Venue: Horsfall Community Stadium
Attendance: 256
Referee: Jack Churchill
Competition: Northern Premier League – East Division
Bradford (Park Avenue) were held to a 1-1 draw against Carlton Town in a lively contest at Horsfall Community Stadium. An early goal from Dan Francis gave Avenue the lead, but Lewis Durow equalized for Carlton before the break to ensure both sides took a share of the points.
First Half:
Bradford (Park Avenue) got off to the perfect start, with Dan Francis finding the back of the net in the 6th minute. A corner from Connor Shanks was headed back across goal by Paddy Sykes, and Francis was on hand to convert with a diving header.
Carlton responded with a spell of pressure, with a goal-line clearance denying them an equalizer after a dangerous long throw caused havoc in the Avenue box. The match maintained a high tempo, and Jack Normanton’s cross in the 26th minute nearly doubled the lead, but it went agonizingly untouched. Shortly after, Paddy Sykes headed just wide from another Francis cross.
Carlton equalized in the 44th minute when Lewis Durow volleyed home following a corner, sending the teams into halftime level at 1-1.
Second Half:
The second half saw Bradford pushing hard to regain the lead. Ben Blythe went close with a header from a corner early on, but Carlton’s defense stood firm.
Avenue had more opportunities, with Will Calligan firing a powerful effort that was turned behind for a corner in the 62nd minute. Paddy Sykes was unlucky when his header hit the post in the 68th minute, but the referee halted play for a foul on Carlton goalkeeper Felix Annan.
Despite continued pressure and some late chances, including a near-winner from Paddy Sykes in stoppage time, Bradford couldn’t find the decisive goal.
Full-Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Carlton Town
Post-Match Reaction: Manager Craig Elliott commented after the game, “I’m happy with a point. Carlton have one of the best throws in the league, and we handled it well. A few weeks ago, we might have lost this game, so to keep our unbeaten run going is a positive.”
Bradford (Park Avenue):
1 Jack Hall, 2 Kareem Hassan-Smith, 3 Dan Francis, 4 Luke Hogg (C), 5 Ben Blythe, 6 Mark Beevers, 7 Jack Normanton (Joe Crosby 85′), 8 Sonny Whittingham (Connor Dimaio 75’), 9 Paddy Sykes, 10 Connor Shanks, 11 Will Calligan (Josh Ashman 75’)
Substitutes: 12 Josh Ashman, 14 Joe Crosby, 15 Connor Dimaio, 16 Oli Norman, 17 Ben Whelan
Carlton Town:
1 Felix Annan, 2 Shea Thompson-Harris (Lawrence Stewart Gorman 76′), 3 Lewis Durow, 4 Daniel Brown (C), 5 Dean Freeman, 6 Michael Ford (Niall Davie 65’), 7 Alex Howes, 8 Charlie Carter, 9 Liam Moran (Luca Alanzi 65’), 10 Oliver Clark, 11 Niall Hylton (Neo Saunders 76′)
Substitutes: 12 Neo Saunders, 14 Lawrence Stewart Gorman, 15 Niall Davie, 16 Luca Alanzi, 17 Zac Hill
Next Fixtures:
- Saturday, 19th October: Away to Consett AFC at Belle View Stadium, Delves Lane, Consett DH8 7BF. To book coach travel for just £15 a seat, please get in touch with Secretary@bpafc.com
- Tuesday, 22nd October: Home vs Emley AFC at Horsfall Community Stadium.
The unbeaten run continues for Bradford (Park Avenue), who will now focus on their upcoming away fixture against Consett AFC this weekend.