Bradford Park Avenue 1 Boston United 1

Bradford and Boston played out a draw at Horsfall Stadium that did neither of them any favours in the Conference North.

Avenue were the most creative side but Boston were dangerous on the break and threatened to make their hosts pay the full tariff for their failure to put the game to bed.

The two former Football League clubs both lost ground in their chase for a play-off spot because of the stalemate, dropping two places. Boston tumbled from second to fourth while Avenue are now just clinging onto a place in the top ten.

John Deacey’s side dominated possession and territory in the goalless first half but did not make the most of either. Chances were few and far between but Paul Walker and skipper Nathan Hotte both went close.

Hotte came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock from a free-kick. He struck the deadball with deadly accuracy but Pilgrims keeper Lewis King just got something on it as it arrowed towards the top corner, which was enough to deflect the ball against the frame of the goal.

Chib Chilaka’s industry earned Avenue some corners which were well delivered but also well defended by a packed and determined rearguard. Boston came out fired up for the second half and Avenue’s defence looked rocky but they coped.

The home side turned the tables by weathering that little spell of pressure to open the scoring in the 50th minute.

Walker was covering at left back when a Boston attack broke down and he raced the length of the pitch with the ball at his feet. Having burst into the area, he unselfishly laid it square to Alex Davidson, who rifled it into the net from eight yards.

More chances followed but the home side failed to add to their score and when the Pilgrims sent former Bantam Spencer Weir-Daly on from the bench he almost levelled minutes later.

Boston did produce the equaliser following a needless foul by Nicky Boshell. He was guilty of a clumsy challenge ten yards outside Avenue’s area and Boston’s skipper Ian Ross dipped the ball over the wall and into the top corner of John Lamb’s goal.

Avenue made a double substitution to try to force a winner but, in the remaining seven minutes and four of added time, both sides had chances so a draw seemed fair.

Bradford assistant manager Mark Hume did not see it that way. He said: “I think Boston are lucky to get a point from that.

“They were in second place so I can see why people are saying it’s a good point for us but we would have won if we had put our chances away in the periods when we were on top.

“They caused us problems on the counter-attack but we have taken four points from the two games against them this season so that’s not a bad return from our point of view.”