Avenue Crumble in 1-4 Defeat to Liversedge That Sees Manager Leave The Club

Bradford (Park Avenue) suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of Liversedge in a dismal performance at the Horsfall Community Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.

The loss, which saw Avenue unravel after a promising start, led to the club parting ways with first-team manager Danny Whitaker the following day.

Match Report: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-4 Liversedge

The match began brightly for Avenue, who took the lead in the 4th minute through Kelan Swales. Swales capitalised on a misplaced pass in midfield, driving forward from the halfway line before unleashing a low shot from distance that caught Liversedge keeper Dylan Parkin off guard. This early advantage, however, quickly evaporated as Liversedge grew into the game, taking control and exposing Avenue’s defensive frailties.

Liversedge equalised in the 25th minute after what appeared to be a communication issue between Avenue keeper Craig Ellison and defender Josh Askew allowed Jack Dyche to lob the stranded Ellison. From that point, Liversedge dominated, and Bradford’s defensive woes continued. Ryan Toulson, a former Avenue player, punished a defensive lapse from his old club, dribbling into a gap between two defenders and striking from outside the box in the 35th minute to put Liversedge ahead. Just before halftime, Omar Sanyang added a third goal, receiving the ball as he ran into space and firing home to give Liversedge a commanding 3-1 lead at the break.

Half-time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-3 Liversedge

The second half saw Liversedge continue their dominance, and Bradford struggled to mount any meaningful response despite making three subs with around 25 minutes to play. In the 66th minute, Jack Crook capitalised on another defensive error, firing home to make it 4-1 and effectively end the contest. Liversedge could have extended their lead further, but a combination of the crossbar and some resilient defending kept the score line from becoming even more lopsided.

The 4-1 defeat, against a Liversedge side that had only found the net once in four league outings, capped off a disappointing start to the season for Bradford (Park Avenue), who, despite declaring this season would be a push for promotion, have now won just one of their opening four matches.

Full-time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-4 Liversedge

Attendance: 465

Goals: Kelan Swales (4′), Jack Dyche (25′), Ryan Toulson (35′), Omar Sanyang (45+1′), Jack Crook (66′)

Teams:

Bradford (Park Avenue):

Starting 11: 1 Craig Ellison, 2 Kareem Hassan-Smith, 3 Dan Francis, 4 Luke Hogg, 5 Alex Francis, 6 Josh Askew, 7 Kelan Swales, 8 Connor Dimaio (C), 9 Paddy Sykes, 10 Joe Crosby, 11 Harry Colville

Subs: 12 Connor Shanks, 13 Ed Hall, 14 Oli Norman, 15 James Hanson, 16 Ben Whelan

Liversedge:

Starting 11: 1 Dylan Parkin, 2 Ryan Toulson, 3 Jeremie Milambo, 4 Kwame Boateng, 5 Dan Hartley (C), 6 Kevy Tarangadzo, 7 Jack Dyche, 8 Adam Clayton, 9 Joe Walton, 10 Jack Crook, 11 Omar Sanyang

Subs: 12 Alfie Raw, 14 Jaanai Gordon, 15 Desmond Amponsah, 16 Chinedu Osadebe, 17 Cameron Taylor

Manager’s Reaction: