Bradford Park Avenue owner Bob Blackburn has confirmed that the club’s board provided the budget for manager John Deacey to recruit all the players he wanted to sign.

There have been a lot of new faces filing in and out of the dressing room during the pre-season games and, as Avenue head to Bishop Auckland tomorrow for their final friendly, the ones that Deacey felt would be good additions have signed on.

Blackburn and his fellow top-tier board members – chairman John Dean and director Kevin Hainsworth – have handed the manager the funds to bring his targets in.

“They have all joined us now, the ones that John highlighted to us, so we have a squad of 22 and there are a few little gems in there,” said Blackburn.

“The likes of Michael Duckworth and Billy Law are stand-out kids for the future.

“They are all battling for places in the starting line-up and John has also brought in another striker in Richard Marshall and a few others with the same kind of experience. We have all been very pleased with what we’ve seen over pre-season.

“You have to give John and Mark (assistant manager Hume) ten out of ten for what they have done and the results they have achieved. Our supporters have been delighted – and even most of the City and Leeds fans had a lot of good things to say about us!”

Avenue beat the Bantams 3-2 and then a United XI 2-1 at Horsfall Stadium in their pre-season campaign. Both results came with excellent performances and Avenue have turned on the style in their matches against clubs nearer to them on the pyramid system.

“We did play well against City and Leeds and their fans were saying that they didn’t know Avenue were that good or that football could be played like that at our level,” said Blackburn.

“Even in our last game at Brighouse Town last Saturday, the lads were on top. It is one thing to raise your game against Football League opposition and then go back to being average but the squad didn’t let that happen. They have treated every game the same so far.

“John wants the season to start now because the players are fit, well prepared and in top form. Mind you, we are all wishing the real stuff was under way.

“We will see how we get on tomorrow up at Bishop Auckland because they have a new stadium and our lads like a good surface, so we are hoping for another good display.”