Rossendale United 3, Avenue 2

Avenue may have lost the final battle but they won the war and the spoils to the victor in this case are the UniBond Division One North title and the one automatic promotion place that goes with it.

The Bradford club will be playing their football in the UniBond Premier next term and chief executive Bob Blackburn has already said they will be looking for a second consecutive title win.

"We are not going into the Premier just to make the numbers up, we will be launching another campaign aimed at promotion," said the club's owner.

"I know it's a bold statement but we made some bold statements when we came in and we have backed them up. It is our strategy to get into the Blue Square North and then have a little look around.

"By then we should have our own ground up and running and that will bring more income and improve the financial backbone of the club. That is going to strengthen the arm of the team manager.

"We have already had a lot of enquiries from players' agents and from players themselves who want to come to this club next season because we have been promoted and have the momentum and infrastructure to grow into an even bigger club."

Saturday's celebrations went ahead in the players' bar and social club at Horsfall Stadium on the team's return from Lancashire. However, there was nothing to cheer at the final whistle at Rossendale.

The home side's skipper and leading scorer Phil Eastwood plundered a hat-trick as the Lancastrians exacted some revenge for their 9-0 mauling in the reverse fixture. That was the biggest margin of victory in the division this season.

Eastwood was on the end of a cross from Mario Daniel in the 37th minute but he still had work to do. He controlled the ball and beat two defenders before drilling in a shot from the edge of the area.

Avenue equalised on the stroke of half-time with a goal that was even more spectacular. Skipper Steve Connors was not to be outdone by his counterpart as he converted a Danny Warner cross with an overhead scissors kick.

Just minutes into the second half, Eastwood put Rossendale back in front and it was yet another good goal. Taking a left-wing cross, again from Daniel, he thumped a left-foot drive into the bottom corner.

The home captain certainly led by example and completed his treble just after the hour. This time Tom Clarkson provided the ball in but Eastwood had to round two defenders before netting another low shot.

With 15 minutes remaining, Mark Bett drove a shot towards the home side's goal and Mike Moseley felt the keeper was going to claim it, so he raced in to get a foot to it and help it into the net.

Avenue secretary and spokesman Steve Burnett said: "In my honest opinion it did us no favours that the league title trophy was presented to the players before kick off.

"To be fair to the league, they did tell us before Saturday that their representatives would be doing the presentation before the game.

"It was all about logistics because they had to be at two grounds later because they didn't know who the runners-up were going to be. We all knew it was going to happen but it took the edge off the game.

"The players have been fantastic and taken nothing for granted during the run-in, which is why we finished top of the table, but when you get a trophy and take the adulation of the crowd, it's a big ask to put that out of your mind and then go and win a game of football.

"The fans were brilliant. The attendance was only 453 and almost 400 of them were Avenue supporters. The atmosphere was great, with loads of them chanting that we had won the league and gathering behind the goal to really get behind the lads.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter that we didn't win the game but I think it would have been a lot more competitive if the trophy had been handed out after the match."

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