The Christmas ale may have been flat following a postponement, a defeat and a draw but Avenue aim to keep the new year fizz sparkling at home to Stocksbridge Park Steels tomorrow.

The Horsfall Stadium side got 2007 off to the best possible start with a 3-1 victory at Clitheroe and will bid to repeat that feat in front of their own fans against the second-placed team in UniBond Division One.

The Sheffield outfit are six points clear of sixth-placed Avenue but they have played three games more than their Bradford hosts.

"I think it will be very interesting," said Bradford boss Phil Sharpe.

"Stocksbridge have stumbled a little bit and it will be a case of testing them to see if we can claw a bit of ground back off them."

"They had a cracking run in October and November and really put themselves in the promotion picture.

"They may have struggled recently, much like ourselves, but for them to still be second in the table shows just what a good run can do for a club.

"We would hope we can go on a run like that before the end of the season. If we can, it will at least ensure we are in the play-offs.

"We are at home so we must go into the game with confidence and if we win, who knows what it might start?"

Sharpe may well decide to continue with his new strike force which saw Avenue rediscover their touch in front of goal at Clitheroe.

He raised eyebrows by leaving his three front-line strikers out of the starting line-up for that game.

Leading scorer Neil Ross and the experienced Simon Parke were left on the bench while Tom Grea-ves failed to make the 14-man squad altogether.

Utility man Chris Clarke was switched from centre back to centre forward and David Cooke, who has been playing at right back for most of the season, partnered him and the move paid dividends.

"I changed it totally because we had tried a number of pairings and none of them seemed to be working," added Sharpe.

"It was a great result and both of them scored in the 3-1 win so I think it was vindicated in every respect.

"Clarkey is a big lad and he caused problems for the opposition.

"He is a bit unorthodox and some teams don't know how to play against that.

"Cookey has a lot of pace and that frightens defenders.

"He can play in any position, no doubt about it. Added to his pace, he has good ball control and a footballing brain."

Sharpe revealed that he has loaned out Greaves to give him some much-needed game-time.

"Tom was the unlucky one because with Simon and Neil, who are both forwards, on the bench, I didn't want three strikers.

"Bridlington Town asked about him and I have allowed him to go on loan there for a month because he has missed a lot of football this season with niggling injuries."

Avenue (from): Skiba, Grayston, Wilson, Shaw, Connor, Redfearn, Lennon, Shuttleworth, Chattoe, Longley, Ross, Parke, Cooke, Clarke.