TWO former Football League clubs go head to head at Horsfall Stadium on Saturday in the first round of the FA Trophy.

Bradford Park Avenue’s days in the full-time game are back in the annuls of history, while Lincoln City’s are much more recent.

The Imps are at the top end of the Vanarama National League and pushing for a return to League Two.

Avenue are just a division lower on the non-league ladder and are recovering from a bad start to the campaign.

Avenue came from a goal down to beat Buxton 2-1 on Tuesday in a third scheduling of the third qualifying round tie.

The Bucks took the lead early in the second half through an own goal before Richard Marshall equalised with ten minutes remaining, and Chib Chilaka scored the winner.

Bradford boss Martin Drury said: “It was a hard-fought victory at Buxton, which is a difficult place to go. Credit to our players for showing quality when it was needed and it sets up an exciting test for us as we welcome Lincoln City.

“Lincoln are a fantastic club with great support and they are having a good season. It goes without saying that we’re looking forward to it.”

Drury believes Avenue have earned the right to host Lincoln with their victory at Buxton under tough circumstances.

The first scheduling of the tie was abandoned at half-time with the game goalless.

A second attempt was made to play the tie a week last Tuesday, with both clubs agreeing to play to a conclusion.

That was a non-starter following more bad weather, and had Tuesday’s third attempt ended in a draw, original competition rules would have applied and it would have reverted to Horsfall Stadium tomorrow. That wasn’t necessary after Marshall and Chilaka’s late strikes.

Drury added: “We had to show our character to win at Buxton. It took us a while to realise that we can’t always play the football we want. We adapted as the game went on and, as scrappy as the game was, I think we did enough to win it.

“Credit to the Buxton players for how they competed but I’m proud of our group for working hard and sticking together as a team and eventually showing our quality with the two goals we scored.”

Lincoln will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Woking – a result which dropped them to eighth.

The Imps are only three points off third place and their dangerman is 16-goal Matt Rhead.

The supply line seems to be defender Lee Beevers as he has the most assists, and both he and Rhead have played in all 27 of Lincoln’s games this season.

Keeper Paul Farman is another mainstay of Chris Moyses’ side. Imps boss Moyses is Lincoln born and bred, coming through the youth ranks at Sincil Bank.

He is known locally for playing for Halifax Town in 1983-84, when they were still in the Football League.