First Team – Staff

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Mark Bower is First Team manager at Bradford (Park Avenue), and is a former professional Footballer who played as Centre-Back.

Mark was born in Bradford, and played or more than a decade with Bradford City, making over 230 appearances and scoring 12 goals.

Across his career, he also played for York City on loan, Luton Town on loan, followed by Darlington, Halifax Town, and Guiseley before retiring from play in 2013.

His managerial career began in 2013, with Guiseley. He took

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Danny Boshell is Assistant Manager to Mark Bower, and made over 440 appearances across the Football Pyramid, most notably for Grimsby Town where he made 118 appearances in all competitions. He also played as a professional for Oldham Athletic, Stockport County, Bury and Chesterfield before finishing his playing career in non-league football with Guiseley, Altrincham and Bradford Park Avenue.

His first managerial role came while at Guiseley from 2013-16, as Player/Assistant Manager to Mark Bower.

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Danny King is Avenue’s Goalkeeper Coach and 2nd Choice Keeper, and works mostly alongside George Sykes-Kenworthy in training and pre-match warmups.

King runs his own goalkeeping Academy DKGK, which you can visit here. 

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Gianluca Havern progressed to a player/coach role in the 23/24 pre-season, and has spent the last 3 consecutive seasons at Bradford (Park Avenue).

Prior to his current spell, Havern also player for Avenue from 2017-2019, before briefly joining Ashton United in June 2019, returning to Bradford during the 2020/21 campaign.

Born in Manchester, Luca came through the club youth system at Stockport County where he was captain of the Under-18 side.

He had spells on loan at Northern Premier League Premier Division clubs Radcliffe Borough and at Ashton United in 2007.

Havern made his Stockport County debut against Brentford in May 2008 and scored the winning goal. With Stockport citing financial trouble, Havern was one of several staff released in January 2009.

He left County having made only one appearance for the first team and was immediately taken on as trialist at Conference National outfit Mansfield Town, where he was soon offered a six-month contract.

After this spell, Havern returned to Stockport County on non-contract terms before signing another contract deal. On 31 August 2010 it was announced by Stockport that an agreement had been made regarding early settlements of player’s contracts and as a result he had left the club.

In his following seasons, Havern would play for Mossley in 2010, Ashton United from 2010-11, Hyde from 2011-12, Altrincham from 2012-16, and Telford United from 2016-17 before joining the Green Army in 2017.

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Oli Johnson originally joined on loan from Guiseley in November of 2016, later signing in 2017, Johnson has been a popular figure under Mark Bower, playing a key role over the last few seasons. 

In the 2022/23, he showed that on his day he can be a star player, scoring the winner against Curzon Ashton, and inspiring our first away win of the season in a 3-2 victory against Buxton, where he scored the equaliser in 90+2 after just 4 minutes on the pitch. 

OJ is signed on as Player/Coach, taking on a Strength & Conditioning coaching role in the 23/24 season.

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Brad Smith is our First Team Sports Rehabilitator, and also works with the Academy in coaching and as a physio.

Brad originally joined the Club through the Academy, joining on placement in early 2022 and helping out with the Scholars and Juniors.

He was promoted to First Team Physio in 2023/24 Pre-Season.

Brad achieved a 2:1 in BSc, Sports & Exercise with Leeds Trinity University, and also earned his Masters in Sport & Exercise Therapy at Leeds Beckett University.

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Ian Sewell is Bradford (Park Avenue)’s Kit Man.