Avenue Held to 1-1 Draw by Brighouse Town
August 21, 2024Bradford (Park Avenue) were forced to settle for a point in their League clash against Brighouse Town on Tuesday, as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Horsfall Community Stadium.
Despite dominating much of the second half, Avenue were unable to find a winning goal after Dan Francis’s header cancelled out an earlier strike by Brighouse’s Niah Payne.
Match Report: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Brighouse Town
The match began with both teams eager to assert themselves. Avenue had the first opportunity within the opening minutes when Harry Colville’s scuffed shot was comfortably saved by Brighouse keeper Kyle Trenerry. Just a couple of minutes later, Avenue pressed again as Paddy Sykes won the ball back deep in the Brighouse half, leading to a chance for Colville, who unfortunately fired over the bar.
With the wind at their backs, Brighouse responded with a chance of their own in the 6th minute, but Danny Edwards’ cross to Joshua Waldram at the far post resulted in a shot that went high over Craig Ellison’s goal. The visitors continued to grow into the game, with a free kick from Niah Payne and successive corners keeping the Bradford defence busy.
The breakthrough came in the 31st minute when Brighouse’s Niah Payne produced a moment of quality to find the back of the net and put the visitors ahead as the match approached halftime. Brighouse went on to effectively stifle Avenue’s attempts to create chances, frustrating the home side as they went into the break 1-0 down.
Half-time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-1 Brighouse Town
The second half saw Bradford (Park Avenue) come out with renewed energy and purpose, pushing Brighouse back and earning a penalty in the 55th minute after a period of sustained pressure. However, Connor Shanks saw his spot-kick saved by Trenerry, keeping the visitors in front.
Avenue’s persistence finally paid off just four minutes later when a cross from the right found Dan Francis running towards the far post. Francis met the ball with a perfectly timed header on the edge of the 6 yard box, guiding it across the face of the goal and into the net to bring Avenue level at 1-1.
Both teams made substitutions in the following minutes, with Brighouse introducing Rafael Ferreira and Clark Greaves, while Bradford brought on James Hanson for his first appearance of the season, replacing Shanks. Avenue pressed hard for a winner as the clock ticked down, but Brighouse’s resolute defending, coupled with a yellow card for both Waldram and Ferreira, ensured that the scores remained level.
Despite Bradford’s late efforts, they were unable to break through Brighouse’s determined backline again, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
With no game scheduled for this Saturday, Avenue now have a break before their bank holiday battle with Liversedge at the Horsfall on the 26th of August.
Full-time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Brighouse Town
Attendance: 385
Goals: 31′ Niah Payne, 59′ Dan Francis
Teams:
Bradford (Park Avenue)
Starting 11: 1 Craig Ellison, 2 Kareem Hassan-Smith, 3 Josh Askew (C), 4 Luke Hogg, 5 Alex Francis, 6 Ben Whelan, 7 Kelan Swales, 8 Connor Shanks, 9 Paddy Sykes, 10 Harry Colville, 11 Dan Francis
Subs: 12 Oli Norman, 13 Ed Hall, 14 Theo Hudson, 15 James Hanson, 16 Ewan Gregson
Brighouse Town
Starting 11: 1 Kyle Trenerry, 2 Darius Smith, 3 Joshua Grant (C), 4 Spencer Harris, 5 Matthew Nebard, 6 Luke Hinsley, 7 Myron Gibbons, 8 Joshua Waldram, 9 Danny Edwards, 10 Niah Payne, 11 Craig Nelthorpe
Subs: 12 Cole Wildin, 14 Basile Zottos, 15 Clark Greaves, 16 Curtis Senior, 17 Rafael Ferreira
