A trip myself, Doxey, Burkey and Cammy hadn’t planned but due to the postponement of our original game it’s where we ended. It all started in The Bankers Draft in Sheffield where I met Burkey and Cammy for a Large Breakfast, we met Doxey and then headed for
the Station. We got our tickets firstly to Leeds (which turned into a superb idea after the game at Harrogate was off). We found a local boozer that was open and eagerly waited until 11am to see if Harrogate Railway vs Worksop Town has survived the frost and, as expected, it didn’t. We then began searching around for games around the Leeds area but every game we mentioned seemed to get called off as we said the team like a domino effect. Eventually we saw that Bradford Park Avenue has survived the mass-postponement and decided we would travel there.
It was a nightmare though getting to Bradford and it was looking in doubt at times. We went to another pub closer to the Train Station and had a couple of drinks in there and then set off for the 1.35pm train to Low Moor. But as we got to the Station and got our tickets, we realised that we had three minutes to get through the ticket barriers and run to our stop and in our traditional fashion… we missed it. We looked when the next train was and noticed there was leaving in another 2-3 minutes so we ran for that and also missed it. Luckily for us there was a train to Bradford Interchange leaving in six minutes which would only mean us needing a taxi when we got there and we made that train and made it in time for kick off!We arrived at the Horsfall Stadium, the home of Bradford Park Avenue. This was the first time I had been to this ground and the first Conference game I’ve attended. It was weird, a football ground but not a football ground; it had a big stand on one side and a make shift stand behind the goal which, as we learned when we tried to stand in it, was only viable to BPA season ticket holders! It was the only bit where we could see/hear some atmosphere. It was the third ground I had been to with a running track around the pitch (the others being Don Valley Stadium formerly of Rotherham United and at AFC Mansfield) which made it seem that we were a long way away from the pitch which was unusual for Non-League and not being stood pitch-side. I was slightly confused how it passed as a Conference North ground however I will let it slide as it still provided us with a seven goal thriller and also a laugh with the lads.
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| Tamworth make it 1-0 |
tted it past the keeper to equalise just before the tenth minute.
It didn’t take the away side long to regain the lead as shortly after the half hour mark, Callum Powell picked out the bottom corner from thirty yards to make it 2-1, although his cleanly hit shot should really of been saved by Drench but the ball went straight through his reach and Tamworth went into the break at halftime ahead. We decided to have a walk around the ground and go to the more traditional non-League stance of ‘pitch-side’ opposite of the ground. This is where I was again told off by a steward. No it wasn’t for being a hooligan but it was for taking a photo during play at the very start of the second half, ya what!? I’ve never come across something like this. I never would of thought I’d be told off for just taking a photo of their stand from afar… so here’s a photo ;).
BPA went very close to equalising when Adam Boyes was sent through one-on-one with the keeper by former Barnsley and Preston midfielder Nicky Wroe but the Bradford forward placed his shot the wrong side of the post. The Lambs’ lead was added to when Aman Verma flicked his header over an out rushing Steven Drench. Tamworth then extended the lead to 4-1 when Zack Kotwica received a clearance from the corner, Kotwica rifled a shot towards goal which seemed that Drench had it covered until it hit Tamworth U21 youth player Drew Ricketts and deflected in the opposite direction of which Drench was heading.
Tamworth took their foot off the gas after that goal thinking that the rest of the game was going to be an easy ride but Park Avenue made sure that it wasn’t. Firstly, substitute Adam Nowakowski connected finely with a deep freekick from the right to head and to half the deficit. Three minutes later Ricketts was judged to of handled in the box and allowed Oli Johnson to score his second of the game from the spot sending the keeper the wrong way. This put Bradford a goal behind Tamworth… would they get the all important equaliser?
There was four minutes of injury time for Bradford to cluster the goal that would draw them level, they almost did when Danny Boshell struck the ball from 25 yards out but the substitute saw his effort rise just over the bar. There was some more hope for BPA as a minute later Callum Powell was sent off for Tamworth as he made two bad challenges in the space of a minute, he received two yellows and was sent for an early bath. With everyone on the edge of their seats, Bradford messed up their final chance as again Boshell was played the ball on the edge of the box, he hit it first time but his shot blazed over the bar and Tamworth took all three points from West Yorkshire.
Attendance: 354
Goals: Johnson (9’, 81’), Nowakowski (77’); Taylor (2’), Powell (35’), Verma (51’), Ricketts (74’)
BPA: 1) Steven Drench, 2) Javan Vidal, 3) Matt Hill, 4) Nicky Wroe, 5) Shane Killock, 6) Gianluca Havern, 7) Wayne Brooksby, 8) Jamie Spencer, 9) Adam Boyes, 10) Oli Johnson, 11) Nicky Clee.
Subs: 12) Ryan Toulson, 13) Ed Hall, 14) Danny Boshell, 15) Adam Nowakowski, 16) Lee Knight
TFC: 1) Shaun Rowley, 2) Andy Burns, 3) Stephan Morley, 4) Ellis Deeney, 5) Luke Jones, 6) Sam Coulson, 7) Callum Powell, 8) Aman Verma, 9) Zack Kotwica, 10) Connor Taylor, 11) Darryl Knights.
Subs: 12)Bradley Reid, 14) Drew Ricketts, 15) Charlie Shaw, 16) Dexter Walters, 17) Chandler Penn
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