Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, nine goalkeepers, abandoned matches, ridiculous sending-offs, a few dodgy penalties and their highest ever finish since re-forming. We look back at an eventful year in the life of Bradford Park Avenue.

You can say what you want about non-league football, and people often do, but you cannot beat it for entertainment.

On the pitch it has not been the most triumphant of seasons for the club, wha with no cup success and dropping back from the heady heights of second in the table.

The revolving door saw 33 players appear for Avenue this season, including nine different incumbents of the number one shirt, and an eventual seventh-place finish.

The lack of a Conference carrot, and heavy financial shackles on the manager, meant that winning the UniBond Premier league was never a geniune aim, nor a possibility.

But that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty to shout about for fans of this former Football League club.

The early departures of twin wizards of dribble Rory Prendergast, pictured below, and Dean Calcutt - the latter before the league campaign had even begun - showed the club's immediate lack of ambition.

But manager Trevor Storton, ably assisted by Ian Thompson (one of many to play as goalkeeper), did his best with a paper-thin squad to take the club as far as he could.

But it was the events off the field that the 2002-2003 season will be best remembered for, not least of which included the various antics of former German youth international keeper Lutz Pfannenstiel.

August

Jason Maxwell put in an early bid for goal of the season with a 30-yard dipping volley to grab victory over Hull in one of a number of pre-season friendlies.

The game against Scunthorpe was spoiled by an unseemly fight that saw the visitors bring their players off the pitch. Diplomacy ruled and the game was completed despite only being 70 minutes long.

New boys Robbie Painter and Rory Prendergast impressed while Dean Calcutt, keen to get to the Football League, was snapped up by Conference-bound rivals Accrington Stanley.

After the disastrous start of the previous season, the three wins from five in the opening month were viewed with great pride by Trevor Storton.

September

A home defeat by Hucknall aside, the club was to embark on a run that was to see Avenue climb the table and lose just once in a dozen games.

It started with a three-goal week for centre-back Graham Mitchell and saw Prendergast go on a spectacular strike spree, bagging scores in two gritty away wins at Lancaster and Blyth.

The month ended with a 4-0 demolition of Whitby Town in the first game of the FA Cup campaign.

October

The run continued with Hyde and Frickley thumped and Accrington Stanley, who at this stage were unbeaten runaway leaders, were held 1-1 in front of 760 fans in a match that Avenue could have sneaked.

And then came Bridlington. With £10,000 pounds at stake and a chance to get within 90 minutes of Match of the Day, Avenue put in a disgracefully lacklustre performance and were deservedly dumped out of the cup by lower league opposition.

Jason Maxwell nearly picked up pneumonia as Avenue returned from a dangerous trip to Hucknall to come away with three points despite the weather.

November

Walsh netted his first against Droylsden as Avenue won again. A chance to go top was missed in a battling 0-0 draw at Altrincham while Ian Richards finally got clearance from his FIFA ban to play against Spennymoor United in the League Cup.

Lutz Pfannenstiel was true to his German heritage, saving three penalties in a 10.30pm shoot-out to put Avenue into the next round.

Although they progressed in that cup, their other main hope of cash and publicity died a death against Altrincham, the Mancunians knocking Avenue out of the FA Trophy 1-0 despite the home side dominating proceedings.

December

The pantomime season began early with Pfannenstiel this time playing the baddie. An overdose of flu remedies gave him double vision on a horrible night at Worksop where Avenue went down to a record-equalling 7-1 defeat.

Lancaster's 1-0 win at Horsfall Stadium then condemned Avenue to their fourth straight defeat, but they somehow remained in third place in the UniBond.

Boxing Day 2002 will go down as one of the darkest days in the club's history.

Only the heroics of physio Ray Killick prevented the unthinkable as Pfannenstiel needed the kiss of life three times on the Horsfall Stadium pitch after a collision with a Harrogate attacker.

The match was abandoned and the German was carried off in an ambulance after the frightening incident which left players and management shaken. Fortunately the keeper suffered no permanent damage and was back at home with his pregnant wife later that evening.

Winger Andy Wright came in from Whitby Town to replace Rory Prendergast, the enigmatic winger having been sold to Accrington Stanley for £7,500. Many were disappointed to see him go, although his unsettling presence in the dressing room may have played some part in the decision. Burly midfielder Simon Collins was now the latest addition to the squad, scoring on his debut at Stalybridge Celtic.

January

A combination of poor weather, poor stadium maintenance and bad luck ensured Avenue completed just two games in the month.

But the biggest blow to hit the club was Pfannenstiel's announcement of his departure to New Zealand to return to former side Dunedin Technical as player-manager.

February

The lack of match practice hit the side hard and the winter blues ensured the club plummeted down the table with some poor performances, most notably a

4-2 defeat at Marine. Skipper Wayne Benn broke the club's peace-time appearance record, surpassing Charlie Atkinson's record of 353.

March

Things got messy at the start of the month with two abandoned matches in a week. The trip to Colwyn Bay was called off at half-time with the Welsh side ahead because of a water-logged pitch. By this time Andy Hayward was in goal after Jamie Holmshaw had been taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle. And then, while leading Burscough 3-2, the lights went out across a swathe of Bradford with six minutes remaining forcing another abandonment. Any cup interest was ruined when Harrogate beat Avenue 2-0 in the county-cup semi-final despite the man-of-the-match heroics of stand-in Wibsey WMC goalkeeper Neil Storer.

April

Three wins in four games in eight days saw Avenue finish seventh but the month will be remembered for the events of the 19th when Stalybridge were beaten 2-1 at home. Keeper Chris Howe was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken ankle in the warm-up, Jamie Holmshaw then stood on the ball in the game and had to be replaced by 40-year-old assistant boss Thompson, who saved a one-on-one before setting up the winner.