Bradford Park Avenue 2 Brackley Town 1

A DRAMATIC stoppage time winner gave Bradford Park Avenue three important points against promotion chasing Brackley Town.

Although the win has not lifted Park Avenue out of the National North League relegation zone, it was their fifth in the last seven league games against a side heavily tipped to gain promotion.

Bradford manager Mark Bower said: “It’s a great three points for us because it came against a very good side and it says something about our desire and fitness that our two fullbacks are racing forward to combine for that winning goal in stoppage time.

"We dominated the first half and you have to look at the quality of the opposition to see just how difficult it was to do that.

"But it was never going to be the same in the second half," he added. "I thought it got a bit scrappy, it wasn’t the same flowing game that the first half had been. It was broken up - but we still kept asking questions of their defence."

The winning goal came in the second minute of the five added on by referee Will Finney at the end of the game.

Emile Sinclair swept the ball out to the right flank and Avenue skipper Ryan Toulson sent in a deep cross that Matt Hill headed home in front of the Avenue faithful packed into the stand behind the goal.

Despite being the better side in the first half, it had taken a goal in first half stoppage time for Bradford to equalise.

It came from Tom Davie who had begun the afternoon on the substitutes’ bench but was called into action after 20 minutes following an injury to Luke Dean.

It was a solo goal as Davie ended a positive attacking run by beating two defenders and then curling a low shot into the bottom corner.

The equaliser was needed because Park Avenue had conceded another early goal.

In their last home game, Park Avenue had seen Kidderminster Harriers take a fourth minute lead but Brackley didn’t even need that long.

The visitors forced a corner in the first minute and poor defending allowed Saints' centre back Luke Graham to slot the ball past Jon Worsnop at the back post.