Park Avenue 1, Accrington Stanley 2 - It was the Lancashire side that snatched the spoils from this UniBond Premier Division curtain raiser for the forthcoming Roses battle in the League Challenge Cup Final.

However, it will be Park Avenue who will be seeking revenge after suffering an unfortunate defeat.

"We played very well throughout the game," insisted Bradford boss Trevor Storton. "The stats tell their own tale, we had 17 shots on goal while they had three efforts and scored two.

"Their goalkeeper was named man of the match. He made two world-class saves, pure reflex ones and you don't often see that. We have just been unfortunate that our chances haven't gone in.

"It was obvious that we were the better team even in the first half, but we have turned round two goals down because of two errors. The first was an own goal and the second was a bad free kick to give away and then poor marking as they took it.

"I was very pleased with the performance of our lads in the first half and I told them at half time to just carry on with more of the same. I thought the constant pressure from us in the second half would have brought the goals.

"Accrington didn't have a shot in that second period but we needed three to win it and with their keeper in outstanding form it wasn't going to be our day.

"This result won't have any bearing on the cup final and we are certainly not frightened of facing them again, not after this performance. We are not frightened of any one in this division.

"The final is a one off game and it will depend on the day, if anything this will make us slight favourites. There is no way in the world their keeper can have such a game again and we'll never create so many chances without putting four or five away."

So the mind games have already begun ahead of their next meeting and it is tough talking from Storton but after this hard-to-swallow defeat he will not have to try too hard to motivate his players.

There was a quiet start to the game but Avenue found themselves a goal down in the 18th minute.

A Paul Burns free kick found Steve Flitcroft but his mis-hit volley was going wide of the target until Wayne Benn tried to intercept it but only shinned it inside the post.

Just after the half-hour Accrington keeper Jamie Speare saved a stabbed effort from Jason Maxwell but minutes later it was 2-0. After another silly free kick, Andy Proctor was left unmarked to rise and convert Flitcroft's delivery with a powerful header.

In the second half Speare made a point-blank save to keep a Maxwell header out and then fingertipped a James Stansfield thunderbolt over the bar before he was beaten by Andy Hayward.

The striker thumped the ball into the roof of the net from just inside the six yard box.

Avenue pressed for a deserved equaliser but while Hayward, Maxwell, Calcutt, Stansfield and centre back partner Micky Thompson all went close Accrington - and more directly Speare - stood firm.