Beadle's about to clinch it

From the archive, first published Monday 13th Feb 2006.

A last-gasp goal from on-loan Scarborough teenager Jimmy Beadle put Bradford Park Avenue into the the semi-finals of the UniBond League President's Cup.

It was the youngster's second goal in only his second game and manager Gary Brook must take credit for turning the

17-year-old centre half into a stop-gap midfielder to such good effect.

Beadle was a revelation and looks like having a rosy future.

Brook, who played for Scarborough for four years during their Football League years, also brought in Dan Jarvis from the seaside club and the centre half made an impressive debut at the heart of the Avenue defence.

Another debutant - making it 48 different players for Avenue this season - was Swedish centre forward Achille Traore, who came off the bench to cancel out Burscough's first-half strike with a fine header.

The 26-year-old, who has played in the Swedish First Division, nodded in a 75th-minute equaliser.

A minute's silence was observed before the kick-off in memory of former England manager Ron Greenwood, who started his professional playing career with Avenue.

Avenue were playing their 13th game

at Victoria Park - having been unbeaten there in their last 12. Both sides played their part in an entertaining half which Avenue controlled for large periods. They forced several early corners and made good, incisive breaks from both flanks.

But it was Burscough who created the first real chance when Tony Gray fired

in a goalbound shot, only for Neil Thompson to palm away the effort for a corner.

At the other end, Liam Flynn was

causing problems for the home side with some excellent left-wing play and teasing crosses.

Burscough, though, were hitting Avenue on the break and they took the lead against the run of play when a low cross was deflected away from Thompson and Robbie Booth was unmarked to slot the ball home.

Avenue could have been level moments later when full back Paul Howarth

thundered a 25-yard shot against the underside of the Burscough crossbar.

After the interval, Thompson kept Avenue in the game with a series of good stops.

Brook soon decided on substitutions, replacing the largely ineffective Rodney Rowe with Traore and putting on Steve Oleksewycz in place of Dean Calcutt.

Thompson again made a vital stop from Gray, who was clean through on goal, before Flynn went close for Avenue from Howarth's clever chip.

Avenue were battling well and it was new-boy Traore, who recently had a trial with Barnsley, who popped up to head in the equaliser from a corner.

Oleksewycz then scuffed a good chance wide before Booth hit an Avenue post.

It was left to Beadle to have the last laugh when he got on the end of a Flynn cross to head home the winner.

Brook said: "We have got to take confidence from this win, although I would swap it for three points.

"Burscough are a good side and they tried to suck us in and hit us on the break. We played well in the first half but we didn't attack enough balls in the box.

"Jimmy Beadle was the pick of the bunch. He is 17 but he plays like he has been playing for the last five or six years.

"He is not scared to put himself about and put his foot in. That's why I brought him here from Scarborough.

"But I thought all the players played well over the 90 minutes - they just switch off at times."

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