PARK Avenue had high hopes at the beginning of the season, but salvaging their National North status was ultimately seen as a success.

Mark Bower will now take Avenue into their sixth season on step two of the football pyramid.

When her took over 11 league games had gone and Park Avenue were rock bottom with three points from a possible 33.

Alex Meechan had begun the season in the hot seat after being Darren Edmondson’s assistant at the end of the previous campaign. His reign began with three creditable draws, but it tailed off dramatically.

Avenue brought in former Bantams centre back Bower while Meechan remained at the club as head of the Academy.

Bower faced a tough start, away at another of his former clubs FC Halifax Town – who went on to win promotion back to the National League.

It was an inauspicious start and ended in a heavy 4-0 defeat. A draw at Telford United followed but two more losses came before the first win.

Avenue triumphed 3-2 at Altrincham towards the end of October and it was the first of four victories in five league games as the tide began to turn. Form was mixed around the festive period with just six points earned from a possible 21 throughout December and January, but a three-game winning run in February lifted Avenue out of the relegation places for the first time since the end of August.

The relegation worries remained as three defeats on the spin followed, one at home to the Shaymen but the most disappointing being a 4-3 reverse at Stalybridge Celtic who were propping up the table at the time.

Stalybridge were eventually one of the three sides relegated, dropping down alongside Altrincham and Worcester City.

Avenue won three of their next four after losing at Bower Fold and that left them on the brink of safety.

It was a run of three draws that secured their safety, back to back goalless stalemates at home before a 1-1 draw at eventual champions AFC Fylde.

That point earned against the champions may have officially sealed the deal and despite losing their last two league games, Avenue finished four places and eight points above the drop zone.

Cup competitions

Although Park Avenue rescued themselves from a perilous position in the league they had a poor campaign in terms of knockout competitions.

Any hopes of a money-spinning run to a glamour tie in the FA Cup came to grief at the first hurdle.

Clubs in the lower tier of the National League enter the FA Cup at the second qualifying round stage and Avenue were unfortunate to draw league rivals Salford City.

Horsfall Stadium provided no home comforts as the ‘Class of 92s’ Salford progressed courtesy of a James Poole’s single goal.

The road to Wembley via the FA Trophy was more like a short cul-de-sac as Avenue again fell at the first hurdle to a league rival.

Mark Bower was in charge when the third qualifying round threw up an away tie Stockport County which the Hatters won 2-0 at Edgeley Park.

That left the only route to silverware being the West Riding County Cup.

Avenue were looking for a hat-trick of victories in the competition after winning it for the previous two seasons.

They won at near neighbours Thackley and then 3-1 away at league rivals Harrogate Town in the quarter-finals.

That win earned them a home tie in the last four against Farsley Celtic which the Celts, with several former Avenue men in their side, won 3-1 before going on to win the final.

With Avenue chasing league safety there were suggestions that Bower had played a weakened side as he rotated his small squad.

The Avenue manager vehemently denied that and countered that the competition’s rules were due an update as he had so many ineligible players and would even have had to come out of retirement to play himself had that been allowed.