A New Avenue

[Wag]

Wednesday 8th December 2004

Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-2 Kettering Town Conference North

Against a side nineteenth in the table we fancied our chances and started brightly, scoring after just two minutes when Kevin Sanasy headed home a Kris Weckström cross. I've no doubt in my mind that the pair could go on to play at a much higher level. Sadly, we didn't build on our lead and Kettering soon hit back, Toby O****ola slotting the equaliser past Bennett with fifteen gone. Fortunately we hit back almost immediately, the recalled Tom Kearney bursting from midfield to lash home a goal which saw us go into the break one up. Sadly the lead didn't last as within five minutes of the break Niall Inman had tied things up.

Saturday 11th December 2004

Redditch United 3-2 Bradford (Park Avenue) Conference North

After last weeks, quite frankly, disappointing display I hoped today we'd be able to get back on the winning trail, especially against a side twentieth in the table. We started the game brightly and were two goals up inside twenty minutes. Andrew Quinn converting an early penalty before Allan Pearce fired home a stunning solo effort on eighteen. I was hoping we'd keep out goal intact 'til the break but on forty-one minutes Redditch's Simon Hollis unleashed a screamer from fully thirty yards so we went in at half time just the one goal up. To say I was disappointed with our second half display would be a massive understatement, in fact I was livid, we capitulated to concede two goals, both scored by young striker Stephen Guinan and consequently threw the game away, to add to his striker Kevin Sanasy also got himself sent off in the closing minutes for fighting.

Saturday 18th December 2004

Bradford (Park Avenue) 0-3 Harrogate Town Conference North

In the run up to this match we lost a highly influential player, perhaps for the entire season. I was absolutely gutted for Kevin Sanasy when he fell badly in training, at first it looked completely innocuous but it was soon clear something was very wrong. He'd damaged his spine and badly, he'll be out of the game for around eighteen months, if not more. We wish him all the best for the future, during his time here he'd scored an impressive sixteen goals in twenty games, thirteen of them in the league. It's a massive loss. Todays game showed me how much we needed to add to the squad, but with no cash it's nigh impossible to sign anybody with real quality. First half goals from Colin Hunter and Justin Jackson did the damage before a comical own goal by 'keeper Neil Bennett, making a rare error capped a bad week for the club.

Tuesday 21st December 2004

Bradford (Park Avenue) 2-2 Altrincham Conference North

The day before this game I was offered the managers job at St. Patrick's Athletic, I didn't even think about it before turning it down. In recent weeks we'd slipped from a playoff position to twelfth place but I felt that if we could pick up some points today and in our next few games that we might be able to push on again. Today was another defensive master class from Avenue, except I think we were showcasing how not to defend. We took an early lead through the ever impressive Allan Pearce but soon Alty had equalised and then taken a the lead with goals from Hussin and Marrison, both coming within minutes of each other. Fortunately young Stephen Kidd managed to level things up before half time but only some wasteful Altrincham finishing prevented a defeat.

Sunday 26th December 2004

Gainsborough Trinity 4-0 Bradford (Park Avenue) Conference North

Boxing Day, whilst I wanted three points for Christmas it would seem that Conference side Scarborough had me in mind, or at least the press thought so as I was linked as the favourite to succeed recently sacked Nick Henry. Todays game for me was a miserable as the weather, we sunk without trace to a 4-0 defeat. Kris Kotylo and a Lee Ellington hat-trick doing the damage, the main problem for me was that the score line flattered us, we're playing that badly!

Tuesday 28th December 2004

Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-7 Worcester City Conference North

Our final match of the year was one in which I hoped we'd get our first three points of the month. Those hopes were raised when my assistant Jamie Dolan stooped to head home a seventh minute corner but how wrong I was. By half time we were four-one down, goals from Courtney Pitt, on his debut, a Leon Kelly double and a solitary Liam McDonald strike the difference. Half time was fun in our dressing room I can tell you. I made three changes. They worked we only conceded three goals in the second half - Kelly completing his hat trick then laying on another for Pitt before the latter cross for Adam Webster to score a late seventh. I'm beginning to fear for my job. Still, it would seem other teams like me as I'm linked in the press to Carlisle, manager less after the resignation of Paul Simpson.

[Wag]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

English Conference North

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | | Barrow | | 21 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 43 | 12 | +31 | 49 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 2nd | | Nuneaton | | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 40 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 3rd | | Hucknall | | 21 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 21 | +14 | 39 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 4th | | Stafford Rangers | | 21 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 23 | +12 | 38 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 5th | | Gainsborough | | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 38 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 6th | | Worcester | | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 37 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 7th | | Worksop | | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 36 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 8th | | Alfreton | | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 35 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 9th | | Southport | | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 34 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 10th | | Hinckley | | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 32 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 11th | | Stalybridge | | 21 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 28 | -1 | 29 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 12th |*******| Bradford PA | | 21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 52 | -14 | 27 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 13th | | Droylsden | | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 26 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 14th | | Ashton Utd | | 21 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 26 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 15th | | Kettering | | 21 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 28 | 29 | -1 | 25 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 16th | | Altrincham | | 21 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 33 | -10 | 23 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 17th | | Vauxhall Motors | | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 30 | 40 | -10 | 20 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 18th | | Harrogate Town | | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 19 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 19th | | Redditch | | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 39 | -19 | 16 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 20th | | Moor Green | | 21 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 32 | -11 | 15 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 21st | | Lancaster | | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 42 | -17 | 14 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 22nd | | Runcorn | | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 40 | -21 | 14 |

| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

</pre>

[Wag]

Saturday 1st January 2005

Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-3 Stafford Rangers Conference North

I said goodbye to captain Neil Grayston today, he moved, with the clubs blessing to Conference side York City for a small fee. We'll miss him as it leaves the midfield looking a bit weak but we didn't really have any option other than to sell, such is the dire state of the clubs finances. Missing our first choice centre backs through suspension we lined up to face the fourth placed side hoping that our run of bad form would change. It hadn't, we were one down within three minutes, Lee Downes the scorer. It didn't really get any better as we fell to a three-one defeat but our play was better than in recent weeks and we did create some chances.

Monday 3rd January 2005

Hinckley United 6-1 Bradford (Park Avenue) Conference North

I'd been offered the job as Altrincham manager (rejected) and been mentioned as a possible successor to the recently departed Tony Adams at Wycombe Wanderers in todays press but was really feeling too much pressure to really take any notice as we travelled to tenth placed Hinckley. We'd slipped to fifteenth in the table and our recent form didn't suggest we'd get anything out of the game today. Sadly the form book was right and we got hammered, Jamie Dolan, playing as an emergency striker, getting our consolation.

It proved to be the final straw and that evening the chairman came to my house and told me that I wouldn't be required to come into work on the Tuesday. I'd been sacked. My time at Bradford (Park Avenue) had seen me manage them in twenty-six competitive games, we'd won eight, drawn four and lost fourteen. Scoring forty-four but conceding seventy-three in the process. I can't help but feel that with a bit of money and some luck with injuries and suspensions I'd have been able to keep Avenue up and satisfy the boards want of finishing mid-table, if not higher but, as it was, I left feeling embarrassed and ashamed to have let them down.

It seemed that I had however become quite highly rated for some reason and was soon offered the job of manager at Welsh Premier League side Aberystwyth Town. For the record I accepted, but what went on there is a tale for another day.

The End