Two Late Goals Not Enough To Keep Avenue In FA Cup

It was a case of too little, two late for Bradford (Park Avenue) as they bow out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.

Concerns about Bradford’s opening performances were proven true early on, as the home side fell a goal behind in the opening five minutes of a disappointing performance at the Horsfall Community Stadium.

Match Report: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-3 Stocksbridge Park Steels

The match got off to a difficult start for Bradford, with Stocksbridge seizing the early initiative. Just five minutes in, Alex Hardwick found space on the turn and fired a shot past Craig Ellison at the near post, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Stocksbridge went on to nearly double their advantage in the 10th minute when Hardwick broke free again, but his shot went wide of the target.

As the first half progressed, Bradford began to create their own chances. A well-worked move involving Harry Colville and Dan Francis earned the home side a corner in the 16th minute, before the hosts came agonisingly close to equalising in the 27th minute, when a free-kick caused chaos in the Stocksbridge penalty area, but the ball never quite crossed the line, despite Avenue believing it had.

Despite this brief spell, the Avenue were unable to capitalise on their opportunities. A gilt-edged chance fell to Dan Francis just before half-time, but his shot from close range sailed over the bar. From this point Stocksbridge began to push back, eventually punishing Bradford by doubling their lead in the 41st minute with an exceptionally clever backheel from Danny Deakin that caught Craig Elliot off guard and found the back of the net.

Half Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-2 Stocksbridge Park Steels

The second half saw a more determined Bradford side take to the field, as they pushed forward in search of a way back into the match. Going into the last 15 minutes all hope looked lost as opportunities and possession were squandered time and again, but the home side’s perseverance was finally rewarded in the 76th minute. Ben Whelan sent a searching ball into the box from the half way line, finding Alex Francis, who headed the ball backwards over the Stocksbridge goalkeeper to make it 2-1 and revive the home fans’ hopes.

However, any thoughts of a comeback were dashed in stoppage time. Joao Silva broke free on the counter-attack and curled a superb shot around Ellison to restore Stocksbridge’s two-goal cushion. Although Connor Shanks scored a late goal for Bradford deep into added time, it was too little, too late.

The 3-2 defeat marks a bitterly disappointing exit from the FA Cup for Bradford (Park Avenue), who will now turn their attention to their upcoming league fixture against neighbours, Brighouse Town.

Full Time: Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-3 Stocksbridge Park Steels

Attendance: 238

Goals: 5′ Alexander Hardwick, 41′ Danny Deakin, 77′ Alex Francis 90+1′ Joao Silva, 90+5′ Connor Shanks

Teams:

Bradford (Park Avenue)

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

Subs: 12 Kelan Swales, 14 Connor Shanks, 15 Theo Hudson, 16 Harry Varley, 17 Jodi Tiffany, 18 Brady Coldwell, 19 Ewan Gregson

Stocksbridge Park Steels

Starting 11: 1 Harry Garman, 2 Tom Charlesworth, 3 Jack Tinker, 4 Kurtis Turner, 5 Elliot Owen, 6 Alex Phillipson, 7 Danny Deakin, 8 Alex O’Connor, 9 Alexander Hardwick, 10 Jack Haslam, 11 Tommy Marshall

Subs: 12 Dan Nelson, 14 Daniel Hernandez, 15 Luca Defalco, 16 Joao Silva, 17 Andy Ring