Bradford (Park Avenue) and National League schism helps neither

Their relationship took another nosedive ahead of Avenue's vital National League North clash at home to Scarborough Athletic on Monday night.

There is never a good time to have 11 first-team players unable to start, with the rest of the matchday squad made up largely of young loanees, academy players and half-crocked regulars.

It is particularly bad timing when you consider Avenue are currently embroiled in a dramatic relegation battle, with the margins down there so tight that every point is vital.

Avenue attempted to postpone the game, but the National League refused that request, leaving the club to scramble in centre-back Danny Benson on loan an hour before kick-off, to register 41-year-old assistant manager Danny Boshell as a player despite him having retired in 2020, and to rely on a couple of unfit first-teamers to agree to play through the pain barrier.

Avenue's director of football Martin Knight, never shy of a forthright opinion, exploded with fury on Monday afternoon, saying on Twitter: "Personal pov, not that of BPAFC.

"Staggered that the national league despite evidence are unable to postpone the game vs Scarborough tonight, we have 11 injuries and one suspension.

"Yet we are advised if we don’t play that fines and points deductions will be on the way!!"

Referencing a game that was called off in the division a week earlier at Haig Avenue, Knight continued: "Maybe we should’ve had a broken boiler like Southport, they got their game called of [sic] for this.

"Seems player welfare, Covid in the camp and injuries una [sic] small squad aren’t a good reason to postpone a game. Woke world with no common sense."

Signing off, he said: "Wonder what Scarborough’s completion [sic] think knowing the integrity of the league is questionable as they will effectively be playing our academy this evening."

Avenue manager Mark Bower was a little more conciliatory after the game, though his mood was no doubt helped by his heavily-depleted side earning a battling 0-0 draw.

Oli Johnson (10) battled through the pain barrier to play the first half for Avenue on Monday night. (Image: Alex Daniel.)

He told the T&A: "When we put in that request, we hadn't yet got in Danny Benson on a month's loan, he only arrived at the club about an hour before kick-off.

"We also had a couple of the senior lads who were really touch and go, but eventually they declared themselves fit enough to play.

"I can see why the league responded how they did, and I imagine that's a blanket response to all clubs from them.

"We were just concerned, before we had those extra bodies available that I've just mentioned, that it wouldn't be a fair and competitive game, and that that might affect the integrity of the competition."

Bower is seemingly right about the blanket response, after Notts County had a similar request turned down for National League games against Stockport County and Dagenham & Redbridge last season when they were ravaged by injury and illness.

The National League state that provided there are 11 players available, the show must go on.

But how about some flexibility here? Avenue's situation is easing by the day, this is not a long-term issue, and after next Tuesday's game at Telford, they are free every midweek in March.

Scarborough are even more available, with all of their March games taking place on a Saturday.

If games can be rearranged for bad weather, cup clashes, and heck, a broken boiler, surely an injury and illness crisis can fall into the same category?

Scarborough had plenty of notice from Avenue that they were looking to call the game off, and at less than two hours from Bradford, it was by no means the longest away trip of the season in this division either.

It just feels like a farcical situation that could have been avoided.

That being said, it does put owner Gareth Roberts' lack of investment into the first-team squad in the spotlight once again.

The club's youth set-up is going from strength under the likes of top coaches Tom McStravick and Pat McGuire, and the future does look bright down at Horsfall.

But what about the now? Avenue are in danger of relegation and Bower probably mentions how small his squad is in every other interview.

Granted, this was a particularly bad injury and illness crisis, but a few more first-team players in the ranks, and it is likely we'd have not come anywhere near a postponement request.

The Scarborough fiasco may well give Roberts food for thought on that, though that remains to be seen.

Roberts, while generally not as forthright as Knight, has his own qualms with the National League, telling the T&A last month that the way the governing body are organising the streaming of games is "in a rather bureaucratic and expensive manner".

Streaming is underway in the division above, but as Roberts pointed out, there is no way of seeing Avenue's games live at present unless you attend the match itself.

National League games have been streamed from Boxing Day, but only in the fifth-tier, meaning this cracking festive derby between Avenue and Farsley could only be seen by those in attendance. (Image: Alex Daniel.)

He pointed out how effectively the club were able to stream games in lockdown when no fans were allowed in, saying it was done "at quite a reasonable cost with a good service".

At present, Roberts believes "the league is missing out on the value of its product".

Ultimately, it can only benefit the National League for more eyes to be on their games, especially with promotion battles, relegation fights and high-quality football to keep you interested.

I'm sure you noticed the taboo word 'lockdown' in there, and that caused great friction between Avenue, several clubs in their division, and the National League itself.

Avenue received £90,000 to help them with their games between October 2020 and December 2020, when sixth-tier football resumed, but with fans still banned, only loans were offered thereafter, despite clubs insisting that was not what was promised to them earlier in the season.

Many clubs, including Avenue, rejected the loan offer, fearing they could not afford to pay the money back.

With the league not officially declared null and void at that stage, Avenue refused to play three matches due to financial concerns, and ended up being fined £2,000 per game for each one that failed to go ahead.

They were one of 16 National League North/South clubs to be handed this punishment.

This 3-3 draw with Chester on January 19 was Avenue's last game of the 2020/21 season, as they refused to play on. (Image: Alex Daniel.)

An apoplectic Knight told the T&A in March 2021: "It is unbelievable and an absolute disgrace.

"They (the National League) have put our club in financial jeopardy. Their solution is to fine us. That is now a player less we can afford next year.

"They should have said, 'the league has been abandoned no harm, no foul'. To then sit down and say they want to fine us £2,000 for each game, it's a joke.

"Predicated on a lie from the National League, we started the season. When that lie came to fruition, we couldn't afford to continue so we stopped playing."

The National League responded by saying: "Given the extremely unusual circumstances that have affected football at all levels and the financial pressures the absence of spectators has brought to bear on clubs, the panel expressed its sympathy with the clubs’ predicament.

"However, the panel believes it must also take regard of the fact that the majority of clubs continued to fulfil fixtures and incur much costs until the league ended on February 19, 2021."

Opinion was very much split between those in favour of Avenue and the National League, with those backing the latter feeling Knight had overstepped the mark with his criticism, and that ultimately, the club had a duty to the league to play the games they refused to.

Both were valid points, and as the league pointed out, others did continue to play on despite the costs of holding a 'lockdown' game.

Yet Avenue were hardly the sole 'offenders' here, and if 16 of the 43 teams over the two divisions in question were fined, then you have to question the relationship between the governing body and its clubs, with this punishment being so widespread.

Avenue are by no means perfect, and certainly do not always get things right.

Nor are the National League evil and looking to hurt their member clubs at every opportunity.

But there surely has to be more productive talks between the two sides, and this is not just exclusive to Avenue.

Otherwise you have clubs and their governing body pulling in opposing directions and constantly at each other's throats.

As Roberts alluded to, the National League have a good 'product' on their hands, and only by all working together as one, with constructive dialogue, can that be maximised to its full potential.