BRADFORD Park Avenue go into Saturday’s home game looking down at the relegation zone in Vanarama Conference North for the first time this year.

John Deacey’s men have taken seven points from their last three league fixtures and finally climbed above the trapdoor with a midweek win at Guiseley.

They turned the tables on their promotion-chasing neighbours in the derby victory at Nethermoor and will have to upset the odds again against Hednesford Town if they are to keep their run going.

The Bradford boss was delighted to triumph at the fifth-placed Lions but also tipped the local rivals for the play-offs. He said: “It was a very good win for us and I think we deserved it on the night.

“Guiseley started really well. In the first 15 minutes they were superb and I thought ‘we’re going to get a hiding here’ but we grew into the game. We moved up the pitch and pressed them and I thought in the second half we were better.

“They are a very good side though. Mark is a good manager and he will get them in the shake-up. I think they’ll definitely be in there at the end of the season because they are one of the best sides in the league.”

Hednesford are above Guiseley in the table so that must put them in the same bracket. The Pitmen are the form team of the division after five straight victories, one of which was a 2-0 win at Nethermoor.

They brought teenage striker Thomas Strain in on a month’s loan from Premier League neighbours Aston Villa last week. At the other end of the scale, they recently signed the vastly-experienced Andy Todd, the 35-year-old midfielder moving to Keys Park from Vanarama Premier outfit Telford.

Todd was player coach there and caretaker manager before Telford appointed former Guiseley boss Steve Kittrick as their new manager.

Deacey is hoping his squad came through the rigours of Tuesday, adding: “I think the players came through okay but until we assess them we won’t be certain.

"We will look closely at Nathan (Hotte) and Paul (Walker). We took them off but it was more of a precaution.”