Harrogate Town 2, Bradford Park Avenue 0: Avenue's last remaining hope of silverware for 2003 slipped away last night with a lacklustre performance at Harrogate Town.

Trevor Storton's men never really looked interested during a scrappy West Riding County Cup semi-final played out on an unhelpfully uneven Wetherby Road playing surface.

Bradford went behind to two early first-half goals and never really looked like hauling themselves back into the match.

"We gave them the game," said Storton after his side failed for the third year in a row to convert a semi-final place into a final appearance.

"We let them get their tails up and it is always hard to come back from that.

"I thought we picked things up second-half but it was too late by then.

"I don't think the pitch helped but we will bounce back."

From the outset it was clear the current cup holders were more up for the game and John Reed's men played with significantly more fight.

Avenue, still without James Stansfield and offering a debut to reserve keeper Neil Storer, struggled early on.

It took just ten minutes for Town to take the lead with James Turley's cross being met by Dave Merris.

Although Storer, playing in front of the biggest crowd of his career, saved well from the first effort, the lanky Marc Smith was on hand to fire home at the second attempt.

Simon Collins, who struggled to control the midfield all night, was then unlucky to have a powerful header tipped round the post by the Harrogate keeper but it was the home side who were to grab the next goal.

A neat interchange between Turley and Smith sent through skipper Robbie Whellans who delicately lifted the ball over the out-rushing Storer to double the lead.

It was then all Harrogate and only a man -of-the-match performance by Storer, who will return to his Wibsey WMC side this Sunday, kept the score down.

Although his distribution was a little shaky, there was no doubting his shot-stopping ability and he repelled a number of home attacks, including an athletic tip-over from a Turley snapshot.

Storton's half-time rollicking added a little fire to the Avenue bellies, but it was not enough to save the game.

Neat through-balls from Collins and then Jason Maxwell sent in Richard Tracey, but an awful first touch prevented him from converting the best chance of the half.

It was a disappointing performance from an indifferent Avenue but Storton pledged there would be no repeat when his side head back there in the league on Easter Monday.

"It will not happen again," he added defiantly.

"I can promise you we won't be playing like that next time."