BRADFORD (Park Avenue) remain without a goal and without a point in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

They went down from National League North last season but had high hopes of bouncing straight back up.

That positivity has been checked slightly in the last few days, as a 2-0 home defeat to Macclesfield FC in their opener on Saturday was followed last night by another 2-0 loss at Atherton Collieries.

Avenue had plenty of possession in an open game, but did not make the most of any chances that came their way, and it was Atherton who claimed the spoils.

Jordan Scanlon was a constant attacking threat for the home side, and he opened the scoring after 20 minutes, before finishing the game off with a last-gasp strike.

It means Avenue travel to unbeaten Bamber Bridge on Saturday desperately hoping to break their duck.

After the game, Avenue boss Mark Bower said: “I’d describe tonight as frustrating.

“I thought it was pretty even in the first 20 minutes, but then their lad scores a goal, coming inside on his weak foot and bending it in the top corner.

“We can’t be allowing him that sort of time on the edge of the box and should have been tighter, but barring a few little bits, they had very little otherwise.

“The longer the game went on we became more dominant but we just couldn’t find the finishing touch.

“Will Longbottom had a decent header and their keeper made a great save, we hit the bar in the second half, had stuff flying across the face of goal.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Will Longbottom was denied in the first half as Avenue failed to score again.Will Longbottom was denied in the first half as Avenue failed to score again. (Image: John Rhodes.)

“We had plenty of opportunities and plenty of the ball in the final third, but at the moment, we’re not producing enough quality to create clearcut chances.

“We’ve got lads capable of producing more than what they are at the moment.

“Ultimately, we weren’t able to find a way to get a goal, and I think if we’d got it to 1-1, we were dominant down the hill in the second half and controlling the game, I think we could have gone on and won.

“But Atherton hung on in there, did what they needed to do, and our players need to step up, because we’ve got enough quality to do better than what we have in the first two games.”