North Ferriby United 2 Bradford Park Avenue 1

 Avenue failed to make up ground on the teams above them in the Evo-Stik Premier Division when they lost their game in hand on three of the top four.

The Bradford club still have games in hand on fourth-placed Chorley – who visit Horsfall Stadium this Saturday – but remain four points adrift of them.

Tonight's game was a case of Ferriby being more clinical than their visitors.

They had Avenue chasing the game after just nine minutes, when former Cheltenham Town striker Gary Bradshaw broke the deadlock. There was some fortune about the strike as it went in off both posts.

Nicky Boshell, James Riley, skipper Rob O’Brien and Richard Marshall all had chances before Avenue eventually levelled a minute before the interval when a corner from Jordan Deacey was headed in by Marshall.

The second half followed a similar pattern as the visitors created most of the chances. Marshall, Ross Daly – whose effort skimmed a post – O’Brien and Aiden Savory all found themselves with presentable opportunities.

Savory had the best of the second-half openings in the 75th minute but he shot straight at keeper Sam Wilson. Five minutes later Bradshaw, Ferriby’s record scorer before his brief spell in the Football League, rounded Avenue keeper John Lamb and slotted home the winner.