Bridlington Town 0-1 Bradford (Park Avenue)
Tuesday, 29th October 2024
Northern Premier League East Division
Attendance: 384 @ Mounting Systems Stadium
Bradford (Park Avenue) continued their impressive form in the Northern Premier League East Division with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Bridlington Town. The win marked Avenue’s sixth in their last eight matches and fifth clean sheet, moving them to fourth place in the table.
Francis Scores the Decisive Goal
Avenue’s winner came midway through the first half, thanks to Dan Francis, who has been in fine scoring form this season, notching his sixth goal in all competitions. The visitors set the tone early, with Jimiel Chikukwa and Paddy Sykes each coming close in the opening five minutes, only to see their chances go wide.
Bridlington, hovering just above the relegation zone, showed resilience, nearly capitalizing on an opportunity when Michael Coulson’s chipped attempt was skilfully parried away by Avenue goalkeeper Jack Hall.
After narrowly missing with a bullet header that was tipped onto the crossbar, Francis finally found the breakthrough in the 23rd minute. Capitalizing on a loose ball following a corner, he tapped it in from close range, giving Avenue a well-earned lead.
Second Half Resilience
Avenue continued pressing after the break, with Connor Shanks narrowly missing the target early in the second half. However, several injuries slowed their momentum, as Captain Luke Hogg exited with a sore hamstring, and Francis, the goal-scorer, followed with a dead leg soon after.
Despite these setbacks, Avenue’s defense held strong under pressure, with Shanks and Sonny Whittingham contributing invaluable pressing up front. Although Hall faced minimal threats in the second half, Bridlington came close to leveling late on, but Kay’s header sailed over the bar with just minutes remaining.
The hosts appealed for a penalty in stoppage time following a tussle in the box, but Avenue saw out the tense final moments to secure the win, taking away what could prove to be three pivotal points.
Squads
Bridlington Town:
- Sebastian Malkowski, 2. Derry Robson, 3. Charlie Winfield, 4. Simon Heslop (C), 5. Josh Barrett, 6. Dan Hartley, 7. Nathan Dyer, 8. Sam Kay, 9. Harvey Cribb, 10. Michael Coulson, 11. Sam Leverett
Substitutes: 12. Pete Davidson, 14. Marshall Nock, 15. Benn Lewis, 16. Alex Markham, 17. Ethan Harrison
Bradford (Park Avenue):
- Jack Hall, 2. Josh Ashman, 3. Dan Francis, 4. Luke Hogg (C), 5. Ben Blythe, 6. Mark Beevers, 7. Kareem Hassan-Smith, 8. Sonny Whittingham, 9. Paddy Sykes, 10. Connor Shanks, 11. Jimiel Chikukwa
Substitutes: 12. Connor Dimaio, 14. Ted Lavelle, 15. Ewan Gregson, 16. Will Calligan, 17. Jack Normanton
Upcoming Fixture
Bradford (Park Avenue) return to Horsfall Community Stadium this Saturday, 2nd November, to host Bishop Auckland with a 3pm KO. Tickets are priced at £13 for adults, £10 for concessions, £5 for students, blue light, and armed forces (ID required), £3 for youths (12-16), and £1 for juniors (under 12).