By Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst)

There was despair. There was anger. There was fear – real fear – of what damage this might do. But ultimately, the rollercoaster of emotions we went through here at Valley Parade meant that victory tasted even sweeter.

As Jamie Walker charged down the middle of the pitch, angling the pass out wide to the onrushing Matty Derbyshire, who crossed for Andy Cook to swing the ball into back of the net and win the game, the scenes of euphoria were turbocharged by the lifting of the dark mood that had been swirling around the stadium. From despair to delirium. All earning City a win that we may eventually look back upon as absolutely vital.

There’s a reason why so many films follow a set narrative that begins with an inherently decent person doing good things, only for them to experience some sort of set-back – often self-inflicted. Eventually, they discover reserves of character from within to come back and ultimately triumph. The audience is left feeling good about the way the hero has overcome the odds to succeed. It’s a formulaic approach to movie making, but it sells.

Bradford City followed their own Hollywood script here. Coming back to succeed when all hope seemed lost. Growing as characters. Giving us all a moment that will live longer in the memory than any routine home win. From Barnsley ’98, Wolves ’99, Millwall ’03, Accrington ’08, Stockport ’11, Leeds ’14, Chelsea ’15 to Swindon ’17 – come from behind wins are always that bit more special.

It leaves you with a buzz that you just wish could be bottled up. These are the days you just want to savour. The sensations felt so much sharper because of the volatile way our moods went back and forth during the 90 minutes. Devastation. Frustration. Relief. Joy. Elation. It makes you feel so alive.

This was the sort of victory that elevates a promising promotion bid into one of greater substance. The type of afternoon to ellicit the phrase ‘it feels like our year’. Should City go onto claim a place in League One next season, we’ll look back and say what an important moment this was. Because it wasn’t just about earning three points, it was the nature of the comeback. The way the players found resilience and strength. The never say die attitude on display.

And that’s why it leaves you feeling this might be our year. It makes dreams feel like they could actually become reality. Especially because, with this victory, we got to see certain qualities from City that have proven elusive at Valley Parade in recent seasons.

There was pressure. Big pressure. You don’t get into a play off spot with nine games to go without being a good team. But with more than 19,000 people present, and opponents playing without any fear, the mess that City had got themselves into could have easily seen them buckle. Instead, they climbed back off the canvas to recover and flourish. And the powerful emotions it generated around this famous old ground can only offer everyone a huge confidence boost for this run-in.

Unlike a Hollywood film where everything is neatly packaged into a happy ending, we can’t completely forget about the more unwatchable moments of the afternoon. The ones where it was all going horribly wrong. There were reasons to be concerned if you’re Mark Hughes. A sloppiness evident in City’s play that they’d do very well to stamp out. At half time they were in a mess, and it’s not a situation you’d want them to get into again in the near future.

You can’t always come back.

Everything was set up for City. They went in front in under six minutes through that rarest of sightings – an Alex Gilliead goal. Brad Halliday had crossed the ball into the box, with Cook laying the ball into the path of Harry Chapman, who’s shot was blocked by Max Crocombe. Cook was alive to the loose ball and played it back to Gilliead, who’s low effort should really have been saved by Grimsby’s New Zealand stopper.

This was Gilliead’s first goal since October 2021 and only the 21st of a career that spans eight years and 332 games. It’s unlikely this will lead to a goal glut from a player who, for all his industry, needs more of an end product, but it did set the stage for Gilliead to produce a really good individual performance.

For a time, Gilliead was in good company with his team-mates. Grimsby had started with purpose but soon look demoralised, and the platform was there for City to register a comfortable victory. They looked assured, they looked authoritative. Alas, this is not a position they’ve made a habit of maximising. How many times this season have City looked in full control but then dropped off?

A familiar sense of drift and complacency emerged here. One that looked like it might be their undoing.

First, a dreadful defensive mix-up saw Matty Platt allow a harmless ball to bounce into the box and seemingly go through to Harry Lewis. Platt didn’t realise Harry Clifton was running in behind him, and as the Grimsby midfielder pounced on the loose ball he was tripped by Harry Lewis. There was no question it was a penalty, which the experienced Gavan Holohan tucked away. And from there, the salmon pink-shirted visitors regained their early game swagger.

With Adam Clayton injured, Hughes had moved City back to the early season 4-2-3-1 with a fit-again Walker restored to number 10, flanked by Chapman and Scott Banks. It meant a return of Gilliead and Richie Smallwood as holding midfielders and – for much of the first half – a familiar issue of the pair being overrun by opposition employing a three-man midfield.

The mistakes began to rack up over a 20 minute-period. The contagion of anxiety spreading amongst home players. Lewis was clearly rattled by the penalty incident and lacked his usual composure, passing the ball out of play more than once. Platt was hugely below par with Stubbs having some tough moments. Smallwood and Gilliead gave the ball away too much. Liam Ridehalgh and Halliday were wasteful in possession. Walker continued to be an enigma. Whilst around him Chapman, Banks and Cook just couldn’t get in the game. “Most of the issues we had were self-inflicted,” groaned Hughes.

Grimsby smelt blood and struck again. From a Mariners corner, a truly horrendous mess in the box saw Platt fail to clear when he had the chance and Andy Smith stole in to plant a header at goal that Lewis could not keep out. It was all going very wrong, leading to predictable half time boos.

And that’s when the heroes emerged. Hughes said of his half time team talk, “We needed to clear our heads, get back to playing how I know we can play and wait for our moments.” His calm words of wisdom worked. City came back out with greater determination. Helped, it has to be said, by Grimsby no longer employing the press. And instead favouring the dark arts of slowing down the contest and time-wasting their way towards the full time whistle.

By this point, Smallwood had had to change into a spare shirt, which was blank on the back. Maybe his own surname weighs heavily on the City captain, because he suddenly looked free from the shackles and reached a level of performance we’ve not seen from him in months. You could visibly see Smallwood driving the team on and he took on greater responsibility for providing the thrust. He played like a leader. And it’s not too often we’ve been able to say that about Smallwood.

Banks too became more influential after half time, routinely charging past his somewhat limited marker Anthony Driscoll-Glennon, cutting inside and linking up with others. Walker also came alive, and began to positively affect the play. What a player Walker is at this level when it all clicks like it did for him in the second half. As much as Grimsby tried to keep stalling the flow of the game, the City threat was growing.

But it was still missing something, and that’s where a change made a huge difference. Chapman was withdrawn on the hour – a poor personal performance that perhaps will restrict his starting opportunities from here – and on came Derbyshire. Before today, Valley Parade had only seen 26 minutes of action from the veteran forward. Back from injury, this was the day Derbyshire truly made his BD8 mark.

Within a minute of his arrival, City equalised when Walker got a heavy touch when trying to bring down Gilliead’s long pass, only for the ball to ping forward and force Croscombe into a save. The rebound fell straight to the feet of the Scot to finish smartly from an angle.

Suspicions that Croscombe is not a particularly great goalkeeper were raised again with this goal, and added to even further soon after when his unconventional kick save from Cook’s header saw the ball go loose towards Derbyshire, creating a scramble where the ball appeared to narrowly cross the line. The referee, Charles Breakspear, faced an impossible decision and sided with Grimsby. No goal, but City had all the momentum.

Derbyshire made such a difference. He runs the channels really well, and linked up expertly with Cook and Walker. He oozes intelligence. A wise old head in the heat of a frantic battle. City pressed and kept the tempo high. It eventually led to Walker, Derbyshire, Cook and goal. Amazing celebrations ensued, as Cook raced to the front of the Kop.

This was another very good finish from Cook, who had a real battle all afternoon. I just love the way he always keeps his head up. Always waits for his chance. Smith appeared to win the battle for most of the game, but then there’s that one moment Cook gets away from his man and he makes it count. He reminds me a lot of Dean Windass in that he is viewed as a little daft and doesn’t get the full credit for just what a clever footballer he actually is. Like Windass, Cook can smell the goals and when his chance will come. That’s now 10 goals in Cook’s last 12 games. Outstanding.

There were nine minutes of regular action and five minutes stoppage time (largely the result of Grimsby’s earlier time-wasting) to see out. Despite the defensive jitters of earlier, City held out well with Romoney Crichlow making a now-customary late appearance from the bench to help out. And by 5pm, when the rest of League Two had completed their games, the dust settles with City up a place to sixth. The Bantams and leaders Leyton Orient were the only weekend winners in the top seven. It means they’re now only four points from the automatics.

With Mansfield beating City’s next opponents, struggling Crawley, the gap above the play off line remains three points for the Bantams. And had City failed to overturn their half time Grimsby deficit, they’d now be out of the play off spots. It’s a reminder, if needed, that the margins are tight. There’s plenty of work still to do over the final eight games – only three of which are at home.

But they go to Crawley on Good Friday with a real morale boost from this game. A shot of adrenaline to boost belief and sharpen minds. The players and coaching staff put us supporters through the wringer, but left the field with deserved applause ringing in their ears. “It shows the character of the group and how far we’ve grown,” beamed Hughes. “We’ve been able to turn around a situation that maybe earlier in the season we wouldn’t have been able to.”

There was a real feeling here that everything is coming together. Valley Parade feels more united than it has for several years. The mood inside the stadium the most joyous since the 2016/17 play off season. The relationship between supporter and club, which was so badly fractured post 2017, is truly healing.

Whatever happens over these last eight games, you do not want to take your eyes off this story.   

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2022/23, BCAFC, Grimsby Town, League Two