Hucknall Town 1, Park Avenue 2 - Avenue moved to second in the UniBond Premier league after overcoming atrocious conditions to fight back against Hucknall Town.

In torrential rain and howling winds, goals either side of half-time by Andy Hayward and Dean Martin pushed Bradford to their highest league position since reforming.

Only an immaculate playing surface in Nottingham allowed the game to go ahead in conditions described by most Avenue players as the worst they had ever played in.

And striker Jason Maxwell, who started the second half with a coat under his kit, even had to be taken off after 55 minutes suffering from exposure. "It was a real gritty performance," said delighted Avenue boss Trevor Storton after the game.

"I thought we did really well, especially in the second half. The conditions meant that playing football was always going to be very hard, but we battled well to get a positive result out there."

The appalling conditions spoiled the game from the outset, and the swirling gale cost Avenue after just ten minutes.

They conceded a free-kick, and when the ball was crossed it glanced off a defender before catching the wind and landing behind the back four at the feet of a grateful Jamie Williams.

The Hucknall player smacked in the volley to give his side the lead as Avenue struggled to get involved.

But the visitors, beaten just once in 11 league games, began to assert themselves, showing all the hard work and energy that had been so sorely lacking in the visit from Bridlington.

And just reward was earned on the stroke of half-time when Hayward struck his ninth of the season. Rory Prendergast held up the ball well on the left wing before guiding a cross through the force seven gale into the path of Avenue's top-scorer, who took one touch to control before driving home a low, left-foot shot which beat the home keeper.

And just a minute after the break the visitors took the lead. A Prendergast cross was met by Matt Daly, and a brief session of penalty area pinball followed until Martin's volley crept past the keeper and over the line before it was cleared.

Avenue then spawned chance after chance, not the least of which was a penalty which Graham Mitchell banged off the bar after the impressive Robbie Painter was tripped on the edge of the box.

It was a welcome return to form for Avenue who inflicted only Hucknall's third defeat of the season.