Match Report: Avenue 0-0 Blyth

Bradford (Park Avenue) earned their second point of the season with a goalless draw at home to Blyth.

Both sides had chances in a close contest at the Horsfall Stadium, which drew plenty of positives for a home side who kept their first clean sheet of the season.

After promising changes through the week, interim manager Marcus Law handed out three debuts from the start, with Riccardo Calder, Marcus Wood and Myron Gibbons all coming in for their first appearance in red, amber and black.

It was the visitors who came close early on though, Adam Wrightson getting in behind but Rhys Taylor made himself big and blocked the effort inside 30 seconds.

Calder had the first of Avenue’s chances in a frantic opening to the match, heading Hedley’s cross well wide before bursting into the box and seeing a low drive well held by Nathan Harker.

Lewis Knight was then gifted a chance as Tom Devitt slipped on the edge of his own box, but the forward shot well wide when a pass to Doncaster loanee Gibbons may have been the better option.

Calder and Knight then combined for another good chance for the forward, but he headed well over from a cracking cross into the box.

Wood saw a shot from range comfortably held before Gibbons’ shot was blocked as Bradford looked to take advantage of their dominance in the opening half an hour.

But it was the visitors who in fact had the ball in the back of the net, Taylor doing brilliantly to deny Wrightson but Scott Fenwick prodded home, only for the linesman’s flag to deny him.

The goalmouth action died down on a hot afternoon at the Horsfall stadium, Fenwick and Wrightson again combining for the former to glance wide when he probably should have scored.

Avenue had a couple of corners which came to nothing before the big chance with only three minutes to play.

Bradford had worked their way into the area and a loose ball fell the way of substitute debutant Joseph Chidyausiku, but his finish was blocked on the line brilliantly by Oliver Scott.

As the hosts pushed forward for a winner, there was space at the back and still time for one huge chance for the visitors.

Captain Robbie Dale managed to get one-on-one with Mitch Lund, coming inside but seeing his shot brilliantly kept out by Taylor, before heading the loose ball just wide of the target.

It’s a short turnaround over the bank holiday weekend, as Bradford now head to Darlington on Monday looking to find that elusive first win of the campaign.

Bradford (Park Avenue): Taylor (c), Lund, Calder, Wood, Moran, Digbeu (Dockerty 79), Hedley, Marriott (Holmes 79), Gibbons (Chidyausiku 60), Hurst, Knight

Subs not used: Cresswell, Orlando-Young

Booked: Calder (61)

Blyth Spartans: Harker, Horner, Scott, Devitt, Ritzen, Mason (Hutchinson (45+1), Wrightson (Orrell 80), Robson, Fenwick, Mullen (Mouanda 9), Dale (c)

Subs not used: Evans, Foden

Referee: Adam Herczog

Attendance: 328

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