AVENUE ON ROAD TO RECOVERY
UPBEAT manager Mark Bower is confident ‘lucky’ Bradford Park Avenue will take full advantage of their relegation escape – and start moving in the right direction again.
The Yorkshire club were bottom of the National League North table and looking certainties for relegation before the coronavirus pandemic cut the season short.
With the FA declaring Steps 3 to 7 null and void, it meant their was no need for relegation from NonLeague’s second tier.
It was the best bit of news Park Avenue had following a wretched season. Former Bradford City defender Bower had left the club at the end of the previous campaign, despite guiding them to the play-offs in successive seasons.
Former Morecambe winger Garry Thompson took the reins but 5-0 defeats in their two opening games saw him sacked and Marcus Law took charge on an interim basis.
Bower returned to the hotseat at the end of September and set about repairing the damage. But they were still 12 points from safety when the season ended prematurely.
Wavelength
“We got very lucky,” admitted Bower, “but we will make sure we use it to our advantage.
“For two seasons we had overachieved massively to get into the play- offs, but you need to have a good working relationship and be on the same wavelength with the people you are working with and that wasn’t the case.
“It was probably the best for both parties to part ways, but things didn’t go too well and a lot of things have changed since then. I’ve been backed long-term by the club.
“I think play-offs is going to be a very tough target for next season, but who knows? We’ll try to improve the club from top to bottom. It’s a different working environment and one I’m enjoying being part of.
“We have a new director of football operations in Martin Knight. He’s got some very inventive ideas and comes with a real business background. “Hopefully his expertise on that side and myself and my staff on the football side can get the club going in the right direction.”
Indeed, there is a real sense of starting afresh. A new 3G pitch is being laid for next season as part of extensive ground improvements at the Horsfall Stadium.
Bower said: “With the new pitch and new people running the day-to-day operations of the club, I’m confident we can have a more sustainable future. We are going to have a facility which can be used seven days a week.”
And the former Guiseley manager also feels it will help his firstteam plans.
“I think it’s known that the pitch at the Horsfall hasn’t been the greatest, though it has improved over the last three or four years,” he told The NLP.
“A consistent surface will help in our recruitment – we can look for a certain type of player, players who can express themselves.
“We will be looking to explore the loan market and young players have been brought up on those surfaces.”
Quality
Bower is eager for young players to see Park Avenue as an attractive option and believes the signing of Leeds United left-back Matty Downing is a promising signal.
The 20-year-old is highly regarded, but injuries, including a broken leg, hampered his progress at Elland Road.
“Matty is the kind of player we are looking for,” said Bower. “He’s taken a step back to come to us. If he can get a good season under his belt and play 25, 30 or more games, with the quality he’s got he should be able to get himself moving back up and we would send him on his way with our best wishes.
“We want this to be a place where young players learn men’s football and enhance their career.”
But Bower is also keen to make sure his team has balance.
“We are looking for a mix,” he added. “We want some experienced players with Conference North solidity through the spine of the team who can dig in and get results, which we lacked last season, and some good younger players and loan recruits. We have retained some really good players, added one or two and we’re working on a few more.”