Nantwich Town 0
Bradford (Park Avenue) 3
League (NPL Premier Division)

Match Report

NANTWICH TOWN 0 BRADFORD PARK AVENUE 3
Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division – Saturday 20th August 2011
This game was a stroll in the park for Avenue who oozed class in a performance that underlined their potential promotion credentials. The Yorkshiremen had too much quality for a Nantwich side that looked shell shocked after a first half hammering that saw Avenue establish a three goal cushion.
Bradford took the lead on 24 minutes from Rob O’Brien’s free-kick which passed through a sea of legs to Adam Clayton who calmly slotted past debutant keeper Jonny Brain at close range. Ten minutes later, the former Walsall keeper again had to pick the ball out of the net. His defence failed to clear a corner from the right, allowing Richard Marshall to poke home.
The visitors completed a hat-trick of goals from set piece in first half injury time. This time Marshall’s free-kick was charged down by the wall and the ball fell kindly for Rob O’Brien to smash past Brain from the edge of the box.
Nantwich had a chance to pull a goal back right on half-time but Ben Mills’ shot was deflected onto the post after he had been cleverly set up by substitute Michael Lennon. It proved to be the Dabbers best chance in a game that saw visiting keeper James Coates largely redundant.
Avenue lost Clayton who was stretchered off just before the hour mark but the second half saw few clear cut chances for either side as the visitors took their foot off the gas with the points already in the bag.
Jimmy Quinn's Nantwich side prop up the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division having lost all 3 opening games.
"Obviously we're disappointed with the result," said Assistant Manager Martin Stubbs, "but again we created chances and if we had taken them it would have been a different game."
MAN OF THE MATCH: Aiden Savory (Bradford)

Match report written by Michael Chatwin