Myles La Bastide stole the show on Friday night at Horsfall, as his brilliant second-half brace secured a vital 3-1 win for Bradford (Park Avenue) over Bridlington Town in the Northern Premier League East Division. The result brought Avenue to within a point of the play-off spots, further energizing their campaign under Craig Elliott.
The visitors, who made the trip from the Yorkshire coast, began brightly, with Danny Earl forcing an early save from Jack Hall before narrowly missing the target minutes later. Bridlington continued their early pressure, with Sam Leverett drawing another fine save from Hall, tipping the ball over for a corner in the 11th minute.
However, Avenue struck with their first meaningful attack. A low ball to the back post was expertly knocked into the path of captain Connor Shanks, who confidently swept his shot past Sebastian Malkowski to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The first half saw an injury shakeup for Avenue, as Brad Williams was forced off just after the half-hour mark, bringing La Bastide into the action earlier than planned. Despite his introduction, Bridlington dominated the latter stages of the half.
Benn Lewis came close, heading wide while off balance, and Avenue had to show their defensive resilience to block Dan Hartley’s effort out for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Leverett delivered a pinpoint cross for Lewis, whose powerful header flew past Hall into the top corner to make it 1-1.
The visitors nearly took the lead before halftime, but Ahmed Salam’s strike was ruled out for offside, allowing Avenue to regroup during the break.
Elliott’s halftime team talk clearly had an impact, as the home side emerged with renewed purpose. Within minutes of the restart, Avenue created several chances, with Bridlington’s defense producing crucial blocks before Sonny Whittingham sent a rebound over the bar.
La Bastide then began to influence proceedings, cracking a shot wide moments after Bridlington striker Alex Peterson was forced off with a broken arm. Shortly after, Avenue’s patience paid off. Following a flowing team move, the ball found La Bastide on the edge of the box. He cut inside with composure and rifled a stunning shot off the crossbar and into the net, restoring Avenue’s lead at 2-1.
La Bastide continued to torment Bridlington’s defense, narrowly missing a chipped effort after a defensive mix-up. His persistence paid off again late on when he sealed the win in spectacular fashion, volleying into the top corner from just inside the box.
Despite a late chance for La Bastide to complete his hat-trick, Malkowski denied him, but the damage was already done. Avenue saw out the match comfortably, with Shanks nearly adding a fourth after another defensive lapse by the visitors.
It was a performance full of resilience and quality from Avenue, highlighted by La Bastide’s clinical finishing and the team’s ability to turn the game around. With three wins from their last four games, Elliott’s men will be eager to continue their momentum in their next outing.
Teams
Bradford (Park Avenue)
1 Jack Hall
2 Keenan Ferguson
3 Dan Francis
4 Ted Lavelle
5 Ben Blythe
6 Mark Beevers
7 Brad Williams
8 Sonny Whittingham
9 Jack Goodman
10 Connor Shanks (C)
11 Iyrwah Gooden
12 Paddy Sykes
14 Myles La Bastide
15 Josh Ashman
16 Luke Hogg
17 Kareem Hassan-Smith
Bridlington Town
1 Sebastian Malkowski
2 Derry Robson
3 Charlie Winfield
4 Simon Heslop (C)
5 Dan Hartley
6 Benn Lewis
7 Danny Earl
8 Sam Leverett
9 Alex Peterson
10 Michael Coulson
11 Ahmed Salam
12 Pete Davidson
14 Marshall Nock
15 Coby Scotter
16 Ryan Bemrose
17 Billy Ripley