BRADFORD Park Avenue will be hoping to give themselves a lift and register their first National League North win of the season at Gloucester City.

Mark Bower's men are rock bottom with just four points from 14 games but they will be encouraged by the fact that their opponents have lost their last three games.

The Tigers followed successive league defeats with an FA Cup loss against Hemel Hempstead which has taken some of the shine off a bright start to the campaign.

Bower said: “Everyone is keen to get back out onto the pitch after the defeat at home to Chorley last weekend and it’s a chance for us to get that first win.

“Gloucester are having a good season so far. They’re a side that have always done well in the division but never really pushed on for promotion, but this time they’re up there challenging.

“They have a very good and experienced manager in Tim Harris and he is doing a really good job with them.”

Bower is still trying to stamp his own mark on the squad that he inherited and two players were released this week.

Close-season signings Andy McWilliams and Harry Coates have both departed. Left back McWilliams has joined fellow strugglers Altrincham while centre back Coates has been loaned to Hyde for a month.

Bradford have got James Knowles back from Farsley Celtic while the experienced Nicky Wroe has returned from injury.

Bower said: “We are okay injury wise but we kept the players away from training early in the week due to an illness that was going round. We got them back in on Thursday and we worked on systems and got some planning in place for the Gloucester game.

“Knowlesy came back in against Chorley and I thought he was just about our best player in that game. And it’s good to have Nicky back after a while out through injury.

“He did his ankle against Halifax and had been out for over three weeks. He had only trained once before last Saturday’s game but he came through it okay. His experience will be a big plus for us.”