Tag Archives: Craig Fagan

PP clearout begins: but what does it say about the club?

29 Apr

By Jason McKeown

As Bradford City slumped to a disappointing defeat to Cheltenham Town on Saturday, much of the talk before, during and after centred around the unexpectedly early beginnings of manager Phil Parkinson’s summer clear out. Michael Flynn, Craig Fagan and Chris Mitchell have departed the club, with Mark Stewart and Steve Williams expected to follow suit. There is also a worrying question mark over David Syers.

It is a great shame that Flynn – a player who has always made such a big deal of applauding supporters at the end of matches – will apparently not be part of the end of season lap of appreciation around Valley Parade after Saturday’s match with Swindon. Three years at the club, and after 104 appearances where he never once gave anything less than 100% – that we fans will not even get to say goodbye and thank him for his service is a damning statement of the lack of sentimentality football clubs carry towards their employees.

Flynn was a great signing by Stuart McCall back in 2009 – exactly the kind of experienced head that was needed as a younger City team looked to take the club forwards, following cut backs during the summer. At 28-years-old, the energy and drive Flynn provided quickly made him popular with supporters, with a number of inspirational performances and collection of great strikes to remember.

Similar to Lee Bullock, the longer Flynn has been at the club the more withdrawn his role became. The Michael Flynn of the 2011/12 season was very different in terms of responsibility to the Michael Flynn debuting in 2009/10. Now it was Ritchie Jones who was the man to bomb forwards, with Flynn protecting the back four. He excelled in this new role and was one of the club’s best performers during the first half of this season.

Indeed when I was fortunate enough to spend 15 minutes talking to Parkinson back in September, the recently installed City boss made a point of outlining his vision of building a squad with strong characters who preach good habits and ethics to the younger players. It is hard to imagine a finer senior pro to have in the dressing room than Flynn, but now that experience will be lost and another club will benefit from it.

Testimony of that character and attitude came from Flynn’s recovery from a difficult second season (Syers take note). Out injured for months, he struggled to find his form during the second half of 2010-11, after he eventually returned. Peter Jackson looked to offload him during the summer, but the Welshman turned down a move to Bristol Rovers and didn’t allow the demotion to the Development Squad for a friendly with Silsden to push him out the door. Instead Flynn proved over pre-season what a good player he is – and how much he still had to offer – to change Jackson’s mind and stay at the club.

However, Ricky Ravenhill arrived at Valley Parade in November looking every bit a replacement for Flynn, and – after an injury-hit second half to the campaign – he has ultimately lost his place in the team, and at the club, to the 31-year-old. The writing was on the wall in recent weeks, but whether releasing Flynn is a call you agree or disagree with, surely no one can argue that the way he has departed is fitting. Get him at Valley Parade and on the pitch after Swindon on Saturday, he fully deserves that honour.

The next time Fagan sets foot on the Valley Parade pitch, he will probably be booed. Departing alongside Flynn, Parkinson revealed that Fagan is the subject of interest from clubs down South and so has left now. That could easily include League One clubs – he has the talent to play at that level – or a team who will visit this part of West Yorkshire next season.

What to make of Fagan’s time at the club? His pedigree suggested he was an outstanding signing by Parkinson, even though a quick look at his goal record hinted that he would not be prolific up front for the Bantams. He was not, and ended up moving to perform a wide right role which provided balance to the team and ensured Parkinson also had the added defensive covered he craved.

Fagan did not do a bad job at City, in my opinion; but, in return for his likely high wages, we expected more. Ultimately it is hard to re-sign him for next season if he is going to continue receiving a considerable salary while not performing a role to the team that befits being a high earner.

Yet you still shake your head at seeing him leave, and wonder what was the point of signing him in the first place? One obvious affect from his time at Valley Parade was it also ended the Bantams career of Chris Mitchell. A player of real potential early season who was quietly impressing, Fagan took Mitchell’s right midfield spot and the 23-year-old has not featured since the Oldham JPT defeat in December.

The argument rages that City were in too desperate a league position to invest time and patience in players like Mitchell, who are not the finished article but could clearly become very effective by receiving that support. Moving to City could ultimately prove very damaging to his career – it appears no one has tried to sign him on loan, for example – but hopefully he can re-establish himself somewhere next season and build on his obvious potential.

Former Falkirk team mate Stewart looks set to join Mitchell in moving elsewhere this summer. After the Cheltenham defeat Parkinson stated he will look to move Stewart on – apparently this was news to Stewart, hinting at poor man-management. Williams too is on his way out, with the former hairdresser apparently enjoying a successful loan spell with Inverness that the Scottish club are keen to make permanent.

Williams was at Valley Parade for the same length of time as Flynn, and the first 18 months of that period were full of great personal promise which included speculation of Championship club interest. Williams was a very assured, composed and intelligent player under McCall and Peter Taylor, but he struggled under Jackson and never seemed to be in Parkinson’s long-term thoughts.

You can’t help but feel that – like Mitchell – City have wasted rather than nurtured Williams’ talents. They had a very promising player with some rough edges, yet ultimately didn’t have the inclination or the ability to build upon them. That depresses me, because Williams 18 months ago was a silver lining on top of ever-darkening clouds. He was supposed to eventually leave for better things.

Which leads us on to Syers – whom Parkinson claimed has rejected a new contract, which the player himself has denied via Twitter. The first instinct is to criticise the manager for risking Syers walking out of Valley Parade this summer, but the more I think about it the more I believe the player should be careful over his future.

First, what is Syers’ role next season? Over the last few weeks, Ricky Ravenhill and Ritchie Jones have proved themselves first choice central midfielders, probably for next season as well. They are very well balanced together, with only the lack of goals a slight worry. Bullock is probably third choice and – right now – Syers fourth.

Will this change next season? And if not, just like with Fagan, will Syers be earning a wage that reflects his status in the squad? Width of a Post is going to cover Syers and his contract situation in greater detail this week, but for now it’s worth noting that the young midfielder’s stock has fallen over the season and he will not be as in demand from other clubs as he might have been if he was a free agent a year ago.

Whatever is the sticking point over the contract dispute, it’s to be hoped an agreement can be reached so Syers can stay. If Flynn’s unemotional booting out demonstrates the lack of respect football clubs can harbour towards players, and if City indeed are an outfit who cannot develop their own to the next level – we might one day look back with huge regret if Syers is allowed to leave the Bantams this summer.

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Stuck in a moment you can’t get out of – trying to make some sense of the season

28 Apr

Cheltenham Town 3

Spencer 46, 63, Burgess 71

Bradford City 1

Wells 8

Saturday 28 April 2012

By Damien Wilkinson

“Don’t say that later will be better, now you’re stuck in a moment and you can’t get out of it”

With apologies to U2, it certainly feels like City are glued to their current position of 18th in the League table.

Indeed, as the 2011-12 season draws to a close there is a mixture of opinion amongst City fans as to what conclusions to draw from the campaign. The upheaval following the departure of Peter Jackson and arrival of Phil Parkinson, the rebuilding of the squad, including numerous loan players, the use of 39 players before the start of today’s match, and inconsistent stop/start form have meant that an almost limitless permutations of opinions can be formed, as to whether we are better or worse than at the start of the season and perhaps more importantly now, how this may or may not translate into next season.

So against this backdrop, a noisy and impressive City following of some 356 supporters made the trip to Whaddon Road (or the snappily titled Abbey Business Stadium if you prefer). The ground, which has undergone a number of improvements in recent times, is compact and fit for purpose with chanting curiously confined to one corner block of the stand of the ground next to the away end! The crowd of 3,939, whilst above the average crowd this season of 3,401, was accompanied by a somewhat over the top police presence outside the ground.

Despite mathematically confirming survival in League 2 in the previous match, Phil Parkinson has spoken of the desire to finish the season as well as possible. Accordingly, City fielded a strong side, making one change (Will Atkinson replacing Craig Fagan, whose contract it was announced earlier, had been cancelled, along with that of Michael Flynn and Chris Mitchell, as the pre-season clear out begins). This also respected the importance of this fixture to Cheltenham, who at the beginning of the day stood in 6th place in the division with 71 points, and needed a win to cement their place in the play-off positions.

A place on the bench was afforded however, to young striker Adam Baker, a perfect end to a week which saw him earn his first professional contract and win youth player of the year. Despite serving his 5 match ban Andrew Davies didn’t travel with the squad, perhaps suggesting his time at the club may have come to an end.

Cheltenham, who have spent a good part of the season in the top two, have experienced somewhat mixed results, certainly since the start of 2012, resulting in them dropping into the play off positions. On a more depressing note to City fans, and as an illustration of Cheltenham’s dipping form, Cheltenham managed to match City’s current point tally before the match, some 20 matches ago on 2 January 2012! Cheltenham manager Mark Yates made three changes to the team to that which lost 1-0 away to fellow play-off contenders, Crewe, in the previous match, bringing in Bennett, Low and Burgess.

Interesting to note that for a well-placed side, their joint top scorers, Daryl Duffy and Kaid Mohamed (both starting on the bench) have scored 11 goals in 40 and 44 league appearances respectively, before today’s match. Contrast this with James Hanson (13 goals from 37 appearances) and Nahki Wells (9 from 34) as evidence that the requirement for a “20 goal a season” striker is perhaps not the necessity some may believe for a tilt at promotion.

One of the things that stands out in League Two this season is the lack of real difference between sides at the top and bottom of the division. Recent City matches and performances have illustrated the perils of predicting results, with any side, bar perhaps the bottom two, seemingly capable of beating the other. As a result, matches can often hinge around the narrowest of margins, such as chances being taken, refereeing decisions and sendings off. The “width of a post” never felt more relevant.

So on to the match itself.

City came storming out of the blocks, showing similar desire and commitment to the previous away fixture against Northampton. After both sides hitting the woodwork in the opening stages, it was no major surprise when Wells, turned sublimely and rifled a shot into the net to put City in the lead on 7 minutes. A great piece of skill from the Bermudan, illustrating his recent form, and he continued to torment the Cheltenham defence as City pressed forward in the first half.

A number of chances came and went with Wells again going close a couple more times, whilst City’s defence also looked comfortable in defence, with strong performances from Guy Branston and Luke Oliver again catching the eye. This domination looked set to reap further dividends for City and perhaps recognising this, with a few minutes left to half time remaining, Cheltenham sought to change things, bringing on forward Kaid Mohamed.

City were rightly cheered off at half time with hopes of a third successive victory looking well placed.

The second half was to make a mockery of such hopes. City managed to concede within a minute of the restart – soft defending allowing substitute Mohamed to cross for Huddersfield loanee Spencer to turn the ball past Matt Duke. Despite an almost immediate response with Hanson thwarted by keeper Brown, there was to be no recovery. City then struggled to string passes together and retain the ball for any meaningful pressure and this led to Kyel Reid, in particular, becoming increasingly marginalised, and snuffing out any attacking threat.

Parkinson sought to change things with Ritchie Jones, somewhat surprisingly, making way for Lee Bullock after 55 minutes.

Cheltenham, in the meantime stepped up their pressure and the City defence became under continued siege. Almost inevitably, the defence yielded, after the ball ricocheted to Spencer, who arrowed a fine effort into the top corner of the net on 63 minutes, giving Duke no chance.

At this stage the match certainly looked like it was slipping away, and this was confirmed 8 minutes later, when an over the top ball eluded Branston, leaving Burgess clear to lob the advancing Duke.

Further changes were then made with Branston and the again ineffective Atkinson being replaced by Dave Syers and Deane Smalley on 77 minutes and, in a last throw of the dice, Bullock dropping back into central defence as part of this reshuffle. This ultimately made little difference, and despite a couple of late City chances, Hanson hitting the bar with a looping header, and Syers going close, the second half came to a depressing end.

Cheltenham celebrated their confirmed play-off place and, as the City players trooped off, fittingly a good number of them shaking hands and mingling with the away fans, it was difficult to avoid frustration with another Jekyll and Hyde performance, and the wasting of an encouraging first half performance.

So the end of the season draws another match closer, leaving only the home fixture against newly crowned League 2 champions Swindon Town to contend with. City fans can only hope that the positive form within the last few matches can be turned into a more consistent start to the next campaign, but will be apprehensive given experiences over the last few close-seasons.

Indeed, until the season ticket uptake is known at the end of May, the retained players list announced, and so forth, it will be difficult to gauge what to expect. Furthermore, recent renewed speculation regarding moving Bradford Bulls to Valley Parade, potential investment channelled in from George Galloway and so on will no doubt also gather momentum over the coming weeks, adding to the uncertainty.

But then again this is Bradford City after all, so it certainly won’t be a dull moment we are stuck in!

City: Duke, Ramsden, Branston (Syers 77),  Oliver, Kozluk, Reid, Ravenhill, Jones, (Bullock 55) Atkinson (Smalley 77), Hanson, Wells

Unused Subs: McLaughlin, Baker

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The importance of a strong ending

27 Apr

Cheltenham Town vs Bradford City match preview

@ Whaddon Road on Saturday 28 April, 2012

By Jason McKeown

My father-in-law and I share a love for Police documentary style shows, where the cameras follow the cops chasing the criminals. And whenever the bad guy is caught doing something stupid, Dad’s favourite phrase to yell is, “they’re not criminals because they are smart”.

The more League Two football I have watched this season, the more I’m beginning to think a similar type of slogan could be applied to many clubs within this division.

Just what on earth were Macclesfield Town trying to achieve at Valley Parade last Saturday? Three points away from safety, with three games to go, the relegation-threatened visitors defended deep in numbers, flooded the midfield and time-wasted their way through the match. Did they really think that a point would have been good enough in their position? Did they not view this as a must-win game and, as such, look to show some attacking nous?

After the match, Macclesfield assistant manager Glyn Chamberlain talked up the fact that, “I don’t think we were dominated by Bradford.” So what? Were we the team needing to win to avoid relegation? Were we the ones fighting for our lives? I find it hard to believe they would look upon the fact City didn’t “carve them open” as a consolation or a reason to score brownie points. Imagine City had lost, instead of won, at Northampton the previous week, and Phil Parkinson had come out and said, “I don’t think we were dominated by Northampton”? The T&A website would have probably closed down under the sheer volume of complaints on its message boards.

Macclesfield’s bizarre, conservative and low-ambition approach to last week’s match helped to create a strange atmosphere amongst City fans in the week after the 1-0 win. Although it was hardly a thrilling victory and no one was performing cart wheels down Midland Road after the match, the avalanche of criticism that some directed at the manager and players for their performance was somewhat joyless and largely over the top. 1-0 down with 20 minutes to go, Macclesfield barely switched tactics and were still time-wasting on occasions. City had no need to go for a second goal, but went for it anyway in a controlled manner; yet were criticised for not going gung ho.

Some have argued that this is the way Parkinson wants City to play, and a preview of next season. There is no obvious evidence that this is going to be the case, based on the type of football and performances we have seen (we can call the football under Parkinson ugly, but it is largely attack-minded). Macclesfield were easily the worst side to visit Valley Parade this season and it would have been nice to have demolished them, but the simple truth was that City were below their best and managed to grind out a win.

The criticisms over Macclesfield’s tactics and lack of quality aside, it does not mean they were simply going to be rolled over. Their players were clearly displaying a level of commitment that saw bodies thrown at the ball to block shots and huge efforts to deny City’s dangermen time and space. They tried to stop City playing, and in that regards succeeded. City did well to win the match. Not great, but good enough. To use the performance as a criticism of the team and Parkinson seems incredibly harsh.

As for Macclesfield – well, as my father-in-law might say, they’re not about to fall out of League Two because they are smart.

Survival confirmed last week, there is nothing for City to play for during their final two games – and this in itself sets a much more interesting test of Parkinson and his players than earning a scrappy win over Macclesfield. On a number of occasions during the second half of the season, good form offered the opportunity for City to push on and start climbing the league – pulling comfortably clear of the bottom two. Each time they failed to take that initiative and build on good results, wastefully dropping points and sliding back into trouble.

All season long, City have proved that – when the chips are down and they really needed to get points – they were able to deliver. But over the course of a full season where we have ambitions of play offs, only winning when the pressure is on would not be considered good enough. So the challenge is not to switch off now, given there is nothing but pride to play for, and to ensure a happy ending to an ultimately disappointing season.

Not that it will be easy. Cheltenham tomorrow and Swindon next week sit amongst the top seven places that the Bantams will strive to achieve themselves next season. The Robins – arguably the best side to visit Valley Parade so far this season, especially because it is impossible to give Crawley credit for their far from smart tactics – currently lie in sixth, three points clear of eighth-placed Oxford. A win and they will just about be there play off wise, so it’s unlikely they will time-waste their way to a 1-0 defeat to the Bantams, while arguing we didn’t dominate them.

Matt Duke keeps goal having been part of a side that has won three from five games since he returned to it, despite having little to do overall and still not fully convincing all that he should be number one keeper next season. In front of him there will be a big question over the back four, given Andrew Davies is finally back from his five-match suspension. With Guy Branston filling in so superbly, and Luke Oliver – crowned official player of the season this week – still in strong form, a change to the centre halves would spark outrage. Instead, Davies is more likely to be accommodated at full back, where he has apparently played before in his career.

That would mean dropping one of Simon Ramsden and Rob Kozluk – both were below par last week and likely to depart during the summer. Davies could also be deployed in midfield like he was at Huddersfield in the JPT last October, but breaking up the in-form partnership of Ricky Ravenhill and Ritchie Jones would be pointless. Kyel Reid continues on the left and Craig Fagan on the right.

A word about Fagan. He came in for a huge amount of criticism for his performance last week, once again. As a supporter who is fortunate to get to the majority of matches home and away, I’ve personally noted a correlation between his performances and that of the team. Basically when City play well Fagan plays well, and when he is below par so too are City. It is strange that this is the case, because he is generally less involved with the play, especially for a player of his pedigree.

No one would call Fagan a match winner based on his performances this season, yet he quietly brings a touch of quality and assurance to the team which seems to make a difference – even if it is not always appreciated.

James Hanson and Nahki Wells remain up front; though Chris Dagnall and Deane Smalley may be in contention too given it is a meaningless game for City. The latter impressed greatly coming off the bench on Saturday, and is a bit of a wild card in terms of whether Parkinson will sign him this summer.

Interestingly, at the player of the season awards in midweek, it was apparently revealed that youth striker Adam Baker has been handed a professional contract because he is expected to get into the first team next season. Having scored two goals for the reserves in midweek, is there a place for him on the bench either this week or next?

Probably not, as Parkinson still has such a huge squad to choose from for now. Whaddon Road might have been the ideal location to give some of those fringe players one last chance before they surely leave, but all eyes are now on Parkinson and his players to end the campaign in a manner that can encourage pre-season optimism for next season.

Now is the time to be smart in League Two.

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A job Well(s) done

14 Apr

Northampton Town 1

Carlisle 52

Bradford City 3

Wells 11, 39, 52

Saturday 14 April, 2012

By Jason McKeown

In the end it has become so easy that you wondered why we’d been making such hard work of it in the first place. Bradford City’s comfortable victory at Northampton leaves the club nine points clear of the bottom two – while holding a vastly superior goal difference over both – with three games to go. Only the most freakish and unlikely set of results will see the Bantams relegated now. One more point will guarantee survival.

Job done. Just about anyway. The win at Sixfields propelled the Bantams above their hosts, to match the season-best high of 18th position. And, as the City players strolled around during the closing stages, threatening a fourth goal to cap off a memorable afternoon, your mind drifts back to the despair of that night at Crawley, and you smile because it’s all working out in the end.

Far from self-imploding, we’ve dug in deep to complete the job – and maybe, just maybe, we can start looking forward to the future with greater optimism.

City’s success in winning this afternoon was a reflection – and in some cases a verification – of what the club has got right over the past 12 months. Phil Parkinson can certainly take a great chunk of the credit, because the values, style of play and signings that he has introduced were evident throughout this win (only his 10th league success as Bantams manager). But even Peter Jackson and Archie Christie – assuming they are monitoring events – can allow themselves a wry smile, because players they brought in have delivered when the chips were down.

A stronger defence has been the most notable improvement Parkinson has instilled. Luke Oliver returned from suspension to slot alongside Jackson signing Guy Branston, with the pair acting as a brick wall to ensure there was no repeat of the familiar pattern of the hosts scoring first, which has re-occurred so often in away games over recent weeks. Parkinson buy Matt Duke kept his place despite Jon McLaughlin’s availability – a big call for the manager, given Duke’s notable nerves at Shrewsbury on Monday, but one that was proven to be well justified – and the Bantams started on the back foot, but with a resilience to withstand home pressure.

Northampton’s Aidy Boothroyd employed the sort of direct pressing football he has always been known for, but City seemed to excel at dealing with a style of play they too have produced in home games for much of this season – and once it was obvious the home team’s workrate and desire was going to be matched toe-to-toe, it was simply a matter of good players making the difference.

And City, for all the misery and underachievement, do have some very good players for this level. Craig Fagan had one of his better days – clearing an early Cobbers’ corner off his own line and linking up well with his midfield – and Kyel Reid was back on song after the understandable recent distractions in his personal life. He just ran and ran at players, beating them for skill and whipping in testing crosses. The Christie-recommended Ritchie Jones and Parkinson signing Ricky Ravenhill were the glue that held everything together in the centre, enabling the front four players to terrorise the Town defence.

Which brings us on to Nahki Wells. The find of the season, this year’s David Syers in terms of his impact from nowhere and in supporter adulation. The story goes that Jackson looked at trialists Nialle Rodney and Wells in pre-season (Wells having been recommended by Mark Ellis and David Baldwin) and ruled Rodney was the player to take on and Wells should not get a contract. Christie argued strongly to Jackson that he was making the wrong decision, and ended up signing the Bermudian for his Development Squad. That this development initiative has been quietly left to rot and be dubbed as a failure – while the first graduate Wells scores an outstanding hat trick to virtually guarantee survival – suggests a misjudgement by the club.

Wells opened the scoring for City after latching onto a terrific Fagan pass, beating a defender with clever footwork and calmly firing the ball past Neal Kitson. Six minutes before the interval, a scramble in the box led to Oliver nodding the ball into Wells’ direction – and the 21-year-old produced a stunning bicycle kick to smash the ball into the net. This guy is going to play at a higher level, and increasingly it is a question of how long City can keep hold of him.

In-between the two first half goals, it was full-blooded combat between two sides desperate to take that giant step to safety. Northampton attacked with pace to cause plenty of problems, with Michael Jacobs in particular impressing on the right. Yet Branston was once again absolutely sensational and Oliver showed no signs of rustiness, clearing anything that came his way. There has already been plenty of talk about the full circle season Branston is enjoying – a penny for Parkinson’s thoughts on whether to keep him next season would be fascinating – but Jackson’s wisdom in signing Guy last summer is belatedly being vindicated.

Northampton should have equalised at 1-0, and will be wondering how so many chances were spurned. Ben Tozer hit the underside of the bar from a few yards out; Adebayo Akinfenwa saw a half volley headed off the line by Oliver; and then at 2-0 Simon Ramsden – he and Rob Kozluk were excellent at full backs – kicked another effort off the line. City had chances beyond their two goals as well, but the Cobblers’ spirit to keep going was as commendable as it was worrying.

Sure enough they pulled a goal back early in the second half. Another scramble in the box should have seen Ravenhill head the ball away, but a misjudgement in direction caused the ball to drop straight back down into heavy traffic, with Clarke Carlisle getting free of Oliver to head home. With 38 minutes to play it was time to feel apprehensive, but within a minute the game was settled.

It was that man again, Wells, with another beautiful finish. The home defence got in a muddle clearing a long ball straight from kick off, and Nahki was able to complete his hat trick with a delicate lob over the advancing Kitson which dipped agonisingly slowly under the bar and then bounced over the line. Wells raced to embrace City supporters – earning a booking for his troubles – and an 11th goal from 34 appearances emphatically confirmed that City, for now, have that one in three goal striker they have been badly lacking since Peter Thorne left.

Today Wells’ standing moved up another notch from promising forward to important first teamer. Developed, you might say.

And although Northampton continued to attack, they suddenly lacked the conviction or energy to make life as difficult for City’s backline compared to the first half. They hit the bar again and can look back on the day knowing that – with 20 attempts at goal, hitting the woodwork twice and having three cleared off the line – they would more often than not win playing like this. But today was City’s day.

Indeed the spectre of a fourth always seemed more likely during the final 20 minutes. Wells went off to a standing ovation, with Deane Smalley making the most of his first chance in weeks to link up well with James Hanson, and Reid continuing to cause havoc every time he received possession – what a fantastic signing Kyel has proved to be. We relaxed, soaked up the limited amount of April sunshine that was still available and laughed as Northampton fans took their turn to be exasperated by a referee. And at full time the players and Parkinson came across to us to receive a brilliant reception.

We will back here next season. Probably not with quite the same personnel, though in achieving the first objective he was brought in to complete – avoiding relegation – Parkinson, who received the dreaded vote of confidence from Mark Lawn two weeks ago, will surely continue to oversee where we go next. And when the manager does come to draw up next season’s strategy during the summer, a re-run of the video from this game will serve as a worthwhile reminder of the good things in place at Valley Parade, which now must be built upon.

City: Duke, Ramsden, Branston,  Oliver, Kozluk, Fagan, Ravenhill, Jones (Bullock 88), Reid (Flynn 90), Hanson, Wells (Smalley 78)

Unused Subs: McLaughlin, Syers

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Away Day Blues, or is it just Cobblers?

13 Apr

Northampton Town vs Bradford City preview

@Sixfields on Saturday 14 April, 2012

By Mark Scully

Easter Monday’s narrow 1-0 defeat away at Shrewsbury Town added to the misery the Bantams are currently enduring on their travels at the moment, the last away goal was in the defeat to AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday 13March and that was an own goal from the Dons. The last time a City player found the back of the net away from home was Nahki Wells at Barnet in the 4-0 rout way back on Tuesday 28 February.

After beating the Bees, I generally thought Bradford would kick on – but failings against so-called lesser sides has undermined the season as a whole, both home and away.

The defeat against the Shrews followed on from fruitless trips to Dagenham, Wimbledon, Aldershot, Crewe and Plymouth. Aside from the Wimbledon match, all the others have been narrow 1-0 defeats which would suggest City are not a million miles away from being a successful side. You look at the goals City have conceded, against the Daggers it was a stunning free kick that beat City; Aldershot was a scrappy effort, as was the goal Shrewsbury scored on Monday. Crewe was a penalty and at Plymouth the lad had the freedom of Home Park…it’s not as if sides are having to work overly hard to put the ball in the back of Bradford’s net.

Looking back at Monday’s game once again I left feeling frustrated. Our opponents, up at the top challenging for promotion, to be honest looked quite average. A soft goal decided the match; in a game where both sides failed to create much. The best chance of the game fell to Craig Fagan who missed a sitter shortly before half time, when it looked easier to score than miss. If that had gone in it might well have been a different game.

The arrival of Kyel Reid in the second half didn’t really muster the impetus that both the manager and fans would have liked. In my opinion, probably ever since Jack Compton left at the turn of the year, 9 times out of 10 it is Reid who is the side’s main creator. If that doesn’t happen then the Bantams are stumped; no surprise City struggle scoring goals with a team so un-balanced. The likes of Deane Smalley, Will Atkinson and Fagan haven’t produced the goods on a consistent basis down the right hand side, if they had then the pressure on Reid to produce wouldn’t be as strong as it currently is.

People that know me will be aware I’m not a member of the Craig Fagan fan club. At times he has looked the part and played well. And whilst he isn’t a right winger, he has had to play there for the good of the team. To be honest, in the few games he has played up top he has looked a threat, but is he any better than the James Hanson/Wells partnership that I believe works quite well? I suspect not.

I find Fagan a frustrating player. Clearly he has ability and, having played at a much higher level, I would have thought his contribution to a side in League Two would be more than he has provided. Compared to that of Andrew Davies, who might well have been sent off three times this season but is a classy player who stands out at this level…why can’t Fagan do the same?

Fagan and City travel to fellow strugglers Northampton Town tomorrow, who only a few weeks ago looked destined to be kicking off next season in the Blue Square Premier but have now found some form. It took Cobblers Manager Aidy Boothroyd a while to shape the side, but the influx of January recruits he signed appears to have done the trick for them.

Our very own Matt Duke apparently played very well in his loan spell. Boothroyd also signed Preston defender Clarke Carlisle, who has helped shore up a defence that was leaking goals for fun. Up front the powerful figure of Adebayo Akinfenwa has been amongst the goals and has propelled himself into the top three of the divisions scoring charts.

There’s no doubt this will be another tough game and, given Bradford’s current away form, the bookies would probably have this one down as a home banker. But given the news earlier this week that City have only received a £9,000 fine for the fracas that marred the Crawley Town game, and no points deduction, there must be a weight off the club’s mind. Maybe the pressure might be eased slightly and City can go out and play their own game.

A win for either side will secure safety and, even if Bradford, lose the fact that they go into this weekend’s game 7 points clear of the relegation places with 12 points to play for – and with a significantly better goal difference than their rivals – I have no doubt they will stay up.

The Cobblers come into the match in decent form and are unbeaten at the Sixfields since Saturday 25th February, when Port Vale walked away with all three points. Bristol Rovers, Aldershot and Oxford have all since left empty handed, whilst Plymouth only took a point. The hosts are currently in decent form, beating Oxford on Good Friday before losing last time out against champions-elect Swindon 1-0 on Easter Monday.

Normally I’d be suggesting Phil Parkinson would make changes galore as he has previously done, but having seen both games over the Easter programme I don’t see the need to alter the team that much.

I’d personally bring Luke Oliver back in for Lee Bullock. The latter has done a decent job covering in the absence of both Oliver and Davies, but given how well big Luke has played this season I think it would be difficult to leave him out now he’s available again. Aside from that the only other change to the starting eleven from Shrewsbury would be to bring Reid in for Michael Flynn, so City can have that attacking threat down the wing.

City can go down to Northamptonshire and return with maximum points, hopefully Parky will set out the team to attack and I’ll go for a 3-1 win that will effectively secure Football League status ahead of a promotion push next season.

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Defeat for City, but we can still be happy with the outcome of Easter weekend

9 Apr

Shrewsbury Town 1

Grandison 16

Bradford City 0

Monday 9 April, 2012

By Luke Lockwood

The Greenhous Meadow Stadium was the destination for Skipton and Craven Bantams first official trip. After a quick bacon sandwich and coffee at ‘Spoons (they don’t serve beer until 9am) we set on our way and – following Friday’s great victory – there seemed to be a quiet optimism within the camp. After a few pints close to the ground this quiet optimism began to grow into a vocal belief that we were the side to end Shrewsbury’s great home run.

A group of fans with such a vast amount of experience following the occasional ups but mostly downs of Bradford City should have known better.

Whilst in the pub news broke that Phil Parkinson had named an unchanged team from Friday and the members of the supporters club agreed that the side had done enough to keep their shirts. We made our way to the ground with our alcohol fuelled optimism that today would be the day we confirmed our safety.

Those hopes were quickly dashed within 16 minutes. Bradford had started the game reasonably brightly and certainly had not been outclassed by their promotion chasing opponents, but neither side had threatened the opposition goal before Jermaine Grandison managed to thrash the ball home following a goalmouth scramble. This appeared to knock a bit of confidence out of City, both in the stands and out on the pitch, as the players looked very nervous for the next five minutes and Matt Duke was called upon to make a very good save to keep the deficit to just one goal.

Bradford soon woke up and re-organised. Craig Fagan had a fantastic chance to level when he met James Hanson’s knock down just a few yards out, but only managed to volley the ball over the bar. Often the words associated with Fagan are “a player of his supposed calibre/pedigree” and I think he is unfortunate to be associated with the ex-Premiership player tag. Because of this we seem to expect a level of performance from him that we do not do of other members in our side. He is ex-Premiership for a reason because, following his injury problems, he is no longer good enough. So perhaps we should give him a break and assess whether he is producing decent League Two performances or not.

After Fagan’s miss the game began to turn into a non event as both defences dominated. Lee Bullock and Guy Branston continued the impressive partnership they began against Southend, while Hanson struggled to get the better of Ian Sharps at the other end. When Shrewsbury came to Valley Parade earlier in the season I wrote about how Hanson had bullied one of the division’s best centre halves. Following that outstanding performance, I had hoped we would see something similar today. But unfortunately Sharps proved why he has established such a fine reputation for himself at this level.

Bradford’s narrow midfield, including three central midfielders and a centre forward, also failed to make an impact. Both sides struggled to hold onto the ball and neither showed any real cutting edge as attack after attack continued to break down in the final third. In fact one member of the Skipton and Craven Bantams close to me fell asleep! That probably gives the most accurate portrayal of the game.

To Parkinson’s credit he attempted to change it and made a double substitution introducing Kyel Reid and Chris Dagnall to replace Michael Flynn and Nahki Wells.

Reid started to make a difference as the Shrews struggled to handle his pace and trickery, but frustratingly they appeared to have some success by adopting a tactic of letting Reid knock it past them before chopping him down - which the referee failed to clamp down on. Even more frustratingly, the referee seemed happy to blow his whistle every time a Shrewsbury player put in their audition to partner Tom Daley at this summer’s Olympics. On one particular occasion a home forward threw himself to the floor in Drogba-esque fashion in the box; fortunately the referee decided against awarding a penalty, but the failure to show the culprit a yellow card for his dive was disappointing.

Shrewsbury are a good football side with some fine players and I have no problem if a player is fouled and they go to the ground to make sure they get a decision. However, the Shrewsbury players hit the deck time and time again without any contact. That is blatant cheating, and a side of their quality do not need to resort to such tactics to win football matches.

The most entertaining moment of the game - and the moment that will be remembered from our first supporter’s club trip - surfaced perhaps from a little frustration about the constant diving. Branston hopped over Duke as he followed a ball back to the keeper and, as he landed, fell over - appearing to be in some pain as he clutched his leg. The Shrews fans in the corner made their thoughts clear.

As the game carried on upfield and the officials were out of sight, Branston leapt to his feet, now seemingly fine, and turned to the home fans before cheekily raising his middle finger - much to the delight of the City following. A chant of ‘Let’s all do the Branston’ with accompanying gesture to the Shrews fans followed, and it appeared Branston had – for a while at least – managed to lift the gloom.

There was nothing between the two sides as the stats show. There was an equal share of possession and both sides had five shots each, finding the target with only twice. Therefore, Bradford could say they were unfortunate not to come away with a point. On the other hand, after going behind they failed to create any meaningful chances to equalise and Shrewsbury did what they needed.

Parkinson said after the match that he was wrong to leave the side unchanged and that he felt some players were a little fatigued after their superb effort on Friday. This could be the case, but he can’t be blamed for sticking with a side that impressed against a strong Southend team. However, with no midweek games now until the end of the season there will be no opportunity for excuses such as this, and we will need to put in improved displays to put further distance between ourselves and the bottom sides.

Following the final whistle, we waited nervously listening for the results of those around us, especially Hereford and Macclesfield; both were defeated to keep the gap at seven points. With our superior goal difference, one of those two sides will effectively need to get eight points from four games to finish above us.

As Macclesfield have failed to win this year and Hereford have only won 1 in their last 16 this is highly unlikely. Furthermore, had anyone offered us the opportunity to be seven points clear of our rivals at the beginning of Easter weekend – following games against high flying Southend and Shrewsbury – we would have all gratefully accepted it.

The Skipton and Craven Bantams trudged back to the bus. But with a lack of talking points – other than Branston’s antics – to discuss from the game on the journey home we were forced to reminisce about days gone by with City. Chris Waddle’s magic, the wrong Bruno Rodriguez and, most importantly, was Gary Locke really that bad?

Despite tasting defeat in our first official away day trip, it was made more bearable by sharing our pain amongst one another. Hopefully there will be many more to come and we will see some improved performances and results.

City: Duke, Ramsden, Branston, Bullock, Kozluk, Fagan, Ravenhill, Jones (Syers 75), Flynn (Reid 45), Hanson, Wells (Dagnall 45)

Unused Subs: Annerson, Fry

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Parkinson finds inspiration from those he was overlooking

6 Apr

Bradford City 2

Hanson 38, Fagan 54 (pen)

Southend United 0

Friday 6 April, 2012

Maintaining such a large squad is always going to result in some bruised egos. Yet there was something hugely uplifting about the fact a number of previously-shunned players shook off any grievances and contributed so positively in Bradford City’s hour of need, delivering a priceless victory.

Matt Duke, Guy Branston, Ritchie Jones, Michael Flynn and Nahki Wells had in different ways fallen out of Phil Parkinson’s long or short-term plans, but each conveyed a loud and timely message regarding the value they can offer the Bantams. On an afternoon of raising the standards back upwards again, it was these players in particular who set the tone while proving their own points. Welcome back to the first team fold.

It was a battle, at least initially. Southend United rocked up to Valley Parade with a bustling away following and confident swagger of promotion contenders; but promising early attacks quickly fizzled out as the Bantams chased and harried every loose ball, ensuring their opponents had no space or time to find their rhythm.

As unlikely a back four as you could have imagined, only a fortnight ago, stuck diligently together in a manner the sidelined first choices were curiously unable to achieve over a full 90 minutes; with Branston producing the sort of fearless and accomplished display he’d talked so loudly of contributing regularly when joining last summer.

Today Branston was simply fantastic to watch, winning everything in the air while successfully tackling and intercepting anything that came his way. You could see how much he was enjoying himself, and what a natural leader he is. Alongside him, Lee Bullock and Simon Ramsden were their usual reliable selves, while an out of position Rob Kozluk exceeded expectations with a composed and effective performance at left back.

In front of the back four Jones – a surprise starter, given Parkinson’s less-than-commendable treatment of the young midfielder over the past month – provided energy and drive. He regularly received possession from deep and pushed the team forward, while also showing a greater willingness to get into the opposition box than earlier in the season. Once Ricky Ravenhill improved on a very slow start, the pair bossed the midfield to ensure the Bantams could dominate the game.

Dominate they did not through gung ho attacking or tip-tap passing football – neither are probably ever going to Parkinson’s forte – but through a return to the high tempo, direct pressing style which was so evidently successful during the Christmas home wins over Crewe and Shrewsbury. The ball was worked up to James Hanson as quickly as possible – City’s top scorer reunited with Wells, with the pair looking far more on each other’s wavelength than the Hanson/Chris Dagnall combination – who would look for his partner or an on-song Craig Fagan for support.

With Flynn and Jones also getting forward often, numerous home attacks broke down only because of a last gasp clearances or delays in shooting. Southend had some chances too and Freddy Eastwood blazed over from a position where a player of his calibre should do better. But the more likely location of the opening goal was at the Bradford End of the ground that City were attacking.

Sure enough, seven minutes before the break the Bantams got the vital breakthrough. Kozluk was fouled just inside Southend’s half. Fagan’s resultant ball into the box was cleared to Flynn, who had space to send over a superb cross that Hanson couldn’t miss from – City’s top scorer heading home from a couple of yards out. Shortly after Bullock saw an effort cleared off the line, then right on half time a scramble in the box saw Flynn, Jones and Wells have shots blocked by desperate-looking defenders.

Over half time a fear grew that the failure to get a second goal might once again be punished by more clinical opposition, but the strong Southend response widely expected never materialised and the game was put to bed with reassuring ease. Eight minutes into a second half that City were again dominating, Flynn picked up a loose ball and set Wells clear on goal. Just as the Bermudian was about to pull the trigger, Sean Clohessy bundled him over in the area. A certain penalty and a (slightly harsh) red card to boot. Fagan smashed home the spot kick, and all City had to do for the remaining 35 minutes was hold onto what they had.

A word here firstly, however, about Flynn (and Hanson). Having already set up the opener, Flynn’s pass to set Wells away for the penalty moment was beautifully weighted and measured. Yet what should have been one of the better moments of a troubled campaign was for me personally spoiled by the bizarre soundtrack of fans around me jumping to their feet to scream abuse at the Welshman for taking the wrong option. Flynn played wide left today – not his position, as surely anyone with half a brain must make allowances for – yet for much of the afternoon he and Hanson were singled out for non-stop criticism and abuse from people who are supposed to support them.

I thought Flynn was brilliant today. Yes, he took the wrong option at times and on another day that could be ruefully be looked back upon. But what a plucky display from someone who never lets the club down. Same too Hanson – he was outstanding. Yet hundreds of miserable people sit their all afternoon ignoring everything good the striker does and then jump to their feet hurling abuse when – in their misguided view – he gets something wrong.

If you, highly valued reader, don’t rate Hanson – please, explain why. Maybe it’s me and I don’t get football when I thought I did. But all I see a hard-working, energetic and effective striker doing a fantastic job in the difficult targetman role; and yet I hear numerous people moaning that he is a poor player. I don’t get it.

Southend made two changes in a bid to get going, but soon after went down to 9 men after Elliott Benyon lashed out at Kozluk in an incident missed by the crowd and referee, but spotted by the linesman. And it left a rather surreal final 20 minutes during which City could take their foot off the gas and play at a pace usually witnessed during meaningless end of season campaigns, while the Southend players looked hugely demoralised and desperate for the final whistle.

The body language of most of the visitors’ was shockingly poor, and they make little effort to get the ball off City. If I was a Southend fan, I would feel badly let down by my team today.

Jones worryingly went off injured, while the exceptional Wells – Southend could not live with his movement and trickery – was withdrawn to a standing ovation. Substitutes Dagnall and Kyel Reid both came close to netting a third. A clean sheet – only the seventh all season – was achieved. Since Branston’s last Valley Parade appearance against Torquay six months ago, there has only been one visitor shutout before today. Food for thought.

Results elsewhere went very well, and suddenly the Bantams have a seven-point cushion over the bottom two again (effectively eight with the superior goal difference). One more victory in the final five games will basically be enough – although given Hereford, Macclesfield and Barnet’s wretched form, the 43 points we now have will probably ensure League Two survival anyway.

Quite where this leaves the five out-of-favour players who started today is another question. Wells apart, two weeks ago you could have reasonably predicted the summer exits of Duke, Branston, Flynn and even Jones. Parkinson is close to achieving the initial objective of keeping City up, which he was brought in to do – but has probably never been more unsure of his best XI than he must be right now.

City: Duke, Ramsden, Branston, Bullock, Kozluk, Fagan, Ravenhill (Reid 75), Jones (Syers 81), Flynn, Hanson, Wells (Dagnall 81)

Unused Subs: Annerson, Smalley

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Trust City

1 Apr

Plymouth Argyle 1

Tsoumou 4

Bradford City 0

Saturday 31 March, 2012

By David Lawrence

Few Bradford City fans must have cheered last season when Plymouth Argyle were relegated to division two. It’s a heck of a long way away from West Yorkshire. However, for me it was a mere 135 miles and, as such, a chance to head west to see City at a ground I’d not visited before, Bradford not having last been here in 1994 when Jagger Jewell and Carl Shutt destroyed the Pilgrims.

I was really looking forward to the game. Until Tuesday. Combine that crazy night with the sad news about the once great Bradford Northern (AKA Bulls) and the by-election result and it’s easy to see why most people that care about Bradford would be dismayed.

Between the rhetoric of the ‘popular’ press about Bradford the city and the vituperative rants from the forums about Bradford the football club I was thoroughly sick of hearing about it all; akin to criticism aimed at family members, it’s okay when they come from within, but not from imprudent strangers.

So on the way to the match I hear the media machine making much-a-do about Balotelli and his trustworthiness in Mancini’s eyes, and I’m glad our bad news is today’s fish and chip papers. The talk now was of ‘trusting’. For the premiership manager it meant trusting a player to mature, while conversely for City’s manager it meant trusting a player arguably over-mature. Step forward Guy Branston; Swiftly offered an olive branch midweek and charged with filling the huge gap left by the pugilistic three.

It also meant trusting a keeper hastily recalled from loan, playing a right back that may not have been match fit and playing a another right back at left back. What could go wrong?!

After four minutes the City following of just over three hundred knew the answer. One-nil down and fighting for our lives not to concede again. The goal had come not from footballing genius or guile but a mix-up in the defensive marking. It was hard not feel frustrated at the fact that the players could not see Juvhel Tsoumou in acres of space nor hear the many City fans’ shouts to cover him as the cross from Watton came over in front of us. He made easy work of heading the easiest of chances past the despairing dive of Matt Duke.

City were on the ropes, caught cold and likely to catch a bigger one. Simon Ramsden was being unusually hesitant against the lively winger Ashley Hemmings and Lee Bullock and Branston were being given a tough time by the intelligent movement of the muscular Tsoumou. After ten minutes it was nearly over. Robbie Williams took a low free kick that Duke struggled to get to. Indeed, the ball had hit the post by the time the keeper had dived across. Fortunately for him and City, the ball struck his back and for a change trickled away the right side of the post for a corner.

A change in fortune, followed by a change in the ascendency. Phil Parkinson had selected a team of experience and it was this that began to show as Michael Flynn, Ricky Ravenhill, Ritchie Jones and David Syers began to take control of midfield. City improved enough to have several attempts on goal, notably a long range effort from Flynn and two headers by Syers from corners, where Branston too was proving a menace. However, playing so many similar midfielders and with striking partners Criag Fagan and Chris Dagnall often too far apart, City’s passing game looked nice but not wholly convincing.

At the other end City nearly fell for the sucker-punch near the closing stages of the first half. Alex McDonald capitalised on the persistent weakness of any City left back selected (today Rob Kozluk) recently to clear aerial balls played over the centre-halves. Fortunately, his knock-back was met by a weak effort from Chadwick when he should have done better. Generally though, on a more positive note, Duke and the rest of the defence was looking more confident and as the half closed there seemed a quiet optimism that things could be turned around.

Half time came and went. Most notable was an appearance by Don Hutchins who played for Plymouth 1969-72 and Bradford from 1974-81. Making 286 appearances for us and scoring 52 goals. We needed one of those today. I can recall how well regarded Don was as a flying winger in City’s promotion team of 77. That year especially, he terrorised defences and made the division four PFA team of the year.

Unfortunately, the sound from his pitch mike appeared to be broadcasted from the remaining undeveloped part of the ground, so it was hard to pick up what he said. Shame really as he’d probably have some wise words for the man about to come on. Kyel Reid.

Ravenhill had made way, probably due to a knock, and City took time to re-adjust in the early minutes of the second half. Particularly struggling was Ramsden who was having a tough time of it. He clearly wasn’t fit for this match and was soon subbed for James Hanson.

Just prior, Reid had put in the sort of cross begging for a big man to nod home, thus underlining a deficiency in the workmanlike Fagan and sparky Dagnall as a strike force. Fagan went out to his more effective wide position while Hanson ran the line well, putting a new urgency and focus to City’s attacks and linking up well with Dagnall. Both went close to scoring.

City on the attack in the second half

Meanwhile Plymouth were beginning to look very ordinary and resorted to trying to unsettle Hanson with some strong challenges that led to a yellow card for Wotton. Tellingly, City didn’t over-react to one of their team being left writhing on the floor but seemed more resolved to hurt the opposition fairly with a goal.

Nahki Wells came on for Kozluk with twelve minutes to go as Flynn joined the now impressive Branston and Bolluck partnership in a three at the back. City were going for it and surely would score with the pressure they were putting Plymouth under. However, it was the Pilgrims that nearly did. Thankfully the ever-improving Duke made a magnificent save from a Wotton drive from twenty yards out.

Then it was City’s turn again to press enough for the ball to end up in the net. However, much to the annoyance of the City following, the linesman had seen that Wells had clearly been offside when he collected a deflected shot from Jones to tap home.

The scrambles continued in the Plymouth goalmouth for the remainder of the ninety plus three with Hanson, Bullock and Branston all going close, but it finished in another defeat. The City fans stood to applaud the team’s effort while the home fans sung ‘we are staying up’.

Oh yes, it was a dogfight and we had lost. However, in the midst of all this we have found some new players to trust, particularly Branston and Duke. Through adversity, there is now an opportunity for player, team and manager and us as fans to trust their ability.

As Harold MacMillan famously said ‘a man who trusts nobody is apt to be a man nobody trusts’.  This is where loyalty begins.

Postscript

Not so packed away end

Having witnessed City’s efforts in vain to get an equaliser I decided the best course of action was to have a look at the marina and grab some sustenance before the drive home. I was fortunate to bump into an exiled father and son originally from Odsal, Gaz and Ben respectively, who introduced me to their friends ‘Bomber’ and ‘Dan’, both Plymouth fans. Over a drink we discussed the game and all agreed it should have been at least a draw.

Bomber, a home and away fan, was most impressed with Branston. He was least impressed by our following as he thought that – as City and Plymouth were the biggest teams in the league and they had earlier in the season brought nine hundred to Valley Parade – City should have brought more. I pointed out they’d not been in this division as long as us.

The banter went on. It was good to finish the week talking football with genuine football fans. Apparently Balotelli had got two. Who cares…?

City: Duke, Ramsden (Hanson 57), Branston, Bullock, Kozluk (Wells  78), Flynn, Ravenhill (Reid 45), Jones, Syers, Fagan, Dagnall

Unused Subs: Annerson, Smalley

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Taking Bradford forwards, not backwards

30 Mar

City Park. Photo courtesy of Dave Kaye

Plymouth Argyle vs Bradford City match preview

 @Home Park on Saturday 31 March, 2012

2pm last Saturday. Ahead of the home game with Gillingham, we were are at Bradford City Park, for the grand opening of the new £24 million attraction. It is a gloriously sunny day and – although the organisers’ decision to draw out the affair means we don’t have time to stick around to see the mirror pool and fountains filled – it is nice to be part of the excitement and buzz amongst a packed crowd.

As we all know, Bradford the city has had too many troubled times over the past decade. The 10-year hole in the city centre where a shopping centre was supposed to be up and running – and the endless debate about the beautiful but disused Odeon building – acting as prominent reminders of a decline that it seemed no one was capable or had the vision to reverse. But now the hole has at least been made into a park temporarily, while the shopping centre is finally going to be built (within the next seven years). And though the value of the City Park is fiercely debated, anything to make Bradford a nicer place surely has to have some merit.

Slowly but surely, the city of Bradford is making positive steps.

Sport means a great deal to a lot of the population, including the surrounding area, and this week the news surrounding the two professional sports clubs has not been good. Bradford Bulls requiring £500,000 by Easter in order to remain in existence, while the worldwide headlines Bradford City has generated were hugely embarrassing; masking an even darker problem that the club’s very existence is threatened by having three key players suspended in the crucial run-in.

And it all leads to a serious question – could Bradford lose both its major sporting clubs within the next six weeks?

The Bulls are making positive noises about securing the funding needed to continue beyond a Good Friday match with Leeds Rhinos, but despite raising £100k within the first two days of their announcement, there is some way to go and administration could be difficult to avoid.  City stand four points clear of the relegation zone with seven games to play. Matters in their own hands for sure, but losing three important players and a tough run-in means it could prove quite a battle.

The consequences of a City relegation have been mooted before. In February joint-Chairman Mark Lawn apparently told a Skipton Bantams meeting it would mean the club would have to leave Valley Parade, in order to survive.

As we saw 12 months ago when the idea of moving from Valley Parade was raised, leaving our home could trigger a period of administration, like the Bulls face, and the Conference has in recent years taken a dim view of teams entering their league in such a bad financial position. Maybe it’s a worse case scenario, but it’s not as unlikely to imagine a AFC Bradford City, starting down the pyramid, next season as it might have seemed a few months ago.

Meanwhile the Bulls’ financial woes have been the subject of knowing whispers for over a year now, despite their chairman Peter Hood stating that selling Odsal to the RFL in January did not mean the club was in any difficulties. Once the best Rugby League team in the world, the last few years have proven difficult for the Bulls on and off the field, and right now there is not much sympathy from people who don’t support the club.

I personally have no interest, or affiliation, for the Bulls; but to me it would be very sad for the city of Bradford if they were unable to survive this crisis. That Bradford has two professional sporting clubs which clearly mean a lot to different people is something to remain proud of, especially in view of the wider problems afflicting the city. Morale-wise, it would be a massive blow to lose either outfit, and certainly both.

Though, of course, you and I are far more concerned by the Bantams right now and making sure we at least see out the season with our Football League status in tact. And there is no doubt that tomorrow’s game with Plymouth Argyle is a pivotal moment in measuring up our chances.

Lose tomorrow, and you can only imagine the misery that will be felt by us all and how much worse our plight will seem. Whatever happens we won’t end the day in the bottom two, but the Easter games against 5th placed Southend and at 4th placed Shrewsbury – unbeaten at home for over a year – look daunting. Defeat tomorrow wouldn’t spell the end, but you do feel that returning from Devon with at least a point could prove crucial.

Matt Duke replaces Jon McLaughlin in goal tomorrow, after being recalled from Northampton this week where he had been playing well. As City’s woes have continued over the last few weeks – with the Cobblers and Duke lifting themselves off the bottom of the table to overtake us – the wisdom of loaning him to a relegation rival was beginning to look increasingly dubious anyway. Contracted to the club for another year, Duke has a big opportunity to re-take the number 1 jersey it seemed he had lost forever.

In defence we do not know who will play. Matt Fry will start if fit, despite some unconvincing recent displays. On the right Rob Kozluk was poor on Tuesday, but likely to keep his place if Simon Ramsden is fit enough to return and play centre back.

Then there are the options of Lee Bullock – excellent in midfield lately – and Guy Branston to come in. Whispers suggest Branston was a long way out of Phil Parkinson’s thinking, but events dictate that the summer signing has to now be considered. The T&A reporter Simon Parker tweeted that he thinks Branston will come in. Whatever Parkinson’s intentions, expect it to be kept heavily under wraps.

In midfield Bullock’s possible requirement in defence and an injury to Ricky Ravenhill – his departure through injury a crucial moment in why we lost on Tuesday – also presents some headaches. Michael Flynn did well in coming on once City were chasing the game, Ritchie Jones has to come back into Parkinson’s thinking after scandalously being overlooked over the past few weeks; David Syers is still recovering from injury problems, but performed well in the second half against Gillingham.

Kyel Reid – still on baby watch – will hopefully be able to play on the left. As much as Crawley’s tactics and style grated on Tuesday, you had to admire the approach they took in silencing City’s dangerman. The right back was clearly instructed to tackle Reid as soon as he picked up possession, so he wasn’t given any time to get the ball where he wanted and into his stride. Defenders are always taught to stay on their feet, and the Crawley player committing himself so early could have easily ended with Reid beating him for skill and then having a free run down the flank. But Reid firmly lost the battle, validating Crawley’s marking approach.

On the right, Craig Fagan took a lot of stick midweek – which seemed highly unfair – and Parkinson will want to see more. Or he could go with Chris Dagnall in the hole again, behind James Hanson and Nahki Wells. The latter is very unlucky not to be in the team right now, but it’s a difficult balance for Parkinson and the Bermudian is certainly an excellent impact sub.

Deane Smalley, Will Atkinson, Andy Haworth and Chris Mitchell will also be pushing to be included.

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The afternoon Bradford City pulled back from the brink

24 Mar

Bradford City 2

Wells 71, Hanson 82

Gillingham 2

Montrose 25, Ramsden (OG) 56

Saturday 24 March, 2012

Simon Ramsden’s misjudged backpass rolled achingly slowly past the wrong-footed Jon McLaughlin and eventually into the unprotected net. And at 2-0 down, it seemed as though a blindfolded Bradford City had positioned itself onto a troublingly small ledge, hanging over a deep and extremely dark-looking relegation pit of despair and melancholy – that, if fallen into, would be near-impossible to ever climb back out of.

Yet somehow – and rather wonderfully – everyone with a stake in claret and amber pulled together to ensure the club stepped away from the ledge. Not quite sure-footed enough to relax and believe this relegation ordeal is over just yet, but this afternoon we had firmly stared into the abyss and collectively fought against the tide.

We can only hope that this afternoon will be looked back upon as the closest to relegation from the Football League we ever hovered. Trailing 1-0 at half time to a Lewis Montrose header from Gillingham’s only meaningful attack, a gloomy atmosphere seemed to descend over supporters in the Kop. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who spent the interval contemplating whether the club could survive a drop into non-league. The team had done nothing especially wrong during the first half, but also little right.

You expected a big reaction from the players, and sure enough they came out fighting after the interval to pin Gillingham back for 10 minutes. But just as we began to smell the inevitable equaliser, Ramsden and McLaughlin got tangled up and worst fears appear to be realised. At no point this season has relegation looked so possible.

Cue the fight. Not just to retrieve a match which had somehow fallen out of the players’ grasp, not even just to avoid slipping closer to the bottom two – but for the very future of Bradford City Football Club. So many times over recent years we have seen the team slip down this relegation path that we know only too well the signs of heading to a bad ending (like playing well but losing 2-0).

Not this time. Not again.

Before we go on, let us first pause for a moment to criticise. Not criticise City today – a struggling Matt Fry and dismal Ricky Ravenhill aside, you would struggle to find serious fault with anyone – but the opposition. I have seen Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler bring teams to Valley Parade numerous times during his two spells managing the Kent club, but no matter the level or circumstances they always play the exact same way. Time wasting from the off (the truly reprehensible Paulo Gazzaninga was delaying his goal kicks from as early as the seventh minute) and endless niggly little fouls on City players, which go unnoticed.

Gillingham and Hessenthaler are anti-football, and watching them get away with such wearisome antics – rather than attempt to engage in a game of football – is a hugely frustrating experience. They were hell bent on making sure City could not build any momentum, by resorting to what should be considered illegal measures. And when the Bantams tried to fight fire with fire by also being over-physical, they lacked the same subtly and so were caught out.

Fortunately, today Gillingham didn’t get away with it. Inspiration for City to come back was found from the bench. David Syers had already been introduced at half time after – wrongly in my opinion – Phil Parkinson again opted to pair up Lee Bullock and Ricky Ravenhill in the centre of midfield. Just like at Crewe on Tuesday, it meant the team was set up too deep, with wingers Craig Fagan and Kyel Reid badly isolated. Gillingham’s five man midfield disrupted City’s first half flow. Syers, though, was another proposition and produced the type of all action display which earned him everyone’s player of the year title last season.

Nahki Wells too came on as substitute to give the home side added thrust. Chris Dagnall and James Hanson had individually performed well in the first half, but failed to click as a partnership. If at 1-0 down Parkinson had brought Syers on to make the game more open, at 2-0 the swapping of Ramsden with Wells – placing Dagnall in the hole behind the Bermudian and Hanson – saw City start throwing everything at reversing the perilous situation.

Wells was involved in the game’s turning point, although at the time it seemed like the moment it had fallen further out of City’s grasp. His first touch was a beautiful half volley into the net following a Hanson flick on, but celebrations were cut short by the linesman on the Midland Road stand side flagging for offside. City had already had a Hanson equaliser disallowed in the first half – correctly, it seemed – but this looked a bad call from what was clearly an inexperienced official.

Players’ frustration at the decision was reflected in the stands, and the sense of injustice – best personified by well-known City fan Charlie attempting to get on the pitch to attack the linesman – ensured the crowd stayed behind the home side rather than start to turn on them. That made a difference, and every attack was met by roars of encouragement and every bad referee call with howls of derision. Booing was saved for the officials and Gillingham’s time wasting. The visitors were penned back.

Dagnall saw a long range volley brilliantly saved by Gazzaninga (the fact that same linesman ludicrously put his flag up when an obviously onside Wells picked up the rebound sparking more outrage). Then Wells missed a good chance, but a minute later headed home Reid’s excellent free kick for 2-1. The roar got louder, the clock still showed plenty of time.

Hanson might have earned a penalty after he was nudged inside the box, then Wells saw a long range effort fall wide of the post. Fagan and Reid especially were outstanding on the flanks, causing no end of problems. Syers and Dagnall were proving difficult for the opposition to pick up. Behind them Bullock set the tempo with a quality display that made you again question why Parkinson asked Ravenhill to double up by performing the same role. Andrew Davies was a true leader, getting forward more and more.

It seemed the equaliser had arrived when Hanson found space in the box to drive home a low finish, but for a third time celebrations were cut short by the linesman. He wrongly believed an offside Wells had touched the ball on its way in, but luckily Scott Mathieson went over to hold a lengthy discussion with his colleague, which was frequently interrupted by player complaints. As I watched on nervously, believing inside he was not going to give the goal, I took heart from how much Fagan and others cared in their level of protest.

The chat over, Mathieson walked a couple of strides – before blowing his whistle to signal a goal. Cue huge celebrations around the four stands of Valley Parade. As Gillingham players complained long and hard, there was something extra sweet about the fact they were now the ones believing they had been robbed.

There were eight minutes left to play, and suddenly the Gills showed ambition as they created their first opportunities since the opening goal. But despite now lining up 3-4-3, City’s backline were superb with Luke Oliver in particular stopping every attack. At the other end, Reid tore through Gillingham yet again to lay on a great chance for Syers, but his powerful low shot was superbly blocked by Gazzaninga.

Then in the final minute of stoppage time, another Reid cross sparked panic and Gazzaninga could only flap at a cross, enabling Fagan to smash a half volley into the far corner. But there was a whistle just before he did, and Mathieson disallowed Fagan’s effort – the third City goal chalked out – for a push on the keeper. Yet again, it looked a poor decision.

A slight disappointment at full time that the game wasn’t won – and the fact the cushion above the bottom two is still four points means there is still much work to do. Yet the manner in which City had come back was hugely commendable, and offers so much heart to take into Tuesday’s game with Crawley.

The shackles taken off by Parkinson, this side proved how capable they are and how much damage they can cause the opposition by playing attacking football. No chance that Parkinson will start 3-4-3 on Tuesday, but surely we should be aiming to start how we finished on Saturday in forcing the tempo.

After nervous anticipation at the start of the match, and the utter despair midway through – the players, management and supporters have proven that, by working together, we can make sure this relegation fight ends with us with on the right side of that dreaded dotted line.

City: McLaughlin, Ramsden (Wells 61), Oliver, Davies, Fry, Fagan, Bullock, Ravenhill (Syers 45), Reid, Hanson, Dagnall

Unused Subs: Annerson, Kozluk, Smalley

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