Town and Bradford Park Avenue fought out a 1-1 draw at a wet and windswept CNG Stadium.
For Town, Peter Crook replaced the injured Craig MacGillivray in goal and newcomer, Adi Yussuf, started on the bench.
Town were first to threaten when a Conor Sellars free kick was only half cleared to Dave Merris, but he fired high and wide from 35 yards out.
Avenue committed a string of fouls as Town pressed and Sellars placed a free kick at John Lamb in the visitors goal, before Shane Killock headed a Steve Mallory free kick narrowly over.
Avenue were looking strong on the wings and Danny Glover held of Killock to square to Richard Marshall whose effort skimmed Peter Crook’s crossbar.
But it was Town who drew first blood when Adam Clayton’s weak back header from an Adam Bolder through ball, allowed Ashley Worsfold to shoot past Lamb.
Minutes later both sides were reduced to ten men when Referee Andrew Miller harshly judged Bolder’s tackle on James Knowles to be worthy of a red card, while Knowles was dismissed for retaliation.
Town were presented with a chance when Marshall upended Chris Hall,but Mallory’s free kick was off target.
Avenue sub,ex Townie,Chib Chilaka, was proving a handful with a close range header at Crook and a powerful run ending in a shot which whistled across Town’s goal.
Both sides had difficulty in contending with the swirling wind and mistakes were frequent.
Town had their chances,and Mallory robbed Paul Walker but shot straight at Lamb,and Marshall
made a superb interception to cut out a dangerous Mallory cross.
The Town faithful were shouting for a penalty when Jamie Price brought down sub Jahmal Smith,but the referee ruled that the initial contact took place just outside the area.
Avenue salvaged a late point with thirteen minutes left when the excellent Walker’s cross evaded both the Town defence and the onrushing Avenue forwards and crept inside the far post with Crook wrongfooted.
As the final whistle approached,Town,”Man of the Match”, Matt Heath pushed forward to head a Merris cross wide, while deep into stoppage time, Avenue’s Glover fizzed a cross shot just wide of the far post.
Town,
1 Crook, 2 Samuels, 3 Merris, 4 Bolder, 5 Heath, 6 Killock (c), 7 Mallory, (Smith 64 mins),
8 Nowakowski, 9 Worsfold, (Yussuf 72), 10 Hall, 11 Sellars (Nelthorpe 32).
Unused subs, 14 Taylor,16 Bloomer. Sent off Bolder, Booked Samuels,Nelthorpe.
Scorer Worsfold 27. Att 597
By John Harrison.
