On Wednesday 19th September Bradford’s youngsters took on Harworth Colliery in their FA Youth Cup 1^st qualifying round fixture. It was a great occasion with a record crowd down for an academy game and a real buzz around the Horsfall despite the bitterly cold weather.

Park Avenue started well with an early chance for Leahy forcing the Harworth keeper to a finger tip save. Harworth continued to look shakey at the back with a number of chances falling Park Av’s way. However, against the run of play Harworth took the lead. An Avenue hand ball on the edge of the box gave Harworth a free kick which deflected off the wall and into the net. It was 1-0 Harworth. This goal seemed to spring Harworth into life and they came at Park Avenue. Some good defending by both wingbacks kept Avenue in the game and just before half time Avenue found their equaliser. It was the first time Park Avenue strung a number of passes together down the right hand side and it opened up the Harworth defence. A great ball into the box by Conlon was tapped in by Bailey at the back post. The half ended at one a piece in a game Avenue should really have taken hold of. After half time Avenue started to settle and were rewarded with a goal. A free kick from the half way line lifted high into the box by Rowntree was met by Whitrick and headed over the keeper. However, it wasn’t long before Avenue squandered their lead. A soft free kick was given at the edge of the box. Harworth’s players straight strike went straight over Widdop’s head and it was 2-2. The game then started to get away from Park Avenue with a catalogue of individual errors arising. The turning point came when Widdop’s error left a tap in for the Harworth striker. 3-2 to the visitors with Avenue looking unable to reply. Chances for Ali, T.Ali and Rowntree were not converted and it looked like the game was just going to fizzle out. The final blow came when another silly free kick was given away on the edge of the box and was once again converted by Harworth. Avenue substitutes Mayfield, Ikram and Panwar added fresh legs and Avenue kept creating chances but with no final product. A frustrating game all round as Bradford’s youngsters failed to perform on the day, on this occasion. Nerves seem to get the better of the lads on the night as they were miles off the performance they produced at Staveley. This now means its time for them to focus on the U19 and College league as well as the local Pat Rice trophy.

Next game is down at The Horsfall on Monday 24^th September verses Huddersfield YMCA.

Bradford (Park Avenue)’s academy will be in FA Youth Cup action tomorrow evening, welcoming Harworth Colliery to the Horsfall Stadium.

Alex Meechan’s youngsters advanced into the First Qualifying Round with an impressive win over Staveley Miners Welfare and will be looking to pick up where they left off against Harworth.

The action kicks off at 7:45pm and admission is FREE for season ticket holders. For those without a season ticket, admission is priced at just £3 for adults and £2 for concessions.

The Horsfall College of Sport has made great strides in the last twelve months and the academy’s involvement in the prestigious competition is a testament to the hard work of Alex Meechan and his team.

As well as providing crucial support, it is also a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of potential stars of the future…

#WeAreBradford

The MANarama National League kicks off as Prostate Cancer UK and The National League partner.

* Prostate Cancer UK has been named as the National League’s first ever official charity partner for Season 2018/19.

* In celebration of this partnership, for the first time in English football history, a league will re-brand mid-season.

* Title sponsors of the league Vanarama has changed its name to MANarama throughout the month of September, and to support this initiative the National League will rebrand as MANarama until the Non-League Day on 13th October.

The National League has chosen Prostate Cancer UK as its first ever official charity partner, to unite in the fight against the UK’s most prevalent male cancer, a cancer that kills one man every 45 minutes. In a first for English (and world) Football a national football league will change its branding midseason. Vanarama, the title sponsor of the National League, is changing its name to MANarama throughout the month of September to raise awareness of a deadly cancer that every man should know about. The rebranding to MANarama features a new league logo that will draw attention to the fact that every forty-five minutes a man dies from Prostate Cancer – Vanarama’s own site has also been completely re-branded to reflect its commitment to the fundraising drive.

Prostate Cancer UK and the National League also unveiled a new captain’s armband, which will be worn by all Club captains on Non-League Day on Saturday, October 13th. The clash will see all skippers proudly displaying the unique bright orange band, which includes the iconic Prostate Cancer UK logo, to illustrate their clubs’ united stand against the most common cancer in men.

Vanarama has also pledged to raise £150,000 in just 45 days from a vehicle-leasing incentive that runs across September, as they tell the nation to ‘lease a van, save a man’. Vanarama and its newly-launched car leasing platform, Motorama, will donate £50 for every vehicle leased from the start of September until Non-League Day, when a cheque will be presented on October 13th at FC Halifax Town vs Chesterfield live on BT Sport. The 45-day challenge reflects the tragic fact that every 45 minutes a man dies from prostate cancer.

The plans have been hailed by long-serving television presenter Jeff Stelling, a lifelong Hartlepool United fan.

Stelling, who has raised £800,000 for the charity during two March for Men events:

“This partnership reinforces Prostate Cancer UK’s work in football and how hugely important it is to raise awareness and funds to make a difference to the lives of men and their loved ones.

One man dies every 45 minutes from this disease, so we need to take action. The passionate fans in the National League – including my lot at Hartlepool United and throughout the non-league pyramid – represent the perfect platform for us to unite against the toughest opponent of all.

I know Vanarama have been long-time supporters of the charity so it’s great to see them taking the bold move of rebranding the league to MANarama to help raise even more awareness.

Although more women now go to matches, it’s still a stronghold of male life. A lot of these supporters at some stage in their life may get prostate cancer. The more they understand that the better, the more we can help beat it. For them, and for their friends and families.”

Andy Alderson CEO at Vanarama said:

“We’re ready to help tackle prostate cancer with the National League and Prostate Cancer UK. The charity does great work in football and so we thought we’d do our bit too.

“The decision to change our name from Vanarama to MANarama was an easy one. The fact that more than 11,000 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year is staggering and if us changing the league’s name helps raise awareness of the disease for even one man, then that’s a success for us.”

James Beeby, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said:

“It’s terrific to see the National League join us in the fight against the deadliest opponent of all, and, after backing us for a number of years, we once again thank Vanarama for their ongoing support.

We stand together in our quest to change the game for men and their families and the grassroots game is the perfect platform to do this. The money raised will fund ground-breaking research to help fight this disease and the awareness generated across the length and breadth of the country will be vital.

We thank the National League and Vanarama for creating this milestone moment and look forward to our most successful Non-League Day in October.”

National League Chief Executive Michael Tattersall said:

“We’re thrilled to announce our first ever official charity partner, Prostate Cancer UK. We couldn’t think of a charity that better reflects our football values. Just like Prostate Cancer UK we want all our men united against the fight of this deadly disease.

In celebration of our partnership, and with the support of our title sponsors, Vanarama, we will re-brand the league to MANarama. This temporary change is a first for English football and we’re proud to be a part of this historical moment.”

Many people are unaware that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It’s a huge issue that cannot be ignored. In 2018 one man every 45 minutes will die from prostate cancer in the UK. That’s more than 11,000 men this year. Based on current trends, if we ignore prostate cancer and do nothing, this number will rise to over 14,500 men a year by 2026.

To find out more information about Prostate Cancer UK’s work in football go to: www.prostatecanceruk.org/football