Rotherham United travel to the Horsfall Stadium this evening to take on National League North side Bradford Park Avenue in a pre-season friendly.
Bradford Park Avenue were so called after it’s former ‘Park Avenue’ home which was hosted both football and cricket.
Originally known as Bradford FC they began playing football at Park Avenue in 1895 in the West Yorkshire League. The 1897/8 season saw them in the Yorkshire League but finishing next to last they were banished from Park Avenue and had to play a season at Bradford Northern Rugby clubs Birch Lane.
Bradford FC were first accepted into the Football League in 1908, starting in the Second Division and being promoted six years later. They were relegated back in 1921 and the following year found themselves down again into the Third Division North where they stayed until 1928 when they were promoted back to the Football League. In 1950 they went down to the Fourth Division before being promoted in 1961 and down again two years later. 1970 saw Bradford join the Northern Premier League and three years later they sold Park Avenue and ground-shared with their City rivals.
Money troubles saw the club went into liquidation in 1974, re-forming as a Sunday League side joining Bradford Amateur Sunday League Division Four. Two promotions saw them in the newly formed Bradford Sunday Alliance League.
In the 1998/9 season a new club was formed – Bradford Park Avenue – and they joined the West Riding County Amateur Football League taking just two seasons to reach firstly the Central Midlands League and then the North West Counties League. In 1992 the Sunday team merged with the Saturday team and four years later they were promoted to the Northern Premier League and moved to their current home of the Horsfall Stadium.
The 2004/5 season saw them founder members of the Conference North although they were relegated in their first season returning in the 2007/8 season. In 2012 they were promoted to the Conference North which is now known as the National League North which they finished seventh in last season.
In May 2019 Garry Thompson became the new manager.
The last time the Millers played Bradford Park Avenue away was in the 1969/70 League Cup which was a two-nil win for the visitors with an og and one from Jimmy Mullen.
This evenings game kicks-off at 7.30pm.
