MATCH PREVIEW - BRADFORD PARK AVENUE (A)

Saturday 19th April - 3pm

Horsfall Community Stadium, Cemetery Rd, Low Moor, Bradford, BD6 2NG

84 miles - 1hr 30mins

Ticket Prices - £10 - adult, £8 - concession, £3 - 12-17yr old, £1 - under 12

Form (last 6 games)

Grimsby Borough - WDDLWW

Bradford Park Avenue - LLLDDD

As the season enters its final week, there are still 9 points to play for and both teams will be hoping to finish the season on a high to take some momentum into next seasons campaign. 

Boro find themselves in 12th place with 6 places and 7 points between them and the relegation zone, so safety is more or less assured but 3 points from our last three games will guarantee that and another season at this level. However, Dan Barrett and his squad will be looking above themselves in the table and eyeing up finishing, one, if not two, places higher in the table. Especially given our recent form of only 1 defeat in the last six games.

Our hosts on Saturday, Bradford Park Avenue, come into the game with completely contrasting form, with only 2 wins in the last ten matches. This run of form has seen them slip well away from the play-off picture but with no danger of relegation, so they, like Boro will just be looking to finish as high as possible in the table.

For those of you who consider themselves a student of the game, you will realise that our opponents this weekend come with an illustrious history that is levels above where the club find themselves currently. The club dates back to 1895 (130 years ago!) and in 1908 they were elected to the football league and the Second division. In 1914 they were promoted to the First Division and in their first since finished in their highest position of 9th. The club can also boast three FA Cup Quarter Final appearances.

Following the 1st World War, the club began a steady decline, dropping down to the lower leagues before eventually in 1970 they were replaced in the football league by Cambridge United. After several reincarnations the club, that we see today, formed at the start of the 1988/89 season. After working their way through the semi-professional ranks, Park Avenue earnt themselves status of a founder member of the National League North in 2004/05, they dropped out of that league the following season before returning in 2012 and trhen enjoying 10 years at that level before back to back relegations.

Park Avenues leading goalscorer is Paddy Sykes with 11 goals from his 40 appearances. The lower league journeyman has a proven track record at this level with previous experience at Campion, Littletown, Howden Clough, Harrogate Railway and Emley.

There will be a familiar face to all Grimbarians, sat in the Bradford Park Avenue dugout. Former Mariner, and record appearance holder John McDermott is the assistant manager, after previously working with manager Craig Elliott at Boston United.

We hope to see a lot of familiar faces in West Yorkshire at what is our penultimate away game of the season.