Burscough 0, Bradford Park Avenue 1: A string of Jamie Holmshaw saves ensured Avenue came away from Victoria Park with another win and another clean sheet under their belts.

Bradford, who incredibly have never lost at Burscough's ground, climbed to fifth in the UniBond Premier Division table with this impressive result as at last they seemed to have turned a corner.

On a flat playing surface, the visitors were able to turn on the style, and for the first time this year they knocked the ball about beautifully for most of the 90 minutes.

After a disappointing 2003 of postponed matches and poor performances, Trevor Storton's men returned to form with Phil Atkinson, Graham Mitchell, Andy Quinn and Danny Walsh all playing their best games of the year so far.

And Holmshaw ensured that Simon Collins' tenth minute strike was enough to take the three points with a variety of acrobatic and brave saves either side of the break.

"I am very pleased with the lads," said a delighted Storton after the game. "We looked very good defensively and it was a solid performance.

"Phil Atkinson looked a totally different player, Graham Mitchell won a lot of headers and Danny Walsh had a very good game. It is nice to keep a clean sheet, but if you look at the game we could have won by a few more."

Against a side who have the meanest defence and leanest strike-force in the league (26 for and against before last night's encounter), it was always going to be a low-scoring game.

But with Andy Wright performing with a new-found zest down the left and Walsh looking strong on the opposite flank, it wasn't going to be long before Avenue broke the deadlock.

Just ten minutes had passed when the diminutive Wright went on a rampaging run down the wing and ghosted past a couple of home defenders before pulling a low cross in from the by-line. Collins was there to stick out a toe and stab the ball past the keeper for his second goal in four games.

Five minutes later the lackadaisical Andy Hayward was guilty of being far too casual with a one-on-one after Walsh had cleverly played him in, while both Richard Tracey and Walsh really should have done better from just inches out when Andy Quinn put a low ball all the way across the goalmouth just before the break.

Holmshaw was forced to pull off a couple of saves in the opening period to deny tricky winger Johnny Lawless, and again after the break he had to save from substitute Peter Wright as well as holding on to a Kris McHale header.

In the dying seconds, Collins chipped one wide but the game - thanks to Holmshaw's best display in an Avenue shirt - was already won.