BRADFORD (Park Avenue) remain in the Vanarama National League North play-off places despite being held to a 2-2 draw at home by Curzon Ashton.

Avenue’s Jake Beesley bagged a brace in a game that was a slow starter but which blossomed into an entertaining contest.

It lurched from side to side but once the hosts had levelled the scores soon after the hour mark it looked as though they would go on to win the game.

Avenue manager Mark Bower said: “It was a tight game which was as we expected because up until their last two games Curzon had been flying.

“But I thought our performance was very good and we created far more chances so on the one hand it was pleasing but on the other it was disappointing to just get one point from it.

“I think we’ve been on the end of a few decisions that on another day would have gone our way.

"The two disallowed goals must have been close calls because the lads, each and every one of them, are adamant that Macca (Macaulay Langstaff) was onside for both.

“When you’ve been involved in football you develop a sense of when to look for a flag, the first thing you do, if you think it’s tight, is look at the assistant and I didn’t for either goal.

“For the second one it was a late flag and I think the ball was in the net before it eventually went up. I might stand to be corrected but I’m keen to see them back again.

“There was also the one (goal attempt) that came back off the bar, I don’t know how that came out again.

"We feel that we deserved the win and the performance was certainly there but all we’ve got is one point.”

Langstaff would have made it 2-0 to the hosts had his first strike stood. An excellent pass and move sequence opened up the Curzon defence and Nicky Clee’s final pass found Langstaff outside the left of the area and he curled a superb shot into the far top corner.

That ‘goal’ was just three minutes after Beesley had broken the deadlock from the penalty spot. The striker was held down as a cross was whipped in and the referee had no hesitation, Beesley sending Nash goalkeeper Cam Mason the wrong way.

The visitors hit back minutes before half-time when midfielder Ryan Brooke made a late run to meet a corner from Luke Wall. It was clearly a tactic for Nash as Wall delivered another excellent flag kick in the 58th minute and on this occasion it was left-back Cam McJannet with the late run and firm header.

Avenue equalised just four minutes later from another precision move. Langstaff played the ball to right flank for Lewis Knight and he showed great skill before delivering a low cross that Beesley slid home from point-blank range.

The home side thought they had won it in the penultimate minute when another low ball drilled into the area was steered in by Langstaff, but their joy was short lived, the offside flag being raised as the players ran to congratulate the ‘scorer’.