---

---

After a shambolic end of the year performance, with only one win to our name, the beginning of 2018 has completely eclipsed that as we eleven points this month in contrast to December's five points. The end of January saw the transfer window close for the final time this season.

After signing up only two players at the start of the season, the team required a freshening up, and in doing so I brought in seven new players (excluding Mikael Forssell's December transfer). Because of the influx of new players on our wage bill, we sold off Adam Pepper, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Alex Fletcher and Harry Charsley for big fees - the Alex Fletcher fee being a record transfer fee received for the club. Development player Ben Dawson also left the club on a free transfer to join non-league Continental Star. In total, we received £1.2M in transfer fees this window.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

To say that at the end of last month we were in seventh place, and began our first match this month even further in ninth place, I think it's safe to say that we have done a magnificent job in restoring our position as we now hold an automatic promotion spot. The top two of Luton and Northampton have definitely sped away from the rest of the league and seem to be a very good bet at promotion, but we are slowly pulling away if we continue this current form. However, it says a lot about the competition for places that we are two losses away from potentially falling all the way down to 13th. It's a very hectic and tight league this year.

---

As one of the seven/eight new arrivals in January, Stephen Ward has outshone all of them with his performances this month. With our old left-back, fellow Irishman Anthony Breslin, we could expect a much more attacking-oriented display from him. But with Ward at full-back we are much more defensively orientated and that seriously helps when you are conceding the most goals out of the current top seven in the league. He has kept solid all month and in doing so has kept Breslin quiet in the hunt for a starting spot.

Going to have to fight tooth and nail for third, best of luck!

---

---

Bradford Park Avenue chairman Doctor John Dean today unveiled the brand new all-seater Horsfall Stadium today in what is yet another turning point in the club's history.

The former 5,000 capacity ground today became a 3,000 capacity all-seater in an £800,000 investment to comply with league regulations.

The ground was initially built as a running track before World War Two in 1931, but was remodeled to suit a footballing surface when Bradford Park Avenue became tenants in 1994. As Dr John Dean bought the ground from Bradford Council in 2011, an all-seater expansion plan was always a goal.

The club are still proud to say that Bradford Park Avenue did not require any external funding for the terrace conversion work, and still maintain an estimated profit of £1million so far this season, with funding sources coming from mainly player sales, gate receipts and TV revenue. This puts Bradford Park Avenue in a very good financial position to progress even further.

With a smaller stadium due to the seats, the ground maintenance work which takes a good chunk out of Avenue's budget each year will be reduced.

'It's a momentous day for the club to finally introduce the new look of the stadium to fans. It's always been a safe-standing arena but now all fans will be able to take a seat during the match.

'The praise for this occasion has to be handed down to Adam Chabukiani here, who has taken the club from the depths and dragged us up to match his ambitions, which continue to grow.

'The growth of this club over the past few years has been down to Adam's work here, from winning games to the training ground as he develops players to their full potential - he is quite an incredible character.' said the chairman Dr John Dean, who hired Chabukiani as manager of the club in the summer of 2015.

Bradford PA will play their first match at the newly renovated ground against AFC Wimbledon on the 4th February.

Terrific stuff Jack, I always find these things satisfying!

Nice one mate, hopefully your team can really start to grow from here!

Griffo: Thanks! I'm with you on that as well, all the little things count

mgriffin2012: Yeah, hopefully this is just the starting block for something huge!

---

---

I can not actually put into words how delighted I am with our form recently. We have temporarily escaped from dropping out of the Play-Offs and are seemingly pushing further away from the Play-Off teams as we chase our automatic dream. We can even begin thinking about pushing on further than 3rd place based on recent form.

The month started spectacularly well for our new winger Godsway Donyoh who scored a 21-minute hat-trick against AFC Wimbledon in our first game at the renovated Horsfall Stadium. It was down to Matthew Fletcher to provide the goals for the rest of the month however.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Starting at the bottom, Bolton Wanderers have finally called full-time on their disastrous few seasons as they are relegated to the non-league for the first time in their 144-year history. We look to punish them further in March as we play them in our third game of the month. Our rivals Bradford City have dropped out of the Play-Offs with help from us after their 4-1 pounding at the hands of Matthew Fletcher & co..

We currently sit seven points ahead of eighth placed City, and four points safe in 3rd place ahead of Newport County and Gateshead. In just this month we have closed the gap on 2nd placed Northampton from eleven points down to just five points with nine games remaining - 27 points to play for.

---

---

There is absolutely no contest this month for Matthew Fletcher. He has completely and utterly outshone an entire first-team squad in what was one of the best months in our history. The striker really proved his worth this month with eight goals in six games. He currently sits eight goals ahead of Dan Holman - who is second top goalscorer in League Two - with 30 goals in 34 games, which could potentially mean this is one of his best ever seasons at the club.

What a player Matthew Fletcher has been for you! Always a good idea to have an Aussie in the ranks

2016-03-29 01:18#228051 C.J.Lippo : What a player Matthew Fletcher has been for you! Always a good idea to have an Aussie in the ranks

I'm believing you more and more with every goal he scores

---

---

It's been a hectic few days over at Bradford Park Avenue's Cemetery Road training ground as the new recruits into the youth team have arrived.

It's happening all over the country where youngsters look to take their next big step into the wide world of professional and scholar football.

Our reporter, Iain Robertson headed down to Cemetery Road to watch the Bradford Park Avenue Under-18's versus Bradford Park Avenue Youth Candidates match to look at the new talent rolling into town.

Robertson took note of three new players that caught his eye during the 2-2 draw:

---

I thought this lad was joking about when he told me his name was 'Gage', but despite his uncommon name, his footballing talent is something to be enjoyed by all. The midfielder dictated the play in the middle, playing in an advanced playmaker role set by his manager.

His first touch and passing ability seemed to stand out most for me, as he set up a goal scored by John Payne in the 23rd minute. The lad seems to have great determination for the game, makes good decisions and off the ball is very involved with play due to his knowledge of the game. The youngster played out the full 90 minutes, signalling some good fitness.

Although he is nowhere near the current standard of player in the first-team, he certainly has the potential to go further.

---

Coming on at half-time, Butler really turned on the style yesterday on the right side of the pitch. The winger was up against first-team delegate Anthony Breslin out on the right-hand side of the field and took the Irish full-back on like he still had his broken leg.

Butler's skill combined with his acceleration is a deadly weapon down the wing, no wonder the candidates were trying to shift the ball out right whenever they had possession! Butler enjoyed a good game, but like Tracey, will not see a first-team game for a few seasons.

---

'That curly haired kid in net', I kept calling Townsend before finding out his name. The 6'0" keeper put in a great performance yesterday, despite conceding two goals. Townsend was confident in communicating and handling of the ball - particularly from corners.

Most young keepers are often afraid of flying over ten men just to grab the ball, but Townsend is a proper, old fashioned keeper that really takes no s*** from anyone. The kid is a bully of the back line, and of the opposition attacking force. In a few years Townsend will be a cracking keeper, but will find it difficult to pip both Ross Turnbull and Myles Wright to a first-team spot these days.

---

---

Just one week before the free transfer deadline, Bradford Park Avenue have snapped up former West Ham United star Carlton Cole.

Carlton Cole has joined the League Two side managed by Adam Chabukiani on a three-month deal - with the view to an extension at the end of the season.

This means Cole will play for Bradford in their final six games of the 2017/18 campaign as Chabukiani looks to seal an automatic promotion spot and maybe even the league title following a 6-0 win over bottom of the table Bolton Wanderers.

Cole became a cult hero over at the Boleyn Ground in West London for West Ham, making over 250 appearances for The Hammers over a nine year period.

After being deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Slaven Bilic, Cole was snapped up by Glasgow Celtic. His first year in Scotland was an undoubted success as the striker banged in fifteen goals in ten starts (seven apps as substitute) under Ronny Deila.

After making only one appearance in the entirety of the 2016/17 season, Cole was released by Celtic at the end of the season after 16 goals in 18 appearances in his Celtic career.

Despite being a free agent all season, no club has been interested in the seven-time England international until Chabukiani called him up to join his squad until June, with a clause in his contract which can trigger a one-year extension onto his current deal if Chabukiani thinks he is good enough to keep on board.

However, it is not as though Bradford PA are lacking in the goals department, with League Two top scorer Matthew Fletcher averaging one goal every 107 minutes, and even Cedric Gondo - Bradford's January signing scored four goals at the weekend against rock bottom Bolton Wanderers.

Carlton Cole will be paid £1,000 per week until June 2018 at Horsfall Stadium and the 34-year-old will wear the number ten shirt for the remainder of the season.

---

---

Yet another impressive month from us as we now go onto an eight-game winning streak in March. It was only a short month with four games played, but we gained a hell of a lot of ground and even winning the title looks a very good bet now. I am so proud of the squad who have pulled through a tough time to steer us into a very promising position as we enter the last months of the season.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Going into April, we are showing some real potential as we take away Northampton's 2nd place spot. With the help of ten points from a possible twelve, we now sit not even a point away from bagging the title. We are simply only one goal away from Luton Town on goal difference, which is the dividing factor between the two of us. With five games remaining I hope to go on a real run to snatch away the title but first we must concentrate on bagging an automatic spot, with us four points ahead of fourth place.

---

After a rocky start since joining December, Forssell really took the lead this month in the three games he played, scoring in every single one of them. Although not being the real poacher I've needed him to be since he joined, he seems to have finally hit form - and at the best time.

---

Solid month mate, good luck going for the title!!

Playing lower league I loved being able to bring in a name I knew, although I was always left disappointed in their performance, what do you plan on doing with Carlton Cole?

mgriffin2012: Thanks man! I hope so

Griffo: Well I tried Forssell up front with Fletcher, and it didn't work. The plan with Cole is that I have him on a short-term deal, if he proves that he's up to standard there is a clause to extend his deal for another year. Mainly I hope to use him to aid our title chase!