM

Prices for the coach are:

Adults – £15

Under 18’s – £10

Supporters wishing to travel need to book their place by Friday afternoon by emailing info@bpafc.com.

Photo: Lewis Knight and supporters celebrate following his goal vs Hereford. Credit: John Rhodes

Returning Bradford (Park Avenue) manager Mark Bower has added four names to his squad ahead of this afternoon’s match against Hereford FC.

Goalkeeper Joe Green and winger Liam Hughes have both joined the club, while fans should recognise fellow signings Adam Nowakowski and Billy Priestley.

Central defender Priestley last played for Avenue a number of years ago, proving a popular figure under John Deacey and Martin Drury.

Meanwhile versatile Nowakowski left the club along with Bower in the summer, with the former Harrogate and Darlington rejoining ahead of Hereford’s visit.

Green, who played under Bower and assistant Danny Boshell at Guiseley, arrives to replace Rhys Taylor, who left the club following Marcus Law’s departure.

And winger Hughes has signed for the club to add some quality in the wide positions, last featuring for Stratford Town.

Avenue host Hereford this Saturday at the Horsfall Stadium for Non League Day. With Avenue the cheapest team to watch in the National League North, why not bring someone new down this afternoon? 

Mark Bower takes charge of Bradford (Park Avenue) for the first time since being re-appointed manager against Hereford this Saturday.

Avenue line up at home against recently-promoted Hereford for the annual celebration of Non League Day.

Non League Day sees fans up and down the country encouraged to utilise the international break to check out their local non league club.

And with tickets at Bradford available from £1 to just £10 – the cheapest in the division – why not bring a friend down to try the club for the first time?

Bower returns to Bradford after leaving the club in the summer, and is back in the dugout following unsuccessful spells for both Garry Thompson and Marcus Law.

He will be joined by returning assistant Danny Boshell, but inherits a squad which has been almost completely overhauled since his last match in charge – the play-off defeat at Spennymoor at the end of last term.

The returning manager is expected to bring in some fresh faces ahead of the match, which sees Avenue looking to come back from a club-record defeat at Brackley Town last time out.

Contrary to Avenue’s woes, Hereford find themselves sitting pretty in sixth position in the league table, coupled with an impressive undefeated home record.

It’s their away form which lets down Russell Slade’s men, who have lost three of their six matches on their travels, and they come into the Avenue clash off the back of FA Cup disappointment, with two 0-0 draws against Tamworth ending in a penalty shoot-out defeat in the week.

Recent League Form

Bradford (Park Avenue)
Brackley Town (A) L 0-8
Spennymoor Town (H) D 1-1
Boston United (A) L 1-2
Farsley Celtic (H) L 0-3
AFC Telford United (H) L 2-3

Hereford
Leamington (A) W 2-0
Kettering TOwn (H) W 1-0
Gateshead (H) W 2-1
Guiseley (A) L 0-3
Boston United (H) D 0-0

Last Time Out

Bradford (Park Avenue): Taylor (c), Lund, Calder, Wood, Cresswell (Bazeley 46), Lowe, Dockerty (Knight 46), Marriott, Sweeney, Hurst, Agustien (Holmes 57)

Hereford:  Hall, Thomas, Bodenham, Jagger Cane (Pollock 68), Cullinane-Liburd, Gowling, Vincenti (Ash 78), O’Sullivan, Symons, Owen-Evans, Nicholson (Finn 96)

Admission Prices
Adult – £10
Concession (OAP, Student) – £8
Under-17 – £1

This Saturday marks the annual Non League Day, with Bradford (Park Avenue) playing host to Hereford FC on Mark Bower’s return to the club.

Non League Day takes place every October, with football fans encouraged to use the international break to check out their local non league club.

For Avenue, the match also holds significance, with manager Bower taking charge of the first match since his return to the club was announced almost two weeks ago.

It will be a new start for Avenue, with fresh faces expected to be added ahead of the fixture, and this is the perfect opportunity for fans new and old to attend and show their support for Bradford, in the club’s time of need.

Bradford (Park Avenue) offer the cheapest ticket in the Manarama National League North, at just £10 for adults and just £1 for under-17s, with concessions priced at £8.

So why not come down, perhaps grab a friend or family member who has never attended before, and show them what non league football is all about.

For more information regarding Non League Day, visit nonleagueday.co.uk