BRADFORD (Park Avenue) travelled to Lincolnshire to face Boston United to try and boost their survival hopes, but came away with relegation looming closer than ever.

Their 1-0 away defeat has left them eight points from safety in National League North, with only eight games left to go.

The first chance of the clash came for Avenue.

A Brad Dockerty corner proved to be dangerous for the home defence but was tipped past the post by Cameron Gregory.

Boston nearly took the lead moments before half-time, but an effort from Zak Mills was crucially blocked by Reece Staunton.

The follow up strike was hammered over the bar, not testing Avenue stopper George Sykes-Kenworthy.

In the opening moments of the second half, Sykes-Kenworthy was forced to make an acrobatic save to keep the scores level.

He tipped Sam McLintock’s header from close range over the crossbar.

The Pilgrims eventually took the lead moments later, with Ben Pollock’s towering header from the resulting Billy Chadwick corner beating the outstretched dive of Sykes-Kenworthy.

Another chance came from a corner soon after, this time for Mark Bower’s Avenue side.

Will Longbottom’s delivery was met by Sam Fielding, but his glancing header stuck the back post.

With five minutes to go in the second half, Boston’s Tom Nixon received a second yellow card.

Young loanee Josh Hinds appeared to be felled in the box in added time, but the referee waved away Avenue's protests, and they were forced to concede defeat.

After the game, Avenue manager Bower said: “I think it was a game that sums up our entire season.

“I thought Boston started well but I felt we were the better side in the first half.

“They changed shape in the second half, then they score from a soft set-piece, which sums up our season.”

He added: “We come off the field looking at a game that we competed well in against a really good side.

“They have a massive budget compared to ours and a great management team and we’ve come and more than matched them.”

Avenue remain second bottom, and face a must-win home game this coming Saturday, with 10th-placed Buxton the visitors to Horsfall.