Experience proving key to Bradford Park Avenue's bid to rise again

The business positions of National League North also have plenty of White Rose interest too and in the case of Bradford Park Avenue, the potential for the most fascinating story of all in 2017-18.

In desperate strife at the bottom of the table and six points adrift of safety when Mark Bower took over in September 2016, Avenue turned their 2016-17 campaign around in exemplary fashion to retain their status with comparative comfort last term, finishing in 16th spot – eight points above the drop zone.

Avenue’s tale has been even more remarkable this season.

So much so that the Horsfall Stadium outfit – despite operating with a much smaller budget than their rivals towards the top of the table – are defying the odds to make a genuine push for the play-offs.

Context needs to be afforded, with the sixth tier of the football league system being financially stronger than it has ever been.

It includes seven full-time outfits, including Yorkshire duo Harrogate Town – managed by Simon Weaver – and York City, currently sitting in second and fourth places respectively, with both sides having designs on promotion before a ball was kicked.

It was a different story for part-time Avenue, also competing against other well-backed full-time outfits such as Salford City, Kidderminster and Nuneaton and one-time Football League names, like themselves, in Stockport County, Darlington, Southport and Boston United.

Despite losing their last two games, Avenue are just a point outside of the play-offs, with their sights firmly set on continuing to punch above their weight until season’s end in a teak-tough division.

Bower said: “This league used to have one, two or three teams running away with it and you could guarantee three or four ‘bankers’ against teams at the bottom. That is definitely not the case now and you look at sides in the bottom three like Darlington and Southport recently, who have been spending fortunes on big transfer fees and wages.

“That does not guarantee anything anymore. For us, that is brilliant.

“We played at York City last Saturday afternoon in front of an attendance of 2,500 and to play on stages like that is just great for the lads.

“Obviously, there is a lot of money knocking around and the likes of Salford and Harrogate have big, big budgets.

“Salford has attracted players from Conference football and that has made the National League a bit weaker and the National League North stronger.

“I have no doubts that whoever goes up this season will continue that momentum and do really well next season.

“The standard is very good and it is more evenly spread. We have got some really good part-time players and other clubs have gone full-time and are reaping the rewards from that.

“If we could be involved in the play-offs, it would be a magnificent achievement. That is what we want to achieve and no-one in my dressing room thinks it is not possible. Once you get in, you never know.”

Bower has been here before and prospered, with his experiences at nearby Guiseley, where he helped the club to a historic first-ever elevation to the Conference National via the play-offs in 2014-15, providing him with hope in his quest for a re-run. Since being promoted to this level ahead of the 2012-13 season, Avenue have yet to book a play-off place, with the incentive of making some more history representing more motivation for Bower.

He said: “The expectation on the club and us as a group and size of the club means all those old clichés of punching above our weight are true. The lads have done really well and got us in a decent position. Now, it is seeing if we can maintain it and stay up there, which would be fantastic.

“If you go back 18 months to what it was like when I took over, we had lost nine or 10 on the spin and were cut adrift at the bottom of the league.

“It took us a little while to get going, but we did and were quite comfortably safe by the end and played some decent stuff.

“We have managed to build on that since and I have brought in some players I have worked with before and we have kind of hit the ground running.

“Since the season has started, we have signed just two players.

“You look at Southport who signed three players last Friday, which is more than we have made all season!

“But we have got fans’ funds going and a bit of money there to spend and will try and use that as best we can to help the squad.

“We are up against it, but have been quite fortunate with injuries and keeping key players on the pitch. I know our best 11 is a match for anyone in this league. They have really done well for us.”

If experience is anything to go by, then Avenue are certainly blessed in that department, with the likes of Steven Drench, Adam Boyes, Oli Johnson and Wayne Brooksby, part of the Guiseley side who were promoted to the Conference, being mainstays of the current Avenue line-up.

And their nous could well prove invaluable during the run-in, according to Bower.

He said: “We have been able to pick up part-time players who we maybe would not have been able to a couple of seasons ago.

“Hopefully that experience at the ‘business end’ when it is not about flowing football as much, but results, will mean we have the experience to get the results.”