Tag Archives: Port Vale

We would have taken a point, but could have had all three

6 Mar

Port Vale 0

Bradford City 0 

Tuesday 5 March, 2013

 

By Gareth Walker

On the face of things, getting a point away from home against the side who are second in the league would be considered a job well done. However, after City’s second half performance tonight, anyone who was at Vale Park would find it difficult to argue that we didn’t deserve so much more.

City went into the game on the back of a good win on Saturday in the local derby against York and were hoping to gain back-to-back league wins for the first time since mid October. Port Vale were in poor form having only won once in their previous five games.

Phil Parkinson again shuffled the pack as he made three changes to the team from Saturday, with Rory McArdle, Zavon Hines and Garry Thompson replacing Andrew Davies, Kyel Reid and Nahki Wells. Vale meanwhile gave a start to returning loan signing Anthony Griffth and left Lee Hughes on the bench.

The first half was a relatively even affair with both sides enjoying decent spells of territorial possession and looking to get forward where possible, although relatively few chances were created. From a City point of view, this mainly seemed to be because of slight over elaboration on the edge of the Port Vale box. Will Atkinson in particular guilty of this, having got himself into decent positions on a couple of occasions.

The Valiants were trying to use the pace of Jennison Myrie-Williams down their right flank, but he was well shepherded by the impressive Carl McHugh, who also bravely headed away a cross from in his own six yard box despite losing a boot in the process.

The best chance of the first period fell to the division’s top scorer Tom Pope. A free kick was hung up to the back post from the City right. McHugh seemed to mistime his jump and this allowed a Port Vale player to head the ball back across goal. It was met first time by a thunderous Pope header, which had Jon McLaughlin completely wrong footed. Somehow, however, the City shotstopper managed to fling himself back to his left to produce a stunning one handed save, one which Width of a Post editor Jason McKeown described as “The Save of the Season”.

In truth, it was one of those saves that would be replayed over and over again if the game had been shown live on television, and it was definitely the highlight of what had been a relatively entertaining first half.

The second 45 was a different contest to the first in that City really dominated and had their high flying opponents on the rack for large periods. Hines and Thompson in particular were tormenting the Vale defence every time they got the ball, and James Hanson was winning more than his fair share in the air against the experienced Darren Purse. The home side started to look edgy as City increased the tempo. And there were a couple of cynical fouls which resulted in yellow cards, as they attempted to stem the flow that City were putting into their play.

It was from two of the resultant free kicks that Hanson had the two best chances of the game. Gary Jones, whose delivery looked back to its early season best, put in two tremendous crosses. Both were from the City right and both were met firmly by the head of our number nine. The first was well saved by Vale Keeper Chris Neal, although the effort lacked direction as Hanson was put under pressure from the challenge of Purse. The second, however, was a free header that was met firmly yet was disappointingly directed a good three yards wide of the post.

At the other end of the pitch, Pope was looking starved of service although he did have one headed chance from a breakaway that he directed straight into the arms of a grateful McLaughlin.

City had really upped the tempo and it was only an injury picked up by Thompson and his subsequent enforced withdrawal that signalled the end of a spell of complete Bantam dominance. It was a shame to see Thompson go off injured because he has been one of the stand out performers over the last two or three games. It is to be hoped that the injury isn’t a serious one that would prevent him from being involved in what remains of our hectic March schedule.

Wells came on and was immediately involved in the action as he turned left back Daniel Jones and set off towards the penalty area, only to be let down by some poor control. He also had a run down the City right shortly afterwards which involved him beating a couple of defenders and then going down in the box amidst some half hearted penalty appeals from the City faithful.

The home side did eventually have a spell of pressure on the City goal after Reid had been brought on to replace the tiring but extremely impressive Hines. McLaughlin, however, was rarely trouble as most efforts were somewhat wayward shots from the edge of the box. Even the introduction of Hughes, the man who most away fans love to hate, did little to spur the home side on; apart from one flick on that was well intercepted by Michael Nelson, before the onrushing Louis Dodds was able to capitalise.

It was, in fact, City who finished the game stronger with a couple of Reid crosses causing panic in the penalty area and being scrambled away when the ball just wouldn’t drop for a Bradford shirt, even when it squirmed under the body of Neal and was begging to be put away. The last incident of note in the game was the dismissal of Doug Loft in injury time for a clumsy challenge in the centre circle which left impressive referee James Adcock with little choice but to show the red card.

The point, although a welcome one for City, is one which does little to enhance our push for the play offs. And it is to be hoped that we look back on this game at the end of the season as one point gained rather than two dropped. In order to do that, it is surely now imperative that we take at least four points from our next two games against two of the division’s strugglers Aldershot and Plymouth.

City: McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Nelson, McHugh, Hines (Reid 76), Ravenhill, Jones (Doyle 90), Atkinson, Thompson (Wells 65), Hanson

Not used: Duke, Davies, Gray, Connell

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A big week, but which is the big one? City travel to leaders Port Vale

18 Jan

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Port Vale vs Bradford City preview

@Vale Park on Saturday 19 January, 2013

By Jason McKeown

THIS GAME HAS BEEN CALLED OFF, BUT ENJOY OUR PREVIEW ANYWAY

If there was ever any possibility of my dad one day understanding why I support a football team, it was surely lost forever when I told him that I was going to Crewe on Tuesday night and that it might be a good thing if we lost.

And so it was, that a 180-mile trip to Cheshire, involving taking half a day off work, on an evening where temperatures dipped to minus 4, resulted in watching a 4-1 thumping and exit from the cup – with barely a shrug. Yeah, it sucked to see City outplayed. Sure, it was dispiriting to see a few players struggle badly. But priorities lie elsewhere at this moment in time. You can only be pragmatic about it.

Ever since the Bantams produced that stunning victory over Arsenal in December, the club has barely been able to conceal its change in attitude towards the other two cup competitions. As the realisation we had defeated one of the biggest clubs in Europe was still sinking in the day after, the news that City had won its appeal against being booted out of the FA Cup seemed to be greeted both inwardly and outwardly with a collective “oh, right”. Phil Parkinson would later admit the appeal was a point of principle only, and that the replay with Brentford that the re-instatement resulted in was unwelcomed. Goodness knows what an irritated Bees’ must have made of the Bantams’ reserve team that ran out at Griffin Park.

The widespread changes made for City’s JPT tie on Tuesday may not have been as drastic, but carried the same undertones. Sure, it would be nice to get through to another two-legged semi final, but only if there was minimal personal cost in doing so.

The club clearly were not upset about bowing out to Crewe, so why should we supporters be? I realise not everyone present in the 400+ away following would agree with me on this. I cheered as feverishly as anyone else when Kyel Reid scored. I groaned as much as anyone else when Crewe scored. But give me a choice of which Bradford City matches I wanted to win over this January period, and Crewe would have been bottom of my list.

But Saturday is different. The route down the M6 to Crewe saw us turn off at J18 and go right at the roundabout. Weather permitting, tomorrow we will make the exact same car journey, only this time turning left. To Vale Park, home of the new league leaders. This is an important one.

For a long time this fixture looked set to be a top of the table, six-pointer type of clash. But the distraction of Arsenal and Aston Villa has seen City go off the boil in the league. Just one victory in six League Two matches since the Arsenal night. Just when we were on the brink of crashing into the automatic promotion places, we have slipped out of the play off zone. Port Vale have gone from strength to strength. Their last six games are the opposite of ours – just one defeat. Last time out they beat previous leaders Gillingham on their own patch. This is a tough one.

How do you approach it? On Width of a Post earlier this week, some of our valued and intelligent readers talked of resting key players ahead of the second leg against Aston Villa. Others will argue passionately that this one is the more important match, and so team selection must reflect that. You can understand that thinking, but it’s not necessarily that simple. Because if Parkinson fields a side that would be expected to play at Villa Park, for the biggest game of their careers, would they be in the right mind to play? I wouldn’t suggest anyone would lack commitment, but one bad tackle, one overstretch, one clattering, and they might be out the Villa game through injury or suspension.

The despondency over the league form is easy to understand, but does not deserve the anger it has predictably received from some areas. Earlier in this season, I wrote pieces about the Rotherham thrashing and dismal Accrington draw that drew sharp criticism. For a team with promotion ambitions, I didn’t believe either were good enough, but wondered if I was personally expecting too much. So I carried out a survey of readers to find out their expectations for the campaign, in order to help me judge where to pitch my writing.

The results of that survey of a three-figure number of City fans (so hardly universal) was that we City fans expected a 6th place finish this season. As it stands, we are two points off that target, which suggests we are only marginally below where we expect to be. Perhaps more revealing was the second question we asked: What is the minimum final City league position that you would be satisfied with this season? The average response was 9th. Which a look at today’s League Two table will show you is exactly where we are.

Clearly expectations shift up and down over the course of the season. Our strong form in November and early December allowed us to dream that a place in the top three was a realistic target. The cup heroics only added to that confidence. To me, automatic promotion still looks very achievable, but in the growing divide amongst supporters over whether the league or cup is more important, I must admit to coming down on the side of folk who declare that another season of League Two football, in 2013/14, would be a more than acceptable trade off for a place in the League Cup Final next month.

For now Parkinson takes his charges to Vale with new signing Michael Nelson ready for a debut. Although the wrong side of 30, Nelson’s pedigree is very impressive and he could be a big player for the club over the second half of the campaign. It is easy to envisage Nelson slotting in alongside Rory McArdle at centre back and Carl McHugh becoming left back until James Meredith is fit (Ryan Dickson’s start to life at Valley Parade has been poor, and watching him pull out of tackles at Crewe will take a while to forget). Then when Andrew Davies is back, McArdle will presumably take Stephen Darby’s right back slot. Harsh as that may be, we will have some strong back up options when everyone is fit.

Expect Nelson to play tomorrow alongside McArdle, with Darby and Curtis Good/Dickson at full backs. Jon McLaughlin’s nervous display midweek is a concern, but Matt Duke’s form means he is not going to lose his position as first choice anytime soon.

In midfield Nathan Doyle and Gary Jones will probably return to their usual roles. It would be nice to save Gary until Tuesday, but Ricky Ravenhill and Ritchie Jones offered nothing at Crewe to make a convincing claim for keeping their place. Zavon Hines has moved ahead of Kyel Reid as first choice pacy winger – who saw that coming? – and will play wide right with Will Atkinson on the left.

Up front, James Hanson is set to return. We can only hope that the week-and-a-half break will have done him good, as he looked jaded over the Christmas period. Will Nahki Wells be rested up for Villa Park and Andy Gray keep his place? I actually thought Gray was better on Tuesday, though he still has a way to go. Width of a Post understands that Bradford City were very close to agreeing a deal to sign James Vardy and he even attended a match at Valley Parade, but City’s victory over Villa prompted Leicester City to up their selling price. With rumours over Wells’ future, perhaps this deal is not dead just yet.

Port Vale, like City, are busy in the transfer market. This week, midfielder Daniel Jones rocked up from Sheffield Wednesday on a six-month contract. Most notably, Lee Hughes has joined from Notts County. There has been much debate on whether City should sign someone of Hughes’ past, expressed rather depressingly on one message board as “what’s more important, promotion or ethics?” I’ll stick with ethics, thanks.

That said, ethics could be a theme of the weekend should the game be on. Will City’s management and players give it everything on Saturday, at the risk of weakening their chances on Tuesday, or do we hold back? And what would the reaction be if we surrendered tamely?

One thing is for sure, a defeat tomorrow will be much harder to shrug off than it was at Crewe. At the very least, it couldn’t be considered “no big deal” unless something incredible happens at Villa Park on Tuesday night.

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It’s only a cup…FA Cup-less Bradford City go back to league matters

7 Dec

Torquay United vs Bradford City preview

@Valley Parade on Saturday 7 December, 2012

By Mark Scully

It was all going so well, the feel good factor was dripping from every pillar and post around Bradford. Four Wembley appearances beckoned for the Claret and Amber wizards across a variety of competitions and then someone didn’t do there paperwork correctly…

However, not to be greedy I’ll settle for just the three trips to the home of English football this season. It’s frustrating and it’s an error that really shouldn’t have been made, school boy stuff really – but am I actually that bothered? Not in the slightest. It would have been a tough replay at Brentford, a game where realistically I’d of expected Phil Parkinson to once again shuffle his pack – something which has worked well against Port Vale this week.

Even if we had of beaten Brentford the prospect of either Bury or Southend doesn’t get me excited, it’s a game off in what is already a busy enough fixture list and all joking aside are we going to win the FA Cup? Of course we aren’t, but are we going to get promoted out of League Two? We have every chance of that being achieved.

It’s humiliating for the club but one which they shouldn’t be to bothered about, just make sure all the paperwork is in place for the next cup match before we beat Arsenal – don’t want no nasty surprises as we wait for the Semi Final of the Capital One Cup to come around, do we?!

Anyway turning the focus back on tomorrow’s huge game against fellow promotion chasers Torquay United, and The Gulls arrive at Valley Parade in good form with back to back league wins against York City and Dagenham & Redbridge. Top scorer Rene Howe is chasing Nahki Wells down in the scoring charts and has been a thorn in the side of the Bantams numerous times down the last few years. Having won last time out on the road at York, only their second win on the road this season and first since mid September when they were victorious at Wimbledon 1-0. It’s so far been there home form that has seen them reach the edge of the play-offs and only a point behind us.

Last season saw Bradford to the double over Torquay with a 1-0 win at home, thanks to Craig Fagan’s first half strike. A game which saw The Bantams play the majority of the game due to Andrew Davies 24th-minute red card. At Plainmoor, in February once again Fagan netted with a quick fire second from Kyel Reid over turning Danny Stevens early strike for the hosts. Both fixtures in stark contrast to the previous season’s games where it was Torquay who did the double a 2-0 at Plainmoor and a comprehensive 3-0 win at Valley Parade.

The Gulls have already taken points off fellow promotion rivals Fleetwood and Port Vale away from home and despite their lack of wins on their travels are still to be considered dangerous opponents. At home they have seen off Martin Allen’s table toppers Gillingham and also drawn with third placed Cheltenham. So Parky will need to ensure that today’s news about being expelled from the FA Cup doesn’t distract the players to much.

Aside of today’s events, I am cautious about tomorrow’s game. A banana skin of a fixture and given the fact that the Arsenal game and some of the players biggest game of their careers to date will mean they won’t want to miss out. I just hope they don’t start thinking about the Arsenal game until after tomorrow’s game – get the three points and then start to look forward to welcoming Arsene Wenger’s red army to Valley Parade.

After the mid week win at Vale Park with in effect a weakened side, I’d expect all the big players to be back in the team. Matt Duke would retain his place in nets for me, the back four would be Stephen Darby, Rory McArdle, Carl McHugh and James Meredith a midfield four of Gary Jones, Nathan Doyle, Will Atkinson and Blair Turgott and up top James Hanson and Wells – you show me a better starting lineup in this league!

The Bantams despite the recent cup successes come into the game with only two wins in seven league games, and one win in the last three league home games. A win tomorrow would also cement a play-off place going into Christmas period and with the likes of Hines and Reid close to a return to first team action and hopefully Andrew Davies next month the second half of the season could be a superb one for Phil Parkinson’s men as the race for promotion will intensify. Hopefully the squad can be strengthened in January if required and I can’t imagine the queue of players wanting to join a successful club the size of Bradford in this division will be a particularly short one.

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The Tuesday Night Club

5 Dec

Port Vale 0

Bradford City 2

Ritchie Jones 46, Forsyth 55

Tuesday 4 December, 2012

By Jason McKeown

The end is nigh for myself and evenings like this.

It was the middle of 2007 – just as Bradford City fell into League Two – that our financial situation and lifestyle allowed me to become a regular away game attender for the first time since I was a teenager. The last five and a half years have seen me miss no more than a handful of games per season. The M1, the M6, where to park in Dagenham, where to drink at Macclesfield – I feel like I know it all like the back of my hand. An era of my life very well spent, even if on the field glory has been in short supply.

But without wanting to steal Will and Kate’s thunder, I have some news. You see myself and the wife are also expecting our first child (and like Will, I wish the Daily Mail would leave us alone!) It’s due at the end of May (worryingly close, and this will cause me panic for months, to the scheduled date of the League Two Play Off Final. Please do it via the automatic places, City!) And as thrilled as we are about our news and for the new chapters in life having a child is set to open, it will close a few too.

In short, there will be no Tuesday night trips to Stoke this time next year. Saturday treks to Bristol will also be out of the question. Home games and a few local away matches, that is the life for me.

Not forever of course. Within the blinking of an eye, no doubt, Junior and their siblings will have grown up and moved out. As I scanned the number of elderly City fans at Vale Park this evening, I felt some comfort from knowing that this somewhat foolhardy Tuesday Night Club of extreme supporting will always leave its doors open to me. But in many respects this feels like the start of a final lap in this level of devotion to Bradford City. Time to leave others carrying the baton, for a few years at least.

And it is nights like this where extreme fanaticism/borderline stupidity of following the Bantams is so evident. When we arrived into the ground 45 minutes before kick off, there were just four other City fans present. By the time we were underway there were still only around 100 of us. A bitterly cold night, three weeks before Christmas, and a third-rate cup competition – it’s no wonder the away turnout was so low. Come mid-January when there’s not much else to look forward to, we will be back at Vale Park in much bigger numbers for what will no doubt be an important league match. By then, this night will be long forgotten.

The action itself fitted the low key feeling. For all the talk of operating with a small squad, tonight Phil Parkinson managed to pick 10 outfield players that – when everyone is fit – few, if any, City fans would include in their first choice XI. The give-the-borderline-players-a-chance-to-impress approach always looks good on paper, but very often doesn’t work out. Tonight at times City looked less a team and more a bunch of individuals trying to push their case for more regular selection. And with a lack of edge to the tie fuelled by the stark truth that really, deep down, none of us cared that much whether we progressed or bowed out (those of us present were desperate for a win of course, but there would have been no tears shed had we lost), for the most part it was the type of evening you won’t particularly miss when other life priorities take over.

But then barely a minute into the second half, City scored and you go mental celebrating. A good goal it was too, with Garry Thompson breaking clear and laying the ball off to Ritchie Jones, who finished impressively with a low shot from the edge of the box. Only Ritchie’s second goal in a Bantams shirt, with the other also coming at Vale Park, last season. He must like it here, though hopefully not enough for rumours of him joining the Valiants in January to come to fruition.

Nine minutes later it was 2-0. Thompson again broke clear on the flank as City counter attacked, and his low cross into the box left an unmarked Craig Forsyth with a ridiculous amount of time and space. He took his time slotting the ball home too. Nice to see him off the mark in a City shirt, but other elements of Forsyth’s game tonight were very disappointing.

And that was that. A first for City’s cup exploits this season – the match seemingly settled before the final kick. Plenty of huff and puff from Port Vale and Jon McLaughlin made a string of outstanding saves throughout the evening, but a third City goal always looked just as likely with numerous chances created and spurned.

Thompson’s key role in both goals was a fitting reward for a vastly improved performance. He was back up front, despite Parkinson’s recent comments that for Garry it was winger or nothing; and found greater success from the fact his team mates did not send long balls to his head, but balls over the top for him to run on to. Alan Connell had a decent night also, but on this evidence Thompson might just have pushed himself up the pecking order to third choice striker.

Ritchie Jones impressed with his unfaltering energy levels – you wouldn’t know, from tonight, that he’s been out injured for most of the campaign. Blair Turgott built on his promising debut against Brentford to cause Port Vale numerous problems. Tom Naylor enjoyed a far more impressive second game for City, this time in the centre, following a jittery first game, at right back, against Exeter two weeks ago. Parkinson will have got everything he wanted from the night – a place in the quarter finals, and some genuine selection headaches for Saturday’s important league match with Torquay.

As for us supporters, it had been worth all the effort travelling down and worth putting on all those layers in a futile attempt to stay warm. There is always something much more enjoyable about watching a game you are winning compared to the laboured, half-paced opening 45 minutes of goalless action. Seeing Nathan Doyle come on to play right back almost had a retro feel. Gary Jones and James Hanson looked sprightly on their mini run-outs.

Such nights are quickly forgotten. A mere footnote on a season where the headlines, good or bad, are inevitably generated elsewhere. Yet the experience of being part of the few, the hardy, soldiers – of whom you recognise so many by sight from countless afternoons and evenings similar to this – feels special in its own way. At different stages of our City-supporting lives, we probably all experience periods of going to as many games as possible and then others where it’s not so much. Tonight offers a snapshot of the supporters who are in their die-hard period of support (young and very old it seemed, middle-aged people few and far between). And though I feel sad I will soon not be among them nearly as often as I have these past six seasons, I feel proud to know I’ve done my stint.

And when my child is old enough, I will look forward to regaling Stuart Benito Carbone Gary Walsh Beagrie Edinho McKeown with tales of nights such as this.

City: McLaughlin, Darby (Doyle 61), Naylor, Good, McHugh, Turgott (Gary Jones 62), Ritchie Jones, Ravenhill, Forsyth, Thompson (Hanson 72), Connell

Not used: Duke, Wells

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The marathon continues as City travel to Port Vale in JPT

4 Dec
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Defeating Hartlepool in the last round

Port Vale vs Bradford City JPT preview

@Vale Park on Tuesday 4 December, 2012

By Jason McKeown

So game 29 of the season, and we’ve only completed four months of the nine-month campaign. It is quite extraordinary and – speaking personally as someone who has attended 22 of the 28 matches – it’s a good job it’s not been boring.

What a season this is turning out to be. You can already look back on the first four months of action and find numerous highlights. Wigan of course, thrashing Wimbledon was fun, then there’s Connell’s lob at Accrington, the rousing Morecambe victory, Oxford, Cheltenham, Northampton (league and the cup replay), Hartlepool, Bristol Rovers. My personal highlight so far was Nahki Wells’ last minute equaliser in the cup against Burton. How crucial a goal that now looks, given the subsequent rewards.

It goes without saying that tonight’s JPT tie against Port Vale is comfortably at the bottom of the list of priorities. And that in itself offers a yardstick of progress, given how big an occasion last December’s quarter final tie at Oldham in this same competition became. It is almost a year to the day of that 2-0 defeat at Boundary Park. The away end at Vale Park this evening will house a far, far lower City following.

Nevertheless I’m looking forward to this one. The JPT rules about having to play at least six first team regulars, or at least six of your starting line up from the last match, may be an unwelcome hindrance to the managers, but it does guarantee a competitive match of sorts. And with Port Vale looking a very ordinary side on Valley Parade evidence, but sitting pretty in second, seven points ahead of the Bantams, it will be interesting to see how we measure up.

For me – and I suspect it’s a view that Parkinson shares – this stage of the season has become one about staying in touch with the League Two pace setters. We are not going to be at our best in the league with such a fixture overload and sizeable list of injuries. But when City finally bow out of all these cup competitions – and it must happen eventually, as hard as it seems to believe at times – we want to be in a position where we can really kick on in the league. The automatic places – like the spot Port Vale occupy – has to be the target. Play offs are a very welcome consolation prize, should we fail.

So City go toe-to-toe with Vale tonight looking for revenge for that unfortunate home defeat in September and to offer further evidence they are capable of being their equal. That, in the short-term, could mean more than showing we are equals to League One Brentford.

And what of the fact reserves from both sides will surely feature? Well, a good performance from them would be very, very welcome too. I really enjoyed Friday’s performance against Brentford, but what troubled me slightly is that – once again – City had to rely on their first choice players to salvage a draw. The sight of Alan Connell, Garry Thompson and Ricky Ravenhill being taken off on the hour was welcoming at the time, but it meant the evening had become yet another one where Connell and Thompson in particular wasted an opportunity to push their first team claims.

We know that the three substitutes – Gary Jones, Will Atkinson and Nahki Wells – are key players for whom our fortunes this season are dependent upon. But we want to see evidence that others are capable of stepping up in their absence and proving themselves match winners too. That didn’t happen, and there’s a growing gap between City’s best XI and those in reserve which, if more injuries occur to the former group, will present a real problem.

You would expect Connell, Thompson and Ravenhill to figure once more tonight. But will they be asked to start a week today, when a certain London side are in town? From what they showed on Friday – and on many other occasions in recent weeks – they will be on bench duty at best. Perhaps tonight is their last chance to stake a claim.

Who else plays will be interesting. In goal the battle between Jon McLaughlin and Matt Duke has been an ongoing sub plot since pre-season. Duke had a poor game at Bristol Rovers and – going by the way Parkinson has swapped over the pair following a mistake by one – you would expect him to be relegated to back up/cup goalkeeper. And with the next match after Rovers a cup one, sure enough, Duke was in goal. Yet the veteran stopper had a brilliant evening and played very well, making three crucial saves. So is he still first choice, or cup keeper? Time will tell, but if he plays tonight and plays well again, expect him to preserve his place at the front of the queue.

In defence it’s hoped Rory McArdle can take a well-earned breather tonight, though a backline of Curtis Good and Carl McHugh would lack experience. Stephen Darby and James Meredith will occupy the full back slots, though Tom Naylor might be an option on the right. It is interesting to note how impressive Meredith has been going forwards of late, after talking to him in the bar prior to a Skipton Bantams meeting in October, where he stated he had been told to stay back when Kyel Reid is in the team.

Ravenhill will hopefully be joined in midfield by Ritchie Jones. He has enjoyed two excellent cameos from the bench in the last two league outings, and I for one hope that he still figures in Parkinson’s plans. Blair Turgott has received a lot of plaudits for his debut, but I hope there is more to come from him as, for me, he drifted in and out of the game and his decision making could be better. Atkinson or Thompson will patrol the other flank.

Parkinson may opt for Connell and James Hanson once again up front. I thought Hanson was outstanding in the second half against Brentford, showing what a pivotal player he is for us. As a partnership Hanson and Connell have not clicked in the same way as Hanson and Wells, but I’d like to see them be given a go when Thompson is not in the team. There is an obvious team strategy to target long balls to Thompson on the flank, when he is playing. But although Thompson is okay in this area, it’s not a hugely effective weapon and somewhat negates the impact of Hanson. It might seem predictable to just aim it to Hanson, but he wins so many of these balls that I don’t see it an issue. And when he is truly the focal point of the side, let’s have a look at if he and Connell can link up better.

Port Vale come into this game fresh from being knocked out the FA Cup by Sheffield United in heartbreaking circumstances, and perhaps the importance of this tie has grown for them given it is the only cup competition they are left in. Three years ago City knocked out Vale at this stage of the competition, via penalties – the second City shootout success of a run that now stretches to eight. You wouldn’t bet against tonight going to penalties once again, and – given how memorable this season is proving – the script surely doesn’t call for a damp squid City exit via our favourite route to getting through to the next round.

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The fixture madness resumes as City face Brentford in the FA Cup

30 Nov

Bradford City vs Brentford FA Cup second round preview

@Valley Parade on Friday 30 November, 2012

By Gareth Walker

It was strange looking at the fixture lists this week to see that City had no midweek game. We have become accustomed to playing on Tuesday nights over the last month or so. In fact it is over a month since City didn’t play two games in a week and the last free Tuesday that the squad had was way back on 16th October.

It is no wonder therefore that Phil Parkinson said in his post match interview after the Bristol Rovers draw last weekend that he planned on giving the players a few days off. Not surprising in the slightest, given that over the traditionally busy DecemberCity go back to playing twice a week again and will actually play as many as TEN games between this Friday and the away fixture against Barnet on 5th January.

City appear to have paid the price for their own successes over the season so far as we have been the only team in the country still battling on all four domestic fronts. I don’t know the exact figures, but I’m sure that if you totalled up the number of minutes played by each team in League Two, City would come out comfortably on top, not least due to the occasions when we have been forced to go into Extra Time in order to ensure our passage through into the next round of a cup competition.

Indeed, the injuries that were picked up a couple of weeks ago in the Cup Replay against NorthamptonTown by James Meredith and Stephen Darby were put down simply to fatigue. Fortunately both were only out short term and a little rest seemed to do the trick. I’m sure that PP will be hoping that the luxury of going six days without a game will have allowed players in a similar position to rest any niggles or aching limbs.

One result that I’m confident that nobody involved with City will be hoping for on Friday night is a draw. This would lead to a replay and therefore another game for City to cram in before that Barnet game on 5th January. That 5th January date by the way is the one that will be used for an FA Cup 3rd round game should City triumph in tonight’s second round fixture.

This therefore leads us back onto a discussion about the clubs priorities. Most people are agreed that the league has to be our main concern this season. However, with three out of next four fixtures being in the cup competitions we can be forgiven for asking ourselves which is the most important.

After playing Brentford, we go on to play Port Vale away in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday night, then we have Torquay in a league game on the Saturday before the game that everyone is trying not to talk about against Arsenal the following Tuesday. Out of the three Cup games, I’d stick my neck out and say that from the club’s point of view, this game against Brentford might just be the most important.

Although supporters are all buzzing about the Arsenal game (no doubt the players are too), and a cup upset would be magical, we have to be realistic and realise that the odds are stacked against us and we are likely to bow out of that competition. The Port Vale game is the one that is the least glamorous, both for the fans and for the club, not least because of the lack of financial gain from the competition and the further fixture backlog that a win would create.  The Brentford game, however, is the second round of the FA Cup and a win would put us into the third round draw with the chance of coming away with another lucrative tie for the club similar to the Arsenal one.

City go into Friday’s fixture having only lost one game in our last eight, whilst Brentford are in similarly good form having only lost one of their last nine games. They haven’t tasted defeat since their game away to Doncaster back on 20 October. They sit in fifth place in League One and triumphed over promotion rivals Sheffield United last time out.

Managed by the astute German and former Manchester City Centre Forward Uwe Rosler, they boast an impressive squad which includes one time City Target and Bradford-born Clayton Donaldson. He is currently the Bees top goalscorer. Other players to watch out for include former City loanee Tom Adeyemi and ex-Leeds midfielder Jonathan Douglas.

City go into the game without long term absentees Luke Oliver, Andrew Davies, Kyel Reid and Zavon Hines, although we are lead to believe that Reid and Hines are well on the road to recovery and should be available sooner rather than later. We are also boosted by the news that loanees Blair Turgott and Curtis Good are available to play in cup competitions.

Whatever team Parkinson picks will face a tough task against higher division opposition, but as so often seems to be the case this season, the potential rewards could be mouth-watering. It is up the players and coaching staff to get the most out of themselves over the next month or so in order to ensure that City go into the new year in the best possible position.

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City’s endeavour goes unrewarded as Vale halt VP run

29 Sep

Bradford City 0

Port Vale 1

Pope 38

Saturday 29 September, 2012

By Joe Cockburn

The result didn’t tell the full story for City today as we went down 1-0 at home to Port Vale. And at this stage of the season, it doesn’t really matter that much either.

With no scramble for points, we can afford to play well and not get the result and that was certainly the case today. The team performed impressively but it just wasn’t to be in terms of scoring goals. And it showed with the fans’ reaction at the full time whistle, applauding the players off and not even a hint of a boo that would have come in the same situation last season.

The tactics were similar to Tuesday night; Will Atkinson once again starting on the right, with Kyel Reid inevitably coming back in on the left. This clearly allowed Reid more of a free run out; he gave right-back Richard Duffy a lot to think about before the break. His crossing let him down, however, often failing to find a man and numerous mis-hits – some of which ended up outside the box, not even giving the Vale defence a slight test. But this be his character: if he was a consistent performer he would be playing every week in the Championship. He spent a lot of the second half on the right hand side, which frustrated me a lot, as he is nowhere as good with his right foot, meaning he often shifted back on to his left, but then he felt the need to shoot a lot, so that ruined his performance for me.

Stephen Darby was unlucky to lose his place after a good performance at right-back on Tuesday. He is yet to do anything majorly wrong, and I don’t like seeing a centre half at full-back, it makes the team a little flat, and means the winger often has to do a lot on his own. That said, Rory McArdle did well today, and rarely performed his aimless lump upfield.

Hanson and Wells were partnered up front, Wells did well enough, but Hanson was below par. His headers were weak, and he struggled to win headers against the sizeable pairing of Clayton McDonald and John McCombe. He connected with at least three pinpoint crosses during the game, and in fairness the crosses lacked pace, but he needs to learn to generate his own power, rather than letting the ball just hit his head and glide into the keeper’s arms.

Hanson’s performance perhaps seemed worse in comparison to the fantastic one at the opposite end from Tom Pope. His tireless work and ability to win headers he had no right to win is just what City would love from Hanson. If he had a partner like Wells, Port Vale would be unplayable.

The game started in a fantastic fashion, and continued that way to the half time whistle; with both sides fearlessly attacking, the game could have turned either way, which it did. A rare mistake from Gary Jones gifted Tom Pope with the ball, then McArdle accidently took out Luke Oliver with an unnecessary slide tackle to open it up for the Vale striker, who did what he seems to always do against the Bantams.

However, that was a rare opening for the visitors, who created just two other chances of note, both coming in the second half. Firstly, Ashley Vincent should have done better after a quick break, shooting straight at Jon McLaughlin. The City stopper also made a fine save from the quiet Jennison Myrie-Williams, after a bit of a scramble in front of him.

City controlled the majority of the game, and had multiple attacks and the ball spent a lot of time in the Vale defensive third, but too often the attacks fizzled out into nothingness, with poor crosses, wild long shots or weak efforts at the keeper ending each good spell City had. The bottom line is, there weren’t many clear goalscoring opportunities for the home side.

The first two minutes, however, saw two unbelievably clear-cut chances. First Wells finding space but firing straight at the keeper and then, from the resulting corner, Hanson headed into the side netting – many City fans thinking it had somehow sneaked in at the far post. At that point, I thought my cheeky punt at 4-2 might have been won me £66 from my 1 pound coin.

The first half continued to be exciting. It was clear from the first five minutes that there were two good sides on the pitch, and this set out for a good game. Numerous half chances were created, but the game began to slow and unfold when the visitors realised the referee was prone to a con or 25. Every sticky situation for them resulted in a dive or a sneaky foul on Hanson or Wells, but Mr Paul Tierney was determined not to give anything City’s way.

City went in at half time unfairly 1-0 down, and didn’t really look like scoring in the second half. I think Port Vale’s choice of ends had something to do with this; we score so many goals when we attack the Kop in the second half, the players undoubtedly urged on by the fans they are playing towards. Today, playing towards the Bradford End after half time, the game seemed to fizzle out, the fans didn’t really get into it and it became rather flat.

Credit to Port Vale. They did just what they had to do: scored the goal and defended well, to go home with the three points. I think they were also helped by our extra-time win on Tuesday night. Players looked a little leggy, and I think Gary Jones was the biggest casualty of this. Playing 120 minutes on Tuesday, then another 90 today, and at 35, he struggled more as the game went on. Passes were over and under hit, and Mr Reliable wasn’t as reliable as usual. But we can be sure that this won’t be the case on Tuesday when he returns to his former stomping ground.

Fan’s reaction was mixed after the game, some saying we looked really good, others saying we never looked like scoring. I say both. We played well, but didn’t create enough clear cut chances to win the game by a considerable margin.

Thoughts now turn to Tuesday night at my favourite away ground, Spotland. There are several former Rochdale players in our squad who will be out with a point to prove, and let’s hope the atmosphere is as good as it usually is when we play there.

I will leave you with one thought that I heard, which I think sums things up perfectly. We will play worse than that and win this season. Will we be happy then?

City: McLaughlin, McArdle, Oliver (Connell 81), Davies, Meredith, Atkinson (Hines 62), Gary Jones, Doyle, Reid (Thompson 87), Hanson, Wells

Not used: Duke, Darby, Ravenhill, McHugh

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In danger of believing in a new Bradford City

28 Sep

Bradford City vs Port Vale preview

@Valley Parade on Saturday 29 September, 2012

By Luke Lockwood

What a time to be City fan, a thrilling cup comeback has seen us through to the last 16 for the first time in almost a quarter of a century –despite getting the draw none of us wanted but most of us half-expected. However, our perennial bad luck in cup draws is the only negative from the opening stages of the season. And besides, we must now concentrate on what this season is all about – the league.

As good as the result on Tuesday night was, I’d give it all up if it guaranteed a continuation of our glorious home form in the league this year. As WOAP editor Jason McKeown reflected in his match report; one of the most important things about Tuesday night was how the players’ heads did not drop even after going two goals down – proving that there is a definite belief building among the squad. Previous City sides would have crumbled at the two goal deficit, but the new City rise to the added challenge

That belief seems to be quickly spreading throughout the stands, as even the most ardent pessimist has to admit that this squad appears capable of competing at the right end of this division. This was again evident on Tuesday evening; 4,000 home fans sang, cheered, and roared their side on as they patiently waited for a memorable comeback. Admittedly, the impressive performance helped maintain high spirits in the stands. All the same, the positive backing will no doubt have contributed to the impressive performance – boo boys take note!

This could be vital tomorrow as Valley Parade hosts League Two’s top scorers Port Vale, who have already netted 11 away from home. The division’s top scorer Tom Pope in particular has been in red hot form, with eight goals already in only eight games this season – and is a familiar face to City fans having scored twice against the Bantams. City should need no added incentive to keep it tight though, as a win against Vale would see us leap frog them into the automatic spots.

Parkinson utilised his squad against Burton making six changes and – had it not been for the late reprieve – would have probably been heavily criticised by those not in attendance for fielding a weakened side. However, those that were there to witness a dominant display by City from start to finish would only have left the ground feeling a sense of injustice by the result had it not gone our way.

City’s manager still has not escaped completely from the perpetual half-empty mug fans who would rather have seen a strong team finish the game off in 90 minutes so the players weren’t fatigued for the weekend. There are no guarantees that James Hanson, Kyel Reid, Nathan Doyle, Luke Oliver and Jon McLaughlin would have won the game in normal time against a strong Burton side. It will be interesting to see how those that had to complete 120 minutes will cope on Saturday, but we can’t start to criticise Parkinson for a decision that Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho would have made.

The interesting decision for Parkinson now will be, after an impressive display by many of the fringe players, have any of them done enough to warrant a place in the starting 11 come Saturday?

There is little doubt that McLaughlin will come back in to replace Matt Duke. The latter has done very little wrong between the sticks this season and made an outstanding save to keep us in the game late on against Burton, but currently young Jon has been more assured than his coach. The intriguing battle between the two stoppers looks as though it will continue throughout the season, and I’m sure there will be plenty more chances for Duke to come.

The left hand side of defence look equally sure of their positions for the time being as Andrew Davies and James Meredith have excelled in the opening games. As good as Pope has been for Vale this year, it is unlikely he has come up against a defender as good as Davies and Saturday’s contest is likely to test the merits of both players. There is a dilemma for Parkinson when choosing the right hand side of his back four as Stephen Darby, Rory McArdle and Luke Oliver are vying for two positions. All have impressed so far, and Darby is probably the most unfortunate player in the City squad currently. Tuesday’s goal scoring hero will probably face disappointment again as Parkinson looks to thwart the threat of Vale’s attack with his most solid and disciplined defence.

Disciplined, conservative, organised, are all words that have found regular use in discussions about Bradford this year. A lot has been said about how organised the new City seem to be, many have discussed whether Parkinson should go with a more disciplined winger away from home and Jason McKeown was at it again in Tuesday’s match report “as Nathan Doyle’s conservatively central positioning was notably missed”.

His value to the team was emphasised only by his absence on Tuesday. Quite rightly, our inspirational (vice) captain Gary Jones has claimed all the plaudits this season as he leads this new City by example, and demands the same level from his peers because he is a winner. His consistently sparkling performances continue to catch the eye, but his brilliance is allowed to shine due to the attributes of the exquisite Doyle.

Doyle’s ‘discipline’ in the middle of the park allows Jones defy his years and charge around the pitch, and the partnership these two have built is what makes Bradford City tick this season. Doyle looked as though he was initially brought in as a utility player, playing the majority of games but filling in where needed. But instead he has become an immoveable object in midfield – and not just due to his size! In the absence of club captain Ricky Ravenhill and the fit again Ritchie Jones, Will Atkinson has been staking his claim as first choice understudy. Atkinson has continued to impress when called upon and looks more comfortable in the middle.

He operated from his natural wide berth on Tuesday evening and produced a decent display, however he was outshone by Zavon Hines, and his second half replacement Reid as the ex-West Ham pair gave the Vale full backs a night they won’t forget in a hurry. The new-look City approach games focussed on their own threats rather than fearing what the opposition may be capable of.

City actually utilised four different wingers during the course of the 90 minutes – Garry Thompson also featured on the right hand. However, it was Reid and Hines who showed why they will again be favoured on Saturday and I can only presume Hines was withdrawn with the Port Vale game in mind.

Thompson has been chased and courted by Bradford City for some time now and, like some kind of Lothario, after putting the deal to bed they have cast him aside and moved onto the new, younger, more exciting Hines. From Tuesday’s night’s performance Thompson has a lot to offer this season, both in his preferred position as a front man and also in the fans preferred perception of him as a wide player. He featured for an hour in both positions and performed admirably in each.

From my point of view his better contributions came as a front man. Time and time again he would link play between midfield and attack, his previous experience as a winger was evident as he consistently put the ball into the areas Hines/Atkinson wanted to receive. Unfortunately for Thompson we seemed to keep forgetting he wasn’t 6’3 Hanson and, try as he might, he failed to dominate the Burton defenders in the same way City’s top scorer can. When the ball came into feet, Thompson produced some neat touches, extravagant flicks and first time passes into space – but a target man he is not.

This was possibly the most important factor missing from the side on Tuesday night, the James Hanson factor. City produced some fantastically smart build up play and superb sequences of passes, but too many times they failed to hold onto the ball in the final third. This resulted in the ball coming back too quickly and Burton exploiting the space vacated by the advanced City players on the break (refer to Burton’s opener). City also missed Hanson’s presence in an area where he is vastly undervalued – defensive set pieces (refer to Burton’s second).

These goals may not have been stopped had Hanson been on the pitch, and the problem may have been escalated by the absence of the ‘disciplined’ Doyle (Burton’s first) and Oliver (Burton’s second). But these were the only two areas City seemed to struggle to cope, and Hanson’s presence would have helped to combat both threats. Tomorrow he will be welcomed back from the start by fans and team mates, to once again give opposition defenders a rotten afternoon.

Alongside him provides much debate, Thompson showed he could be a potential partner for Hanson rather than a replacement. He is very much of the Alan Connell mould: who has impressed the majority of the City crowd with his tireless work rate and knack for being in the right place. But he doesn’t look the most natural finisher after missing a third one on one when clean through on Tuesday.

Nahki Wells provides a different option and – despite not fulfilling the heavy expectations of a hopeful crowd in the early stages – appears to have hit top gear now, matching Hanson with five goals this season. After bringing City back from the dead with an outstanding strike and poachers finish on Tuesday, he will be understandably aggrieved if he does not get the nod to partner his joint top scorer this weekend.

To summarise, despite an impressive display from his fringe players, Parkinson is likely to revert back to the side that provided his first away win against Oxford, but will continue to emphasise the importance of his first XI maintaining high standards as he has a team full of hungry squad players ready to take their chance.

Hopefully a disciplined victory against high scoring Port Vale will propel City into an automatic spot where they will remain for the rest of the season. Past experiences of City would suggest this is unlikely, but this is a new Bradford City – Believe!

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Key ingredients absent as Bradford City earn late draw

15 Feb

Bradford City 1

Davies 90

Port Vale 1

Dodds 39

Tuesday 14 February, 2012

This was an evening where it seemed, everywhere you looked, something was missing.

Missing from the starting line up was captain Craig Fagan and joining him on the sidelines 14 minutes into the game was top scorer James Hanson. There continues to be raging debates about the qualities of both players – especially Fagan – but without their presence, Bradford City looked a poorer side. Squad rotation may prove a necessity over the coming weeks, but there are certain members who the Bantams are simply going to struggle without.

Missing from the stands tonight appeared to be hundreds of City supporters. It’s difficult to recall a league match since the pre-cheap season ticket days where Valley Parade looked as empty. Rows and rows of vacant seats are nothing new in certain areas of the ground, but what was notable this evening was that usually well-populated areas of each stand seemed half full. The club has not reported an attendance because of a “system error”.

Missing from the pitch was an experienced official. Astonishingly given Mark Lawn’s comments about referees last week, we were treated to Tony Harrington’s first ever Football League appointment. In fact, according to Soccerbase stats, Harrington has only refereed 19 Conference level matches in his career. Match Official Appointments were only announced by the Football League the day before. Either the decision makers were unaware of Lawn’s attack, or they have a strange sense of humour.

Initially it looked as though City might benefit from Harrington’s erratic decision making, when only two minutes into the game Port Vale’s Marc Richards was hauled down by Luke Oliver, and Ben Williamson was left with just Jon McLaughlin to beat. Harrington decided to pull the play back and award Vale a free kick, when allowing advantage would probably have resulted in a visitors’ goal.

Yet Harrington’s display gradually began to echo Lawn’s words with depressing familiarity. He may have proved that he is not swayed by a relatively large crowd heaping pressure on him, but doing so came at the expense of impartial thinking and allowing a game of football to flow. The stop start fussy nature disrupted a match already low on quality, and made for a tedious evening.

Hanson’s departure from the field through injury, after commendable efforts to keep the ball in play and whip it into the box, earned him a clattering he couldn’t run off and led to a reshuffle which further neutered the effectiveness of City’s attack. Phil Parkinson had made six starting XI changes, with Deane Smalley asked to play Fagan’s right midfield role of closely supporting the central midfield. But with Hanson off, Smalley was moved to target man alongside the surprisingly recalled Ross Hannah. It didn’t work.

Will Atkinson was brought on for Hanson, and City went two out-and-out wingers for the first time in weeks. But although there was some promising build up play during the first half, a lack of presence in the box meant that moves broke down. Hanson saw a header blocked by Port Vale’s Stuart Tomlinson before he was injured, Hannah fired a shot over the bar and Andrew Davies headed wide. But the whirlwind tempo of previous home games was missing, and Port Vale always offered a threat at the other end.

Six minutes before the break, Louis Dodds popped up at the edge of the area to superbly volley a low cross into the far side of the goal. And though it was a moment to sportingly applaud the individual brilliance, there was an overriding frustration over how many times during the past decade City have allowed a game to drift instead of taking the initiative, and the inevitable consequences.

And as City toiled with little conviction in the second half, Hanson and Fagan were increasingly missed. Port Vale pushed an extra man in midfield to go 4-5-1, and despite Ricky Ravenhill and the outstanding Richie Jones – in for the injured David Syers – battling impressively, they were out-numbered by the physical stature of Vale’s midfield.

It was not a game in which employing two out and out wingers was going to prove profitable, and instead Fagan could have made a huge difference. Ravenhill and Jones needed an extra body alongside them which is what Fagan offers, but Kyel Reid and Atkinson were too far away in wide positions to help out.  So given City couldn’t pass through Vale, they had to go direct. No Hanson to contest and win long balls, no way of holding it up in the final third so others could get forward.

And here we come to the main missing ingredient from the evening – commitment. City’s league position and games like this demand that players put their bodies on the line as a bare minimum; but tonight there were three passengers which undermined the efforts of the rest of the team. I hoped Atkinson’s uninspiring debut at Bristol Rovers was a one-off, but again he was largely ineffective and unwilling to go looking for the ball. Some things he did well and he clearly has talent, but he seemed to be holding back.

Smalley and Reid were not much better for the main part, and each visibly displayed a reluctance to get hurt when others would have no qualms. First Reid was asked to chase a pass down the flank that he was favourite to reach first, but where three visiting players were closing in. He hesitated and seemed to try and win a throw in rather than charge forward using his pace. The opportunity was wasted.

Shortly after, a long ball dropped into Smalley’s path on the right side and – with no defenders nearby – Tomlinson had to rush out of his area to clear. Both looked set to reach the ball at the same time, but then Smalley held back and allowed the keeper to head it out of play. He may not have won the ball by committing to the challenge, but even giving the keeper a whack and thus shaking his composure – at the cost of a free kick – would have demonstrated a greater level of determination to the cause.

Examples of commitment were hardly lacking elsewhere – debutant Matt Fry’s brave header off the line, which saw him disgracefully smashed head-first into the goal post by Ben McDonald; the energetic manner Jones kept running from box-to-box; and the fact Andrew Davies and Oliver made a number of superb sliding tackles to win possession.

They and others deserved better from team mates giving less than 100%, though it is curious why they don’t appear to be visibly demanding it. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person longing for the leadership qualities of Michael Flynn to be introduced from the bench.

But in the end, Parkinson’s changes did have a positive effect in rescuing a point. Nahki Wells came on for Hannah, who had showed some nice touches but needs to contribute a lot more. The Bermudan instantly began to give defenders a hard time and made some intelligent runs. With time running out, Davies was moved up front and suddenly City began to look threatening.

The final element missing was Tomlinson’s brain deep into stoppage time. First he elected to catch a Reid cross which was drifting harmlessly out of play; his momentum forcing the ball over the line in his hands. From the resultant corner, Davies weakly headed the ball towards Tomlinson and – with some pressure from City players nearby – the ball somehow squirmed underneath him and over the line. Given Harrington’s tendency to award Vale soft free kicks, we held our breath waiting for him to disallow the goal. But he didn’t. City had got out of jail.

Incredibly Wells might have won it seconds later, after he robbed a Vale defender of possession and was left with a one-on-one opportunity. Tomlinson made up for past mistakes by blocking the shot and the referee blew for full time. City hadn’t really deserved a draw, so certainly didn’t merit the win.

Ultimately this should be looked upon as a vital point gained. Had we lost tonight, the mood would be very dark ahead of a trip to 3rd place Torquay United. City then play relegation rivals Hereford, Barnet and Dagenham in the space of a week. This is a crucial period – so beginning it by at least not losing is a positive.

Although the key to ultimately winning this relegation battle over the coming weeks could lie in the ability to restore everything that was missing from this evening.

City: McLaughlin, Seip, Oliver, Davies, Fry (Ramsden 79), Smalley, Jones, Ravenhill,  Reid, Hanson (Atkinson 14), Hannah (Wells 56)

Subs not used: Duke, Flynn

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The next stage of Parkinson’s evolution as City play Port Vale

13 Feb

Bradford City vs Port Vale match preview

@Valley Parade on Tuesday 14 February, 2012

2012 has yet to get going for Bradford City – especially in view of the powerful way the previous year ended. Three defeats from three on the road, two home draws where late conceded goals cost points, and now back-to-back match postponements means that previous momentum has been lost.

The Bantams entertain Port Vale looking to get going again, and needing to do so quickly. Study the League Two table for more than a few seconds and a knot of fear will appear in your stomach. A four-point gap between City and the bottom two is a little too close for comfort. Particularly considering 2011 had ended with a seven-point cushion.

Two key considerations arise from the recently stalled form and frozen pitches, which will determine how successful the final 19 games are to prove in avoiding demotion from the Football League.

Consideration one – how thick and fast games are going to come

Starting with Port Vale, 15 matches are scheduled to be played over an eight-week period. Such a busy schedule could easily prove City’s undoing as fatigue, injuries and suspensions become more keenly felt

Manager Phil Parkinson is clearly harbouring similar concerns. There has been plenty of debate about why the squad is so large in numbers this season, with the changeover of managers and Development Squad causing a high number of new arrivals since the summer. But as Parkinson approaches his six-month anniversary in charge of the Bantams, it’s increasingly clear that the majority of his current squad is here through his own choosing. And the next few weeks look set to see more of a squad approach taken to selection.

When taking into account the fact some players can perform in different positions, the level of choice is huge. By my calculations, Parkinson currently has 12 players who could occupy the four defensive positions available and 13 footballers who can play in midfield. In addition there are six recognised strikers at the club. If the treatment room can stay relatively quiet between now and May, Parkinson won’t be short of players to pick a team from.

As games start cropping up Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday; we can realistically expect to see the squad rotated to keep players fresh. Parkinson explained that the signing of Matt Fry last Friday was due to the number of matches to play in a short period of time. It looks as though we’ll be getting used to Parkinson making plenty of changes game-to-game.

Squad rotation has always sat uneasy with City supporters. The mantra of never change a winning team means that any alterations which aren’t made because of injury or suspension tend to be leapt upon if they don’t work out. Yet Parkinson wouldn’t be stock piling in certain positions if he didn’t plan to chop and change over the coming weeks – and we have to place our trust in him that he knows what he’s doing when he does rotate.

Consideration two – the way in which City play

Port Vale’s arrival brings back memories of how different the tactics looked set to be when Parkinson first arrived last September.

In his first three games – Morecambe away, Bristol Rovers at home and Vale away – we saw City play an exciting and expansive passing style of football that was very pleasing on the eye. The ball was played on the deck at varying tempos; we saw little triangles of passing moves that out foxed opponents.

Parkinson had been scouting for Arsenal in between managing Charlton last season and arriving at Valley Parade. We quickly saw why Arsene Wenger  entrusted him with such a role at the Emirates.

Yet results weren’t forthcoming. A 1-1 draw at Morecambe thanks to a late equaliser; a 2-2 draw with Bristol Rovers with both goals coming from the spot. At Vale Park three days later, City were superb going forwards and even home manager Micky Adams admitted his side were lucky to win 3-2 – but the point was they won 3-2.

The next time I saw City, they were entertaining AFC Wimbledon at home and losing a third game on the bounce, after a fruitless trip to Crawley in-between. And slowly but surely, we’ve seen an evolution of playing style – from City trying to become the Arsenal of League Two, into a direct, high tempo side which proved hugely successful over Christmas.

Such a change is understandable. City’s league position was too perilous to be trying to outplay well-organised opposition teams, while promising players such as Jamie Devitt were too much of a luxury. Defensively City were shipping in feeble goals each week, while not creating enough good scoring chances at the other end to cover them up. And as much as I was a big fan of what Parkinson was initially trying to do and I hope that, in time, circumstances will enable him to try this approach again, the change to a direct, physical style was beginning to bear fruit in December with City rolling over opposition teams.

Was bearing fruit. The way in which City play relies on players giving everything they have for 90 minutes. Chasing lost causes, harrying opponents in possession, getting the ball forwards quickly. It is a difficult way to play, but even more of an ask to do so twice a week.

Consider the momentum-breaker – Rotherham away on Monday 2 January. Two days after giving so much in the Shrewsbury match to record an outstanding victory, at the Don Valley City were by all accounts fairly lethargic and unable to play at such a high tempo so soon after.

Parkinson has continued to have his players performing in an attacking, direct manner over the subsequent weeks, and it should have delivered wins over Morecambe and Burton and a point at Bristol Rovers. But just like the attractive passing football of his early days in charge, these tactics haven’t recently delivered the wins needed.

So how long does Parkinson continue to employ this approach, and how successful can they prove to be in future given the amount of workrate it requires versus a backlog of fixtures? This is why a large squad is going to be so vital. It seems unlikely that City can maintain momentum from sticking with a winning team, no matter how much that goes against the sensibilities of us supporters.

The likely team to face Port Vale

For now Parkinson’s sole objective will be to pick his best eleven in order to deliver City’s first victory of 2012. Jon McLaughlin starts against Port Vale in front of a back four which is still robbed of the services of Simon Ramsden and Rob Kozluk. It seems a given that Marcel Seip will move across to right back to cover them, with Fry brought straight in for a debut at left back. The double match postponement should at least ensure Luke Oliver has recovered enough to resume centre back duties alongside Andrew Davies.

In midfield there is a question over whether Parkinson’s tactical evolution might start to move towards two out-and-out wingers, in home games at least. Will Atkinson’s anonymous debut at Bristol Rovers would otherwise see him replaced by the fit again Kyel Reid, but Parkinson might elect to play them both on each flank with David Syers and Ricky Ravenhill in-between.

It will be interesting to see if Michael Flynn is brought straight back into the team when fit, but the busy fixture schedule is likely to see the Welshman and Ritchie Jones rotated with Syers and Ravenhill fairly often.

Up front, Craig Fagan might be moved forward to partner James Hanson if two out-and-out wingers are preferred. Nakhi Wells looked like a player in need of a breather after the Burton and Bristol Rovers games, and has now had that rest without missing any action. He may therefore be entrusted to carry on developing a promising partnership with Hanson, while Deane Smalley also fights for a first start since joining on loan.

Saturday’s trip to Torquay looks daunting given their recent good form, and Parkinson the pragmatist will surely see the Port Vale game as a better chance of getting three points on the board. Expect to see a similar high tempo approach for now, and expect to see the best eleven selected rather than the fittest – but over the coming weeks, one or both of these approaches may have to change.

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