NO wonder Lancastrians aren't the biggest fans of the White Rose county - there are some real bad days to be had over in Yorkshire.

There is real beauty over the Pennines, the Yorkshire Dales, York Minster and Saltaire spring to mind. But there are some terrible Tyke places too, and Lancaster City's outside chances of making the play-off were hit badly at Bradford Park Avenue after a miserable afternoon at the less than impressive Horsfall Stadium.

In a normal season, the 1-0 loss to an abject Park Avenue side would mean terminal damage to City's play-off chances.

And even though they now stand 11 points shy of fifth place with games running out, the topsy-turvy nature of Conference North means anything can yet happen.

Maybe Park Avenue - once a proud Football League club but now housed in a graffiti-ridden dump of an athletics stadium - have the Indian sign over City.

Maybe City cannot get themselves 'up' against the league's poorer sides.

But whatever the reason, Bradford completed the double over Lancaster on the sort of day when folk from the Red Rose side of the big hills can justifiably say the best thing out of Yorkshire is the M62!

I mean, even their most famous bitter is brewed in Lancashire now.

And that ale took a fair ham-mering from City's travelling fans to make the result - and game - sink in.

It was obvious why Bradford went into the game bottom of the table with only three home wins since the start of the season and when the Dolly Blues got their passing act together they looked capable of scoring almost at will.

But that passing act was not together often enough and aside from a piece of brilliance from Peter Thomson the first-half was a write-off for City.

Thomson deserved a goal for an audacious bit of skill on the left hand side when he left two defenders with a flick and shimmy before cutting into the box and letting rip with a shot.

Somehow keeper Andy Britton reached the ball and touched it onto the bar and the rebound was just out of Steve Jones' reach - it was that sort of day.

Martin Clark whipped over two delicious crosses that deserved goals but aside from that City did little.

And the alarm bells should have been ringing when Jamie Speare saved well twice from Stephen Oleksewycz and Daniel Ekoku but the defence dozed when Peter Naylor crossed for Tom Greaves to fire home on 30 minutes.

The second half matched the first for boredom as Avenue looked to hang onto their slender lead while City struggled.

Gary Bauress went close as he tried to orchestrate a recovery - but it took Lancaster until the 83rd minute to force their first corner. And then, like the Halifax to Bradford buses that run past the ground, four came in quick succession.

But this was the sort of day when they were destined not to get anything from the match despite totally controlling the final few minutes.

And the lacklustre start to proceedings really did cost them dear. Just how dear will become apparent in the next couple of weeks.

CITY: Speare, McMahon, Sparrow, Scott, Clark, Uberschar (Moogan 74), Bauress, Prince, Hollis (Sullivan 68), Thomson, Jones. Subs (not used): Yeomans, Garry, Elderton.

Referee: D Lawrence (Barnsley).