HARRIERS saw off a spirited fight-back from Bradford Park Avenue to pick up yet another home win, a 3-1 success on Saturday.

 

The reds were in cruise control during the first half and led at the break 2-0 thanks to goals from top scorer Joe Ironside and defender Jordan Tunnicliffe.

But the visitors played their way back into the game and pulled a goal back through Nicky Wroe from the penalty spot, going within inches of an equaliser after that before Liam Truslove finally settled some late nerves with his team’s third.

Boss John Eustace had made two changes to his Harriers side for this one; the introduction of Darryl Knights enforced due to an injury to James McQuilkin, while Tyrell Waite was favoured in place of Dan Nti.

Harriers started brightly and threatened early through Tyrone Williams who saw a shot well blocked by goalkeeper Ed Hall. Hornby was also called up on early; Chris Sharp rose well in the area with a powerful header that needed to be tipped wide.

It was the home side who would make the breakthrough, though; a well-timed run and header from Ironside enough for him to divert home a Williams cross for his 24th goal of the season.

A fine Croasdale block to keep out Sinclair then followed, before Harriers doubled their lead just before the interval – Tunnicliffe heading in unmarked from Knights’ free-kick.

From the off after the break Bradford were brighter and sharper; Jamie Spencer driving low and hard at the near post and meeting the woodwork, before Ironside dragged a shot wide up at the other end.

The visitors did keep on pushing and when Johnson had been upended by Tunnicliffe, the experienced Wroe did the honours by sending Hornby the wrong way from the spot.

That lifted the tails of the Horsfall Stadium outfit and they really ought to have been level when, on 70 minutes, the ball was blocked in the area into the path of Sharp who scuffed a shot at close-range that Harriers somehow managed to turn on to the post and away.

In the end, Eustace’s changes once again made the telling difference; after he’d introduced Truslove and Sonupe, the duo combined eight minutes later when a pacy run and cross from the on-loan Northampton man was nodded home by the midfielder.

That dented what was left of the Avenue spirit and Truslove might yet have grabbed a second in the last couple of minutes but his dipping effort crashed narrowly over.

Harriers: Hornby, Williams, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Lowe, Tunnicliffe, Waite, Knights, Ironside (Sonupe 58), Ngwatala (Truslove 26), Gnahoua Subs not used: Carter, Hodgkiss, Brown Attendance: 1,890 Referee: Simon Mather