Bradford Park Avenue deservedly booked their place in the FA cup 1st round draw in a tense and scrappy game watched by a crowd of 1,140 at the Seddon Stadium.
Kidsgrove Athletic started positively with early attacks that found gaps in BPA's defence. These petered out with either a poor final ball or scuffed or blocked shots, something that became a common them as the game went on.
Bradford had the first chance in the 7th minute as a looping cross from the left was headed towards the low right corner but saved. Kidsgrove seemed to retreat from this moment and BPA began to get frequent corners and crosses in, but a series of clearances and blocks stopped any of these really creating any chances.
The one big moment were they nearly broke through was in the 23rd minute - from another cross a shot was desperately blocked on the line in a mad scramble and the rebound was hit towards goal and agonisingly dropped down off the bar - both sets of fans held their breath but it didn't cross the line and a defender hit it clear. And it really was a mad scramble - two defenders were down holding their heads and needing treatment as a result, but after a couple of minutes they were up and fine to continue.
Kidsgrove continued to huff and puff but create very little - in truth for the rest of the half Bradford didn't have another big chance either, but a series of low crosses across goal either being narrowly missed, or the resulting shots being blocked with last ditch tackles, meant they looked the only team likely to get a goal. At half time it was 0-0.
The second half began with Kidsgrove getting a few opportunities from corners (one of which is pictured above!) and in the 52nd minute they had a chance as an effort on the left edge of the 6 yard box was turned wide by a defender as it headed towards the left corner.
But then Bradford got another corner themselves in the 56th minute, which was crossed in from the left and in a mass of bodies it was headed low into the net by Jimmy Beadle, who'd only just come on as a substitute a minute before.
Kidsgrove had their last major chance in the 60th minute, as a low cross/shot from the right from Walker went between defenders and keeper, and as it was rolling wide of the left post Kinsey raced towards it and had a last ditch attempt to turn it inside the post, but the angle was too tight and it hit the wrong side of the post and went out for a goal kick.
Bradford's defence held firm after this and they continued to create occasional big chances too. In the 68th minute a low close range shot from the left side of the penalty area towards the left corner was blocked, and the rebound from this was again lashed towards the low left corner, but this time brilliantly saved low by the keeper to keep Kidsgrove in the game.
Bradford had another chance inside the penalty area on the left side in the 83rd minute, this time the striker switching the ball to his right side and trying to curl it towards the top right corner, instead sending it both over and wide.
But the next and final big chance of the game finally gave Bradford the breathing space they wanted, and it was a super finish from Jimmy Beadle for his 2nd goal since coming on as a sub. He got the ball from a low cross from the right, and on the right side of the penalty area facing away from the goal he flicked the ball up, turned and looped a dipping shot into the far left corner of the net.
2-0 it finished and Kidsgrove's biggest game proved a step too far as a nervous and scrappy display gave them only a couple of decent chances in the entire match. Bradford showed nerves too and weren't always at their best in this match, but they piled on the pressure when the opportunities arose, and in the end the amount of dangerous crosses they were putting in was always likely to eventually lead to goals. So Kidsgrove's wait for the first time they get to the 1st round goes on, and meanwhile Bradford Park Avenue are eagerly awaiting the 1st round draw.
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