Bradford Park Avenue 1 AFC Telford United 1

BRADFORD Park Avenue are still at the foot of Vanarama National League North but there was some relief at Horsfall Stadium on Saturday as they brought an end to a ten-game losing run with a home draw against fellow strugglers Telford United.

The Bucks edged the chance count in a first half that lacked any real quality but Avenue, under new manager Mark Bower, grew into the game, and the second half was very even.

Avenue broke the deadlock but were pegged back just minutes later in Bower’s first taste of life in the home dugout.

His initial game ended in a 4-0 defeat at The Shay a fortnight ago, and the new boss was pleased to have the extended break to work with his inherited squad.

Bower said: “We’ve stop-ped the rot and I said to the players after the game that it might have been a bit ugly but we got something out of it, and sometimes you have to play like that.

“I thought there were some good performances and the players have something to show for their efforts for the first time in two months, which has to be a positive.

“If we could have held onto our lead for just a little bit longer, it might have been a different game.”

The manager’s assessment was succinct as his Avenue side looked devoid of confidence in the early stages but came out with renewed belief after the break and had the determination to chase the game once they had been pegged back.

Following a dour 45 minutes, the Bucks’ centre back and captain Luca Havern picked up a yellow card six minutes into the second half for a cynical foul on Emile Sinclair as the Avenue forward broke into the Telford half.

From the resulting free-kick, Shane Killock’s header was parried well by diving Bucks’ keeper James Montgomery but Chris Sharp drilled the loose ball in from an acute angle.

Just two minutes later, the visitors levelled after another set-piece when Havern’s centre back partner Ben Bailey planted a header just out of home keeper Joe Cracknell’s reach.

Bower added: “We gave a cheap free-kick away, and that led to their equaliser, but that’s how the game was.

“The referee set the standard early on by blowing for every little thing, and once he’d started that he had to continue with it.”