A makeshift Bradford (Park Avenue) side suffered a heavy defeat to Brighouse Town in the second round of the West Riding County Cup.

Bradford’s starting eleven featured three scholars from the Horsfall College of Sport and four were named as substitutes.

It took just four minutes for Brighouse to take the lead, opening the scoring through Gabriel Johnson’s well-struck free-kick.

The lead was doubled shortly after when Marley Grant capped off a slick attacking move with a composed finish that left Jack Atkinson helpless.

Atkinson did, however, make a crucial save to deny Mohammed Ibrahim at point blank range after the forward connected with a cross from the right.

The Bradford stopper’s palms were then stung by Rhys Jenkinson, who struck low but was thwarted by the goalkeeper.

Bradford first opportunity of the evening fell to stand-in skipper Adam Nowakowski, who raced in to capitalise on a rebound when Matt Smith parried Ben McKenna’s strike. He managed to reach the ball ahead of a scrambling Smith, but the goalkeeper managed to beat away the effort.

The energetic hosts then added a third when Ibrahim fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.

The third goal seemed to rally Bradford, who pulled one back just a minute after conceding. Danny Boshell delivered from the left and Nowakowski escaped his marker before steering a header past Smith.

Nowakowski almost netted his second mere minutes later but his curling shot failed to beat Smith.

Another opportunity then fell Nowakowski’s way when Chris Dawson found him with a defence-splitting pass, but the Bradford man lifted his effort into Smith’s clutches.

Alex Hurst found himself in a promising position after accelerating away from Sam Wright, but his shot from the left-hand side of the box was blocked by Kurt Harris.

Nowakowski remained a threat to the Brighouse backline and was unlucky to see his thunderous piledriver rattle the woodwork before bouncing on the line and being hacked clear.

HALF-TIME: Brighouse Town 3-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Brighouse had no intentions of simply defending their lead and continued to pile bodies forward after the break. Rhys Jenkinson surged forward down the right flank and pulled the trigger but blasted over the crossbar.

Town then added to their advantage when Jack Normanton latched on to Finn Donovan’s delivery and steered past Atkinson.

The confidence of the hosts was evident as they embarked on a hunt for a fifth goal immediately after scoring. Atkinson was forced to react quickly and palm away Harris’ flick before the ball was hacked clear by Joseph Ockerby.

Donovan lifted a cross in from the right and found substitute Ellis Nicholls, but his header found the wrong side of the post.

Bradford scholar Jordan Botwood was introduced in the second-half and drifted into space on the edge of the box but couldn’t find the target with his shot after being teed up by Lewis Knight.

Vill Powell’s side struck again with just two minutes remaining on the clock when James Hurtley headed into Ibrahim’s path, allowing him to fire past Atkinson from close-range.

FULL-TIME: Brighouse Town 5-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Brighouse Town: Smith, Jenkinson, Wright, Jones (Nicholls 45’), Harris, Hurtley, Grant (Donovan 60’), Heeley (c), Ibrahim, Johnson (Normanton 63’), Thomas.

Unused substitutes: Haigh, Robinson.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Atkinson, Toulson, Ridley, Rowntree, Holmes, Spencer (Knight 45’), McKenna (Botwood 60’), Boshell, Nowakowski (c), Dawson (Ockerby 66’), Hurst.

Unused substitutes: Garside, Mayfield.

Referee: Jamie Rhodes

Bradford (Park Avenue) swept ten-man York City aside at Bootham Crescent.

The opening ten minutes were cagey, and it was York that found their rhythm first. The visitors found themselves pinned in their own half and Shane Killock was forced to launch himself in front of a Jordan Burrow shot to keep the scores level.

Bradford, however, grew into the game and began asking questions of a disjointed York backline.

Jamie Spencer found Nicky Wroe with a perfectly executed lofted pass but the midfielder lifted his effort over the crossbar.

The Minstermen launched a swift counter-attack but Steven Drench was on-hand to palm Burrow’s flick away from danger at point blank range.

Drama then ensued at Bootham Crescent when York captain Joe Tait saw red. Jake Beesley fell to the ground inside the box after a tussle with Tait and after the defender received his marching orders, a penalty was awarded.

Beesley made no mistake from 12-yards, stepping up confidently and steering the ball past Adam Bartlett.

The lead was nearly doubled when Conor Branson connected with Lewis Knight’s free-kick delivery, but Bartlett held the header.

Branson then tried his luck with a long-range piledriver as the interval approached but his speculative effort sailed over the woodwork.

HALF-TIME: York City 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Bradford raced out of the blocks after the restart and it didn’t take long for the visitors to add to their advantage. Knight drilled a cross in from the right, enabling Beesley to volley into the roof of the net and pile misery on ten-man York.

Just three minutes later, Bradford netted a third when Spencer’s stunning long-range strike found the top corner in sensational fashion.

As York’s desire for a goal intensified, they piled bodies forward in desperate search of a way back into a game that seemed beyond them.

Adriano Moke pulled back to substitute Jon Parkin, but the robust forward’s shot was blocked by Killock.

The Minstermen eventually found a way through when Sean Newton curled into the top corner from a free-kick.

The hosts then went close through debutant Lewis Hawkins, who saw his thunderous effort tipped over the crossbar by the outstretched glove of Drench.

Bradford remained a threat despite their comfortable lead and Ben McKenna saw a shot blocked after firing into a sea of bodies.

McKenna then notched Bradford’s fourth, firing into the top corner after Knight accelerated away from Allan and squared to the substitute.

Alex Hurst looked set to add a fifth as the full-time whistle approached, but his shot was blocked by Allan after weaving his way past two defenders.

FULL-TIME: York City 1-4 Bradford (Park Avenue)

York City: Bartlett, Law, Newton, Allan, Tait (c), Griffiths (Langstaff 78’), Harris (Bencherif 27’), Moke, Burrow, Wright (Parkin 45’), Hawkins.

Unused substitutes: Ferguson, Dyer.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Clee, Wroe, Killock (c), Havern, Spencer (Hurst 84’), Branson, Beesley, Johnson (McKenna 51’), Knight (Nowakowski 83’).

Unused substitutes: Toulson, Atkinson.

Referee: Scott Simpson

Attendance: 2, 289 (198 Bradford supporters)

HT: 0-1

Photo: John Rhodes

Bradford (Park Avenue) were held to a 2-2 draw by Darlington at the Horsfall Stadium.

The Quakers posed a much greater threat than they did in the last meeting between the sides, when Mark Bower’s side knocked them out of the Emirates FA Cup.

It took just two minutes for Darlington take the lead, harshly bringing the hosts back down to earth following the high of Saturday’s win over Chorley. Jordan Nicholson exploited a gap in the Bradford midfield to burst through and find the top corner with a curling effort.

Mark Bower was then forced to make an early change when Danny Lowe sustained an injury. Nicky Clee entered the fray and was thrown in at the deep end as the Bradford backline dealt with an early onslaught.

Luca Havern had to be alert to thwart Harvey Saunders after a slick move involving the Darlington forward and Josef Wheatley carved the hosts open.

A miscued clearance from Steven Drench then landed at Luke Trotman’s feet and the full-back teed up Stephen Thompson, who blasted over the crossbar.

The visitors then doubled their lead as Nicholson grabbed his second, capping off a swift attacking move with a composed finish from close-range.

Bradford, however, responded quickly. Lewis Knight dispossessed Wheatley before teeing up Jamie Spencer, who saw two shots blocked. The ball then fell to Knight, whose effort was parried by Hemming into the direction of Oli Johnson, allowing the forward to head home.

A golden opportunity to draw level followed when Spencer drilled across the face of goal, but Branson fired wide after arriving at the back post.

Darlington had no intention of simply defending their lead and came very close to adding a third. Saunders weaved his way past several defenders but was denied by Drench in a one-on-one scenario.

The opposing stopper Hemming then made an impressive stop to keep the scores level, pushing Knight’s driven effort wide of the post.

Bradford eventually levelled proceedings through Nicky Clee, who rifled into the bottom corner after the ball was worked out to the left flank.

The first-half continued to be a poor advert for defending when Bradford gave away a penalty on the stroke of half-time. Havern felled Wheatley but Drench saved Thompson’s spot-kick at full stretch.

HALF-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-2 Darlington

Early drama ensued after the break when the visitors began appealing for a penalty within two minutes of the restart. There was a tangle of legs between Knight and Saunders, but the referee dismissed protests.

The tricky Nicholson was a thorn in Bradford’s side throughout the game but Clee made a superb last-ditch challenge to prevent the winger securing his hat-trick.

Nicholson then combined well with Trotman on the right flank but the latter’s shot flew wide.

Bradford appealed for a penalty of their own on the hour mark when Spencer insisted that his shot had struck the outstretched arm of Terrence Galbraith. The referee, however, ignored the fierce protests.

Both sides continued to hunt for the elusive winning goal but the defensive units had been significantly tightened since the half-time interval.

Beesley delivered the ball on a plate for Clee but Jonathan Burn launched himself in front of the thunderous effort.

Johnson then found himself in a promising position after the ball was threaded through to him by Knight, but his shot failed to find either side of Hemming.

It became apparent that the absence of a cutting edge would prevent either side edging themselves ahead as the game entered its final fifteen minutes.

Beesley lifted a powerful effort over the crossbar and Darlington’s Tom Elliott did the same minutes later.

Ben McKenna’s introduction as a substitute re-ignited the spark in Bradford’s frontline and his direct running caused problems on the left flank. He evaded the challenge of Burn before making an incisive dart into the box, but his strike was blocked by a sliding Trotman.

Branson has proven himself to be a goal threat from the heart of Bradford’s midfield but couldn’t weigh in to fire the hosts ahead, nodding over the woodwork after meeting a cross from the right.

A sliced clearance from Shane Killock allowed Nicholson to advance at an alarming pace but a miscued cross left Bradford off the hook as the ball rolled out for a goal-kick.

The hosts were given a stoppage-time scare when Galbraith connected with a teasing delivery from Elliott, but Drench plucked the defender’s volley out of the top left-hand corner.

FULL-TIME: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-2 Darlington

Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe (Clee 7’), Wroe (McKenna 61’), Killock (c), Havern, Spencer, Branson, Beesley, Johnson, Knight (Hurst 83’).

Unused substitutes: Toulson, Nowakowski.

Darlington: Hemming, Trotman, Elliott, Burn, Hughes, Galbraith, Nicholson, Wheatley, Ainge (c) (Syers 83’), Saunders, Thompson (Henshall 83’).

Unused substitutes: Glover, Hall, Stansfield.

Referee: Aaron Bannister

Attendance: 625