Unibond League: Chorley 2, Bradford Park Avenue 1.

Park Avenue's drive for promotion from Division One hit a major set-back when they finished with ten men and a defeat at mid-table Chorley.

Avenue, who had lost the lead to a controversial penalty, were down to ten men in the 68th minute when Jason Maxwell received a red card - but as their rivals also stuttered Avenue are still very much in the frame.

Leaders Burscough pulled away but Witton Albion and Accrington Stanley drew on Friday and Radcliffe Borough only managed a point at home, which leaves Avenue fifth - five points behind second placed Witton with two games in hand.

Avenue manager Trevor Storton said: "This is certainly not the end of the line, there is still some way to go but we are very disappointed to have lost this one.

"We didn't play well I must admit, and when we lost Chris Dolby with an injury in the first half we missed him and the width went from our game.

"But they scored from a penalty and a free kick and didn't hurt us apart from that. Other teams aren't going to hurt us - we are going to lose game ourselves and that is what we did at Chorley.

"Two mistakes from us and some diabolical refereeing decisions have cost us at least a point. We played poorly and I accept we deserved no more than a draw but I have asked our secretary to put a letter of complaint in with his report on the referee."

Avenue had looked the more likely in the early stages and underlined that fact when they went ahead in the 24th minute, Dolby's by cross from the left picking out Maxwell who beat Simon Marsh with a close range header.

The contentious penalty came five minutes later. Martin James was edging Neil Mitchell away from the goal inside the area when the striker went down. The linesman indicated the offence and though James insisted there had been no contact Mitchell blasted the spot kick past Avenue keeper Gavin Kelly.

Chorley's winner was swept in by Ian Barker after Kelly had misjudged a Mark Simms free kick.

Storton removed Mark Wilson because he had already been shown a yellow card but then saw Maxwell get a red card as he and a defender went for a loose ball.

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