Hucknall Town 0

Bradford Park Avenue 0

Avenue were denied a second league win on the trot when

they came across former Bradford City keeper Ian Bowling in fine form for his latest club.

Hucknall Town, promoted as UniBond Premier Division champions, had signed Bowl-ing on loan from Worksop Town and he made a big difference.

"It wasn't a satisfying draw for me because I thought, we could have had all three," said Bradford boss Carl Shutt.

"I can understand the supporters looking at the result and thinking 'Nice one, going to Hucknall and not getting beaten'.

"There are some that would

have accepted a point away if they had been offered it before the game. However, when we have had five great chances to score in the first half-hour and not taken any, it leaves me slightly disappointed.

"The players did what I asked of them and didn't concede any soft goals. They kept their concentration for every minute of the match and were rewarded with a clean sheet.

"But I think this is one of those games that we should have won. If we had been 2-0 up by half-time it would have been a fair reflection.

"That would have given us a bit of breathing space for the second half when they came at us. We had a bit of luck late on but we deserved that because of the way the game had gone."

Avenue had an unusual line- up because of a glut of injuries and Ben Jones was partnered with Allan Pearce up front, regular strikers

Karl Colley and Steve Olek-sewycz both nursing knocks.

Oleksewycz was lurking on the bench, just awaiting his call to action to prove that the two games he has missed with

an ankle injury had not dented his sharpness.

He got the call to prepare but only to fill in on the right- hand side of midfield as more players went down.

Avenue ended the game with a patched-up side unrecognisable from Shutt's first choice.

Pearce and Danny Walsh went close early and Jones forced another good save

from Bowling after Hucknall's first attempt on Andy Britton's goal.

Even Avenue centre back Ryan Crossley joined the queue to break the deadlock but his shot from the edge of the area in the 39th minute was well held by Bowling right on the goal-line.