BRADFORD PARK AVENUE 2 BARROW 2: Avenue are still looking for their first home victory in the UniBond Premier Division this season, but if they play like they did against Barrow on Saturday it will not be a long wait.

They deserved maximum points in the clash of two former Football League sides at Horsfall Stadium but a disastrous two-minute spell midway through the first half almost robbed them of even a point.

Having taken the lead they were stunned by a quick-fire double and had to battle back merely to draw.

It came at a cost though - the injury jinx struck once more as Jason Maxwell was taken to hospital for X-rays on his right shin.

"I thought anything less than a draw would have been a travesty. To me we deserved to win it outright," said Bradford boss Trevor Storton.

"We gave a couple of soft goals away but again we were forced to have players on the pitch in the starting line-up who weren't fully fit. The hard pitches don't help either.

"It's easy to say it but the two goals we conceded were contributed to by the playing surface.

"I know it's the same for everyone but you can't legislate for incidents that are unnatural.

"When the pitches - not just ours - are playing normally and we have a full squad to pick from we will win more than we lose. I have every confidence in the squad of players we have here, but look what happened to Jason on Saturday!

"This run of bad luck with injuries can't carry on indefinitely.

"The performances are good and we will pick up a lot of points, despite our frustrations at the moment."

Maxwell, who was injured challenging for a ball inside Barrow's area minutes after he had equalised, set up Avenue's first goal with a perfect gather and turn on the left flank.

He could have shot himself after bursting into the area but elected to square the ball through the six-yard box. Andy Hayward snapped up the pass and produced a neat turn of his own before blasting in from close range.

Barrow's leveller in the 20th minute owed something to a comedy of errors. Nicky Wood slipped when tracking back, and visiting striker Gavin Knight was afforded space as home keeper Matt Boswell also lost his footing.

Knight's chip bounced a foot in front of the line but found its way into the roof of Avenue's net. Two minutes later Wood clumsily brought Knight down, and Steve Gaughan despatched the resulting spot-kick. Avenue were left chasing a game they had dominated but they stuck to the task and Maxwell lashed in the equaliser following a moment of panic in the Barrow defence, brought on by Carl Serrant's 68th-minute corner. Jason Maxwell is pictured challenging Lee Warren for the ball.