BRADFORD Park Avenue will be looking for the home win over Gainsborough Trinity that would lift them back into the Vanarama National League North play-off places.

Avenue and tonight's visitors were both left frustrated by postponements on Saturday as Mark Bower's men should have travelled to leaders Salford City, while Trinity were also due to cross the Pennines to take on Curzon Ashton.

Bower had been to watch Salford play recently – ironically when the original date for the Gainsborough game was shelved – and he was back on scouting duties over the weekend as he and assistant Danny Boshell went to Darlington versus Blyth Spartans.

The Avenue manager said: "We gave the players the day off instead of hastily arranging a training session when we heard that the Salford game was off.

"It made more sense because we're playing tonight and we know that they will have done a bit themselves – some jogging or light exercise – because they're really good at maintaining their fitness.

"We hope the (Gainsborough) game goes ahead because there have been a few postponements recently and, with a small squad like we have, the last thing we need is a backlog of fixtures.

"Our pitch hasn't been too bad this season – we haven't had too many home games called off and we'd probably have been okay on Saturday if it had been a home game.

"Most of the wet weather had been over the other side of the hills and there were a lot of games off over there – ours, Curzon and Southport in our division alone.

"But it gave us chance to have a look at Darlington and Blyth at the same time, which was good because we play them both soon."

Ahead of tonight's game, Avenue are immediately outside the play-off places, while Trinity are just above the drop zone. However, only nine points separate the clubs in what is a tight division.

Avenue would leapfrog Blyth with a home win as they trail the north-east outfit by three points but have a game in hand and a better goal difference.

Gainsborough ended a losing run with back-to-back victories before the weekend's postponement, so they will be buoyant as they head to Horsfall.

Bower had bolstered his squad recently, and made two loan signings last week, but the new recruits were denied debuts when the Salford game was called off.

Former Chesterfield, York City, FC Halifax Town and Guiseley winger Adam Smith, who played 18 games under Bower at Nethermoor, was on the bench for the previous week's game at Nuneaton Town.

Young midfielder Dan Pybus – on loan from Bradford City – and Frank Mulhern, on loan from Guiseley, both joined Avenue for the remainder of this term on Friday and were in Saturday's match-day squad.

Bower said: "It might have been a good time to play them (Salford) after they lost their last league game but the pitch was unfit, so that's all there is to say.

"When the game does get rescheduled, we might be in even better shape to play them because our new signings will have settled in and Wayne Brooksby should be back from injury.

"Wayne trained last week so is already on the comeback trail."