ANDY BOOTH and Junior Mendes played together for the first time but it was Town's youngest striker who put down his marker for the new season.

Teenager John McAliskey netted just four minutes after going on as a substitute at the Horsfall Stadium last night to underline the form which brought him four goals in Town's promotion run-in last term.

The Academy product from Golcar was on the mark after 61 minutes against Carl Shutt's Conference North battlers, beating the offside trap from an Anthony Lloyd pass and rounding substitute goalkeeper Jon Worsnop to score.

It was a class finish to match Tony Carss' cracking 20-yard opener in the seventh minute - but the best goal of the night belonged to Avenue substitute Andy Lee 12 minutes from time with a 25-yard curling free-kick into the top right-hand corner.

That rewarded a bright opening spell from an Avenue side including ex-McAlpine trainee and Emley player Ryan Crossley and the Barry Horne lookalike Paddy Mumbly, who got a special cheer from a section of Town's 800-strong support at Wibsey.

Avenue were under the cosh in the first half and Carss had already powered them ahead by the time Booth missed what should have been a cast-iron back-post header from the impressive Andy Holdsworth's raking cross.

Town had plenty of lively movement and were passing the ball well at that stage, but Avenue caught them cold with a long ball forward from Crossley which found striker Andy Preece a yard the wrong side of David Mirfin, who took a knock.

Fortunately for Town, Preece fired straight at the well-positioned Ian Gray while skipper Efe Sodje and sweeper Nathan Clarke tried to work out what had gone wrong.

It was a rare early moment of encouragement for Avenue, however, as Carss dominated for Town and Danny Schofield showed plenty of his close skills.

Carss twice went close with shots before the break and it was much the same at the start of the second half, with Schofield testing Worsnop and Sodje being denied by the bar on 52 minutes after Booth had nodded back a Rob Edwards corner.

Manager Peter Jackson made major changes five minutes later, sending on Pawel Abbott, McAliskey, Lloyd and new signing Chris Brandon against his former club, and McAliskey's goal suggested brighter things to come.

In contrast, however, the game became quite scrappy and despite Brandon's busy efforts in midfield, Town's passing went to pot and Avenue started to enjoy much more of the ball.

The 16-year-old Mumbly played well and supplied some accurate attacking passes and so did his fellow substitute Steve Oleksewycz, who replaced Preece in the second half and had a running battle with both Sodje and Steve Yates, who replaced Nathan Clarke.

Ben Jones and Paul Helliwell went close to scoring in the closing stages for the home side, Gray saving well from both of them at close range before later touching a dipping Jones shot over the bar.

Not a great performance from Town, but enough brightness at times to suggest another solid step towards the season proper.

Bradford Park Avenue - Britton (Worsnop 33), Trialist, Trialist, Walsh, D Jones, Crossley, Sheriffe (B Jones 56), Smith (Mumbly 74), Preece (Oleksewycz HT), Colley (Helliwell 67), Russell (Lee 33).

Town - Gray, Holdsworth, Edwards (Lloyd 57), Clarke (Yates HT), Mirfin, Sodje, Worthington, Carss (Brandon 57), Booth (McAliskey 57), Mendes (Abbott 57), Schofield. Sub not used: Senior.