BRADFORD (Park Avenue) defender Mark Beevers believes that defensive solidarity is just one part of the club’s recent turnaround in form.

Craig Elliott took over from Danny Whitaker in the manager’s hotseat at the end of August, and Avenue have since gone from strength to strength.

Of course, signings such as Beevers have played a major role in the club’s upsurge, particularly in the defensive phase of things.

The Horsfall outfit have kept four clean sheets since September 28, a run which has seen Avenue rise to 6th in the Northern Premier League Division One East.

Discussing the importance of his side’s defensive resilience, Beevers said to the T&A: “I think that if you speak to any manager or player across the world, they’ll tell you that having a strong defensive unit is vital to having a base to work from, and that’s not just you back four, but also your whole team’s structure.

“If you have that rigid base and defensive structure, then you can nick those 1-0 victories, and you soon find yourselves climbing up the table.

“Since I’ve arrived, we’ve been able to build that bond defensively and it’s clear in our progress that having a strong defensive unit has allowed us to change our fortunes.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done, but there is certainly something to build on which makes this project at Avenue even more exciting.”

Pinpointing why else he feels Bradford’s tide has turned in recent weeks, Beevers admitted that it doesn’t come solely down to one reason.

He said: “The players Craig (Elliott) has brought in have been great, but to put it down to one thing is pretty tough; there are a few elements to it.

“I know he (Elliott) hasn’t been in the job for ages, but he’s a winner and he wants to win at all costs, which I believe is the right mindset to have as a manager.

“I’ve been in this game for a long time now, and as nice as it is to play well and put a strong performance in, I’d prefer to get battered for 90 minutes and grind out a 1-0 win.

“Craig is instilling that kind of mentality into this group, and I think that’s a big reason as to why the form is improving.

“There are some managers I’ve worked with that would prefer a brilliant performance for 90 minutes, yet they don’t get the result. Craig Elliott is not about that; he does want that performance, of course, but the result is his first priority and that’s rubbing off on the group.”

Furthermore, Beevers believes that the sky is the limit for this group of players under the guidance of Elliott.

He said: “There’s a lot of potential in this group, of course, and Craig is showing already that he’s a very good coach.

“I feel like his coaching team can take this squad as far as they want to take it. Their training sessions are very detailed, the staff work hard and there is a great understanding of opposition because they put a lot of work in behind the scenes to achieve the right results.

“So far, Craig has done everything he can and it’s paying off. However, we can’t get ahead of ourselves and it’s important that we stay grounded. Just because we are on an unbeaten run, we can’t assume that teams are going to roll over for us.”

Avenue return to action tonight when they travel to Bridlington Town in the league (7:45 pm).