The winning tickets from yesterday’s half time draw are:
426 Green.
191 Yellow.
931 Green.
You can enter the half time draw for just £1 at any home game by seeing one of our ticket sellers by the gate when you arrive.
If you have a winning ticket and are yet to claim, simply bring the ticket with you to the next home game and see Trevor at the main gate.
Avenue are next at home to Southport on October 26th. K.O. 3pm
Photo: Sweeney nets his first goal at home to Hereford. Credit: John Rhodes
With a number of changes to the Avenue line-up, including a couple of familiar faces returning to Horsfall, positivity seemed to be instilled in the team right from the kick-off. Bradford had a number of early free kicks, most of which were well saved by Brandon Hall, the Hereford goalkeeper.
However, in the 9th minute Lewis Knight broke though before being brought down outside of the area by Hereford goalkeeper, Hall who was booked and there was another Bradford free kick to follow. The effort hit the wall and a scramble in the box lead to a chance for Adam Nowakowski who showed great composure to slot it low and under the left of keepers outstretched leg, giving Avenue the lead early on.
Both sides spent the next ten minutes trying to get the ball down and under possession, however neither could confidently retain the ball for a prolonged spell. In the 22nd minute Alex Hurst burst down the left wing and curled a fantastic cross into the back post where Lewis Knight was waiting to loop the ball over and around hall, finding the net to extend the Bradford lead to 2-0.
Hereford then started to grow into the game and following a series of corners found themselves with a chance for Tom Owen-Evans as he broke in behind the Avenue defence, only to be brought down by Green resulting in a penalty to Hereford. Tommy O’Sullivan stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it well past Joe Green, Avenue’s lead cut to 2-1, which it remained until the half time interval.
Within 5 minutes of the restart Avenue found themselves with a penalty of their own when Mitch Lund’s effort was well saved but Dan Sweeney was on the stop ready to score the rebound when he was dragged down. Sweeney took the penalty and slotted it low to the goalkeepers left, again extending Bradford’s lead to 2 goals, 3-1.
Just before the hour mark, a bouncing ball in Avenues box lead to a chance for Hereford and the scorer of their penalty, Tommy O’Sullivan, grabbed himself a brace, making it 3-2 after smashing in the loose ball.
With over half an hour left for Avenue to hold on to their lead they could not just sit back and had to push to extend their lead again. Sweeney had a couple of half chances, one coming from a long kick from Joe Green who provided great distribution all afternoon and was in fantastic form guarding his area.
After Hereford’s second goal they struggled to create another clear chance as Green and the Avenue defence held strong and dominated aerial balls in and around the area.
The sound of the referees full time whistle was greeted by ecstatic celebrations from the Avenue’s fans, a perfect way for Mark Bower to announce his return to the club.
Joe Green
Mitch Lund
Keith Lowe (C)
Liam Hughes
Josh Heaton
Lewis Knight (90’ for Iasiah Bazeley)
Germaine Agustien (70’ for Isaac Marriot)
Dan Sweeney (90’ for Andre Johnson)
Alex Hurst
Adam Nowakowski
Iasiah Bazeley (90’)
Isaac Marriot (70’)
Jon Moran
Andre Johnson (90’)
Brad Dockerty
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
Bucket collections will be run on matchdays with half of proceeds going to the nominated charity and the other half going to the Horsfall Community Trust.
The club is looking for volunteers to collect these donations at home games.
This is a vital part of the scheme and relies on the volunteers who are willing to give up a small amount of their time to make a big difference.
The club is also asking for fans to get involved with the scheme in terms of putting forward charities to be nominated. If you would like nominate a charity then email info@bpafc.com with the name of the charity you would like to nominate, a brief explanations of what type of work the charity does and why you feel the charity deserves the clubs support.
The first charity nominated is the National League endorsed Prostate Cancer UK’s Manarama: The Drive to Save Lives scheme who aim to raise much needed funds to help stop a disease killing one man every 45 minutes.
Pin badges and wristbands will be available for donation to the charity at Saturdays match against Hereford.
Avenue are back at home this Saturday for their first match since the return of Mark Bower and Danny Boshell. Kick off 3pm.
In the mean time, the first meeting of the fund raising committee takes place this Wednesday.
It’s no secret that running a club at this level is a costly business and as such we need to look at every avenue possible to raise funds.
Alongside this, the club feels it is important to provide supporters with a wide range of activities to engage in outside of the football calendar.
As such a new fund raising committee has been formed to plan and host a series of events through out the year, including speaker evenings, quiz’s, sportsman’s evenings, raffle’s and a wide range of other activities.
Historically we have had fantastic support for events at the club which have raised much needed funds, and as such we would like to invite supporters to join our new fund raising committee.
The committee will be overseen by Associate General Manager, Carl Marsden, but will be headed up on a day to day basis by Avenue stalwart, Dave Stordy.
Many supporters will already know Dave and the fantastic work and fund raising he has carried out at the club over the years, and the club would like to take this opportunity to thank Dave for all his hard work and dedication.
We would like to invite any supporters who would like to join on the committee to an initial meeting in the social club on Wednesday the 9th of October at 7.30pm.
If you would like to be considered but cannot attend, please send an email to Dave Stordy (davestordy@hotmail.co.uk).
If you have any suggestions on activities the committee can carry out, then please email Dave.
Speaking about the formation of the committee, Dave said:
“It is really important that we support the club financially given what has happened recently and the new plans for Horsfall in the future, so we look forward to seeing or hearing from you.”
All at the club would like to thank Riccardo Calder for his efforts in Red Amber and Black this season and wish him all the best for the future.
Avenue are without a game this weekend, but you can still get your football fix at the Horsfall stadium this Sunday as Oakenshaw take on Home Bargains in the FA Sunday Cup. Kick Off 2pm.
The former St. Kitts & Nevis international, who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Chesterfield during his career, brings with him a vast wealth of knowledge and experience.
Since retiring from professional football, Desmond has forged a career in coaching and youth development, having previously lead the academy at Halifax Town and working for Manchester City as an elite development scout.
