Match Report: Ilkeston Town 2 – 2 Bradford (Park Avenue)

Bradford (Park Avenue) will feel like it’s two points lost as they draw away at Ilkeston Town, despite taking a two goal lead.

With the visitors fighting to escape the relegation zone and teams around them picking up wins, Avenue needed all three points today to maintain their position in the Northern Premier League table.

Before the fixture, Avenue sat 19th in the table, 2 points from safety behind Basford United and two points ahead of Stafford rangers who both picked up wins today.

Ilkeston Town began the match dominating possession, forcing Bradford’s goalkeeper, Kieran Flavell, into action early with a fantastic save that resulted in a corner. The opportunities racked up quickly for Ilkeston as they won their 3rd corner just 9 minutes in, only for it to be cleared by Mason O’Malley. As the first half progressed, Bradford (Park Avenue) started to find their footing with a number of chances, before culminating in a goal from Adrien Thibaut just before the break, sending the visitors into half-time with a slim 1-0 lead.

The second half saw Bradford extend their lead with a well placed strike from `Edy Maieco`, who took the ball past two defenders before shooting on the edge of the area. However, the resilience of Ilkeston Town was on full display as they clawed back with goals through Thomas Cursons and Declan Eratt-Thompson, the latter scoring directly from a corner, to level the match at 2-2.

Even with the excitement surrounding the surprise signing of former Bradford City star James Hanson this week, he started his first game for Avenue on the bench, coming on for the last 15 minutes.

Despite the spirited performance, this draw leaves Bradford (Park Avenue) in a precarious position, now 20th in the division and four points from safety with only four games remaining. The result at Ilkeston, witnessed by 625 spectators, underlines the mounting pressure and the urgent need for points in their relegation battle. The decision to keep Hanson on the bench throughout the match will surely be a talking point as the team looks to navigate their remaining fixtures.

Teams:

Ilkeston Town:

Starting 11: 1 Mathew Yates, 2 Llarell King, 3 Kobe Erratt-Thompson, 4 Declan Eratt-Thompson, 5 Thomas Marshall, 6 Callum Minkley, 7 Jaiden White, 8 Lindon Miekle, 9 Alex Marshall, 10 Liam Laughlan, 11 Thomas Cursons

Subs: 12 Connor Dixon, 14 Jonathan Wafula, 15 Jamie Walker, 17 Ben Hutchinson, 19 Mitchell Leivers

Bradford (Park Avenue):

Starting 11: 1 Kieran Flavell, 2 Lucas Odunston, 3 Mason O’Malley, 4 Will Lancaster, 5 Jake Young, 6 Ryley D’Sena, 7 Edy Maieco, 8 Ted Lavelle, 9 Adrien Thibaut, 10 Jordan Preston, 11 Jake Daniels

Subs: 12 Jak Whiting, 14 James Hanson, 15 Harrison Hopper, 16 Harry Colville, 17 Harley Lawton

Attendance: 625

Managers Reaction: