Horsfall Stadium

Bradford Park Avenue 0-2 Curzon Ashton

March 14th 2020

Bradford was not my first choice of destination this particular Saturday.  My original target had lain, in fact, some 200 odd miles to the south: Colchester, to be precise.  But the EFL's decision to suspend football across all three of it's divisions scuppered that one.  

Plan B: to go watch Southport FC also swiftly fell victim to the virus.  As did Plan C (Newport) – this latter announcement made whilst I was actually en route.  So, a quick scan of the fixtures still going ahead as scheduled, led to a swift detour along the M62 to take in Bradford Park Avenue's (cliché alert!) Relegation Six-pointer with Curzon Ashton.

But this incarnation of Bradford Park Avenue is not really the same one I can recall being hoiked out of the Football League back in 1970.  On the very eve of the Mexico World Cup opening match, if memory serves.

This “original” Bradford Park Avenue had been formed as plain and simple Bradford FC in 1863; although the club only played rugby football initially.  They dipped a collective toe into the new fangled association version of the sport in 1895; before diving-in headlong seven years later, taking up (rather oddly) Fulham's place in The Southern League.

However, season 1907/08 saw the name Bradford FC appear in the Football League fixtures for the first time.  Although, in order to distinguish the club from neighbours Bradford City, they were generally referred to as Bradford (Park Avenue) – sometimes with the brackets, but more often not.

The following potted history of the club's next 66 years, I have shamelessly pilfered from Wikipedia:


In 1908, Bradford FC was elected to the Second Division of the Football League. The club was promoted to the First Division in 1914 after finishing second, and achieved its highest-ever league position (ninth) at the end of the 1914–15 season.  After the First World War the club began a steady decline; relegated to the Second Division in 1921 and to the Third Division North in 1922.  In 1928, the club were the Division 3N champions, and were promoted back to the Second Division. 

They were relegated again in 1950, and placed in the Fourth Division after a 1958 reorganisation.  Although the club won promotion to the Third Division in 1961, they were relegated back to the Fourth Division in 1963.  After several difficult seasons, in 1970 they were replaced in the Football League by Cambridge United. The club joined the Northern Premier League, selling Park Avenue in 1973 and sharing facilities with Bradford City.  

Bradford (Park Avenue) went into liquidation on 3 May 1974 with debts of £57,652 and immediately re-formed as a Sunday league club playing in the league club's former colours.


As an aside – whilst cutting and pasting from the club's Wikipedia page, I was startled to learn just how many Scottish managers Park Avenue appointed during the Sixties: a total of 4.  Although, upon reflection, given this was when the club was going down the pan, perhaps it is not so surprising.

In 1994, Bradford Park Avenue moved into their current home Horsfall Stadium, a council-owned athletics venue in the south of the city.  The club were at this point playing in the North West Counties League, which I think sort of equated to the English Football pyramid's ninth tier.

This afternoon's match found Bradford Park Avenue in a desperate battle to  stave off relegation from tier six.  A few weeks ago they had looked pretty much gone; a 2-1 defeat to Gloucester City had left the club rooted to the foot of the National League North table, some 15 points adrift of safety.  But an unlikely brace of wins over first Chester and then Kings Lynn Town had kindled hopes locally that some sort of great escape could be achieved.  And, as luck would have it, Curzon Ashton, the club presently sitting in the nearest lifeboat position were next up.

The dearth of football across the country resulted in an attendance of 685 for the match – as opposed to 426 for the previous season's corresponding fixture.  There were bods from Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Bradford City (perhaps predictably) and also Queen of the South (perhaps rather less so).

There were also a group of 14 unfortunate souls who had, we learned, flown across the Atlantic from New York, with the intention of attending a Manchester City match.  This Bradford PA fixture presumably their last-minute consolation prize.

Horsfall Stadium, Bradford.

Horsfall Stadium, Bradford.

Bradford Park Avenue v Curzon Ashton - March 2020

The Ned Shed was, I am sure, bolstered by pups from Bradford City...

...who wandered back and forth, with drummer in tow, between the shed and stand throughout the first half.

This chap was Mick (The Game Caller) Gledhill, and he
provided the commentary for the live Facebook feed.
And rather entertaining he was too.  Thanks, Mick. 

As to the match itself, I was slightly disappointed by the standard, I have to say.   Although I do appreciate the heavy, bumpy surface was less than ideal, but what was on display looked not much better than some Scottish non-league matches I have seen.  

PA did enjoy the bulk of possession in the first half, but any attempts on goal were mostly limited to long range efforts, which invariably flew wildly over the crossbar.  Lewis Knight did succeed in keeping one down, but Park Avenue's  top goalscorer (with six!) saw his attempt whistle past the post. 

But, just seconds before the break, Bradford conceded a totally unnecessary goal.  Home centre-back Billy Priestly intercepted a pass midway inside his own half, and I watched him carefully manoeuvring the ball from his right to his, what I assumed to be favoured, left foot.  He promptly passed straight to an opponent, who equally promptly lofted the ball over the top of the home defence towards Mike CALVERLEY, who outpaced defender Mitch Lund to score the opener.  Calverley's finish really was rather impressive.

Bradford improved a bit after the break, and visiting goalkeeper Cameron Mason enjoyed two fine stops from headed attempts by Stelios Demetriou, and then late on by Billy Priestly.  But, in pushing forward the home side always looked vulnerable at the back, and between these two saves Ashton's Fabio TAVARES (great name!) sprung the homesters' offside trap and scored an 85th minute clincher for “The Nash”. 

The defeat left Park Avenue still twelve points from safety, with just nine matches remaining, and (along with Blyth Spartans) now looking likely to drop into wherever such clubs go.  

Unless, of course, coronavirus steps in to save them.  Although at the time of writing the National League is still steaming full ahead with their fixtures.

Horsfall Stadium, Bradford.

After the match I made my way to the site of the "original" Bradford Park Avenue's ground called (logically) Park Avenue.  I had hoped to poke around to see what remained of the former venue, but the place looked only slightly less secure than Guantanamo Bay.  I have rarely encountered so much razor wire and metal spikes.

These would have been former entrances to the cricket field from Canterbury Avenue

More sealed up entrances on Canterbury Avenue.
But again, these are too far up the road to have been used by the football club. 

Same entrances, but looking south up Canterbury Avenue this time.

Now these green ones could well have been used by the football club
to access both the main stand and the uncovered east terracing.

Looking north towards the former football ground across the (still in use) cricket pitch.

The ground entrance on Powell Avenue.
Upon entering this gate, the side elevation of the Archibald Leitch designed main stand would have faced you.
Turning left would have taken you onto the covered terracing behind the west goal.  This terraced area, now
overgrown with mature trees is, I believe, all that remains of the ground - apart from the perimeter wall. 

The message here was pretty unequivocal.

This was the best I could manage - poking my camera through the bars of a gate on Powell Avenue. 
The blue topped building (a gymnasium) sits on what would have been one half of the playing surface.