Avenue almost achieve surprise play-off berth

10:07am Friday 1st May 2009

By Ian Whiting

Avenue’s UniBond League Premier Division promotion bid ground to an agonising end in front of almost 4,000 spectators at Bury FC’s Gigg Lane last Saturday but manager Lee Sinnott had nothing but praise for his squad and their performance.

The Bradford club and their opponents FC United of Manchester were both long-running favourites to feature in the play-offs.

As the pair slugged out a draw, Kendal Town beat Buxton 3-2 to sneak past them both.

It was a very bitter pill to swallow - it almost felt like a relegation - but Sinnott insists positives will come from it.

He said: “It was very frustrating but things can be learned from it.

“The players who will still be with us next season will not want a repeat of the feelings they endured last weekend. That experience will make them stronger and more determined to succeed.”

The Bradford boss added that building for the next assault on promotion to the Blue Square North effectively began as soon as the final whistle went at Gigg Lane.

Sinnott led neighbours Farsley Celtic all the way to the Conference League and is very keen to take Avenue even further by reaching the Football League.

Avenue only just missed out on the play-offs. As it turned out had they won their penultimate fixture - at already-relegated Leigh Genesis - they would have been involved.

“A week last Tuesday (Leigh) was our first defeat in 12 games, so it was just that it came at the worst possible time for us,” added the Bradford boss.

“The players have done fantastically well and this is very much phase one of the building process. John Deacey arrived before me and we have worked closely since I rejoined him for the first time since our days at Farsley.

“Going back to January when John started the job, in the 21 league games since, Avenue have lost just three.

"That is a very good record, and if that form had been replicated in the first half of the season the club would have been promoted.

“It was always going to be difficult for us (Sinnott and Deacey) to gain that because we had half a season to assemble the squad and turn the form around.

“We were playing catch-up but with a close season and full pre-season ahead of us we have a very good opportunity to do the coaching and make the changes required to raise the bar that bit higher.”