New Look Avenue Secure Opening Day Winner

Bradford (Park Avenue) have secured a hard-fought victory against North Ferriby FC in their opening game of the Northern Premier League – East Division season.

This was a significant fixture for Bradford, marking their first league match following relegation last season as well as the competitive debut for many of their new signings. There was one notable absence, however, as Ryley D’Sena who, despite agreeing to stay with the Avenue last week, has since moved on to join Long Eaton United.

Match Report: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 North Ferriby FC

The match started with promise, as Bradford’s Oli Norman made an early driving run into the box, though he was unable to keep the ball in play. North Ferriby responded quickly, applying pressure that resulted in a low strike from Josh Whiteley, which was brilliantly saved by Bradford’s goalkeeper Craig Ellison.

Both teams had opportunities to open the scoring in the first half. Bradford’s Kareem Hassan-Smith came close to breaking the deadlock in the 24th minute, hitting the post after a skilful run into the area. The Villagers nearly capitalised on their chances as well, with Tom Corner’s powerful header forcing another outstanding save from Ellison. Despite these efforts, the score remained 0-0 at half-time.

Bradford made a substitution at the break, with Josh Askew coming on for Kelan Swales. The home side’s persistence paid off in the 55th minute when a swift counter-attack saw Oli Norman display excellent vision to find Kareem Hassan-Smith, who burst forward on the right wing, driving into the box and finishing expertly to give Bradford the lead.

North Ferriby made a double substitution in response before having a penalty appeal waved away in the 63rd minute, as their player cut in front of Hassan-Smith before falling to the ground. Bradford went on to nearly doubled their lead in the 78th minute, but Ben Bottomley in the North Ferriby goal made a superb stop to keep the deficit at one.

Despite a late flurry of activity, and increased pressure, Bradford held on to secure the victory.

The win marks a positive start to the season for Bradford (Park Avenue), giving their fans hope after the disappointment of last season’s relegation.

Bradford will be looking to build on this result in their next match, an away fixture against Belper Town on Tuesday night.

Full-Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-0 North Ferriby FC

Goal: Kareem Hassan-Smith (55’)

Attendance: 335

Teams:

Bradford (Park Avenue)

Starting 11: 1 Craig Ellison, 2 Kareem Hassan-Smith, 3 Dan Francis, 4 Luke Hogg, 5 Alex Francis, 6 Ben Whelan, 7 Kelan Swales, 8 Connor Dimaio, 9 Paddy Sykes, 10 Harry Colville, 11 Oli Norman

Subs: 12 Josh Askew, 13 Ed Hall, 14 Joe Crosby, 15 Theo Hudson, 16 Harry Varley

North Ferriby

Starting 11: 1 Ben Bottomley, 2 Sam Aynseley, 3 Jack Walters, 4 Jack Johnson, 5 Niall Tilsley, 6 Dom Roma, 7 Josh Whitley, 8 Levi Tarbotton, 9 Tom Corner, 10 James Cadman, 11 Lewis Dennison

Subs: 12 Matty Dixon, 13 Jordan Douglas, 14 Mason Johnson, 15 Finn Abraham, 16 Jason Chanayire