| Newport County 1 |
| Bogle 35 |
| Bradford City 4 |
| Cook 14, 29, 90+2, Tulloch 26 |
By Rob Wade
My son remarked it was a happy coincidence, City playing at Newport was the same weekend we take him back to university in Cardiff. ‘Coincidence’ undoubtedly, ‘happy’ – well, I would need to be convinced after watching some pretty sterile performances so far this season.
The programme vendor asks us for a prediction. He says Newport are either brilliant or rubbish, there’s no in-between. I go for 0-0, but deep down I’ve a feeling that we are going to start to click and with Andy Cook back, this could be the day?
Newport is a typical League Two stadium: a mix of old and new and big enough for the home club. The stewards are friendly too, except when you’re drunk and obnoxious (enough said about that late episode).
My early thoughts that this is going to be the day are dispelled by watching City’s shooting practice in front of us. This appears to be a trial for neighbouring Newport RUFC, with numerous shots dispatched over the bar into the seats and the streets beyond! Even Cook is profligate, Jamie Walker looks sharp. “We are getting the rubbish out of the way”, I hope out loud!
Into the game and it is immediately clear where City’s threat is going to be with Clarke Oduor and Rayhaan Tulloch quick and in the game on the flanks. Without the benched Richie Smallwood, we look slightly more open to me, but we are quicker to break with Kevin McDonald looking more of an attacking mindset. Newport seem tidy in the attacking third, with some neat play looking to release the dangerous Omar Bogle. This could be typically tight!
29 minutes in and it’s anything but.
Tulloch, who earlier ripped the right back to shreds, crosses perfectly for Andy Cook to power home a header for 1-0. He’d gone close from a corner just minutes earlier and takes this one with aplomb.
McDonald who looks supremely skilful in midfield then shoots narrowly wide before sliding a perfect pass for Tulloch to gleefully slam home a second.
City look like scoring every time they have the ball. And just three minutes later, a big clearance from McDonald finds Cook rampaging over the halfway line and he runs clear to slot home a third.
Cook is a remarkable player – he clearly isn’t quick, but he manages to outpace defenders with his body position. And boy, can he take a chance. Where would City be without him is a question oft asked. Well, despite it not being a wholly fair question, I think we’ve seen in the last few weeks – a lot more toothless in attack! He’s a handful, he’s a focal point, he’s a leader, he’s a goalscorer and he’s ours!
Newport manage to pull one back through Bogle through a lovely piece of play, but it’s City who look the most likely. And here comes my only negative, City should be completely out of sight. Tulloch is incisive but Oduor is wasteful. He was accused by Kenya of playing with the handbrake on – and whilst that would not be fair here, I do feel he could be making more of several great positions. If he could be as incisive as Tulloch, there will be some sleepless nights for League Two full backs.
The second half promises to be one of tension and clock watching as we will inevitably protect what we have achieved. We always say ‘wish it was over’ as soon as we are in front and this will be no different. We’ve won the game, now we just have to see it through.
Yet in truth it is a non-event, and I’m certainly not complaining. City see it out professionally and comfortably with Sam Stubbs and Matty Platt dominant.
Sneaking into injury time a superb cross from the recalled Liam Ridehalgh, and there is Cook with a great hat-trick header. Being right in front of us, it is so noticeable how Cook attacks a specific spot, knowing where Ridehalgh is supposed to put it. Ridehalgh delivers and Cook takes his glory. A word at this point for Ridehalgh: I don’t know why he gets the stick he does online. He has been quality today. As has Brad Halliday, who I thought had a bad day last week and has stepped up with a big performance today.
That ending just tops the day off and the crowd rightly sing Cook’s name loud and proud.
We try to remember the last time we saw City score four and it is a struggle!
Onwards and upwards. Ed is now at Uni. Three points are in the bag. And though we’ll have tougher days, that was a terrific performance.
Categories: Match Reviews
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Exactly the result we needed.
Cook’s truly back and his confidence will be soaring; we’re all happy the team’s back playing in a familiar formation; and we’ve still got quality players to return from injury (Pattison, Chapman and so on).
I said a few weeks ago that the level of teams in the league this season means that no one team is likely to run away with it. With many teams competing this year, other sides will drop points because of the competition between more teams (see Stockport Wrexham yesterday). That’s a big chance for us to keep moving up the table after making a our start trickier than probably wanted for ourselves.
If we can keep our home form steady and continue grinding out results at VP and be a bit more aggressive & expansive when playing away, we’ll be a tough side this year.
Credit to MH after a tough couple of weeks. Understand fans are split on him at the minute, but it’s nice to see a manager who has listened to what we’ve all been saying – change the formation and gone more expansive.
The next few weeks will be massive. Beat Middlesbrough & Walsall (which is still a tough ask) – and we’ll be in the fourth round of the cup and have only lost two games out of 13 in all competitions. That’s a pretty decent start, even if it’s felt at times a bit slower than usual.
Hopefully we can kick on and move up the league now – exciting times if we do. Come on City.
Great post.
Your theory about no team dominating, because there are so many ‘big budget’ clubs in the league, is one I pointed out to others, who seem to think that Wrexham would (will) run away with the division.
I thought last week was a step up, in terms of intent – we just had a naive bunch of players, illustrated by Walker and Stubbs easily been our best players against Harrogate.
Credit to Mark Hughes. He’s not quite as stubborn as many of us thought. The next home game will be telling, but this is a great response.
McDonald IMO is a class act. If he’s up to speed now and can stay fit, we might find that we move the ball through midfield with a bit more pace and purpose. Fingers crossed.
I was close to posting my (negative) opinions on Mark Hughes after last week, but I have to say Jason’s article on Monday brilliantly summed up the situation. Maybe if Hughes is seeing the same problems as the rest of us, and with players coming back, he can change his ways and we could actually be in for a good season.
Brilliant performance and a brilliant result, im happy with it and it’s been a long time since I could write that.
I think that the performance as shown some of the things which a lot of fans have known for a long time such as Smallwood should be dropped, that we have got the players that can attack and score goals if the shackles are let off and we play more positively, that when we score a goal and looking good we are better trying to increase that lead rather than sitting back and just trying to defend it.
There is a good team/squad in there we’ve just got to play more positively like we did yesterday and the fans will be soon back onside, the atmosphere will soon improve. Obviously we also need a bit of luck with injuries. If we play similar to yesterday when Oliver returns from injury then for a feeling he will fancy banging a few in because it will be playing to his strengths.
Great to see us with comfortablly yesterday, You’ve set the standard now, let’s hope that it continues.
Great to get the win – but
It doesn’t answer the big questions
1. What’s the plan if cook is injured or out of form
2. What’s wrong with Smallwood
3. Do we really have the mindset to win in the playoffs
Hoping to see some answers but let’s be honest- probably not on Tuesday? Will we rest cook and if so what can we offer?
Although not an option now due to his injury if we play like we did yesterday Oliver could be a great back up for cook, before he came to us he was statistically one of the best headers in the lower leagues, we’ve just never played to his strengths.
Smallwood just hasn’t been good enough since we signed him, glad Hughes as finally dropped him though, I was starting to think he must have something on Hughes to be picked every week.
As for the mindset to win the play offs hopefully we will go on a run and sneak the automatics 🤣 but yes I would be concerned if we ended up in them again. Maybe if yesterday is a turning point and Mark Hughes sets us up more positively and less cautiously between now and the end of the season if we did make the playoffs again we might be all more optimistic by then. This team is probably good enough to beat any in this division on our day, we’ve just got to for it a bit more.
1 – If Oliver is fit, then he replaces him. Remember, we had a decent January, certainly compared to December, when he came into the team. Or, as is likely, we get another striker in January. Or, more unlikely, Jake Young comes back.
2 – Good question. To me his brain seems scrambled. He’ll hit a poor pass and immediately realise what he’s done – which shows that he has the intelligence to know what a good one looks like. Problem is, there’s now a section of fans who will give him no chance to get back on form (and he has good games he was superb away at Wimbledon, last season). I think a few matches out of the team, will do him good. But then we need to get behind him when he comes back.
3 – Strange question!! That’s a long way off. We certainly seem to be good in the big matches this season – but then again our 2023 record in these matches is superb. Unfortunately our only defeat was at Carlisle in that horrible second leg (for me big matches the three who were in the top eight last season, Gillingham, MK Dons, Notts County and Wrexham – plus possible Accrington and Swindon)
I’m almost feeling a bit sorry for all the Hughes Outers. They must be feeling terribly confused now.
What a win! What a win. Could be the turning point not just for the season, but for BCAFC.
Kevin McDonald. What a different team we are with him as the lynchpin.
Brad Halliday. Who knew?
Rayhaan Tulloch. Set the tone for the whole team in those first minutes.
Andy Cook! What an absolute demolition job of a performance.
If Cook and McDonald stay fit and focused, we could go and win this division!
To be fair the team’s performances and organisation have been awful and the critism that has come the way of the players and the manager has been, in my iew, justified.
Equally the performance yesterday was a big improvement and everyone connected with the team can take all the plaudits.
Let’s just see If they can take that sort of form home before we we start getting carried away.
Watching Cook yesterday was like watching a masterclass in old fashioned center forward play. We all remember the goals but the hold up play, the flicks and tricks he produced were just as important in getting the team up the pitch. Keeping him fir is going to be key.
Mcdonald was a revelation for me. I’ve always been a Haliday fan. Reminds me a bit of Darby in the understated way he goes about his business.
Why not get carried away? That’s what we’re here for isn’t it?
Totally agree about Andy Cook, even without the goals he was outstanding yesterday.
Halliday too, yes he’s quietly reliable week in week out. And now he seems to have found a new level to his forward play too. That turn in the box was a thing of wonder. Looked like he was enjoying himself yesterday.
I think it’s no exaggeration to say if Hughes can find the right combination of tactics and personnel, City can challenge for the top spot. Suddenly, and just in the nick of time, it looks like it might have happened. The problem areas–the centre midfield, the having no fit striker, the left wing position, the holding on to a one goal lead–all seem to have miraculously been fixed yesterday.
We now know what this team are capable of. And more importantly, so do they. They won’t play like that every week, and will sometimes find it hard to break down park-the-bus teams at Valley Parade. But that’s ok. The defence looks really solid now, so we’ll keep picking up points even when things aren’t flowing as we’d like.
From Hughes’s post match interview, it sounds like he’s not overly impressed with that performance. I get the sense his standards are high! He could push this team even further.
So things are looking up! What can possibly go wrong.
I am not sure why you would feel sorry for the Hughes outer. Hasn’t he bent to their pressure and proved them correct? It was a great result yesterday and a real shot in the arm but haven’t we seen a similar situation last season. Poor performances, changes due to fan pressure, better performances, then a reversal back to the old system after a transfer window? Hopefully Hughes has truly changed (fingers crossed).
I’m pretty sure the people saying Hughes Out wanted Hughes out!
It’s great though if Hughes Outers and Hughes Inners can both feel vindicated. All the better. Happy families. Up the Bantams!
It’s spectacularly naive to think that any manager, worth their salt, takes notice of the fans. I see plenty of fans stating this – I’m seriously jaw dropped that anyone thinks that an experienced manager is going to do anything else, but what they believe.
Cook back. Walker getting better with each game. Tulloch now settled. There’s at least three reasons that have nothing to do with fan pressure. Let’s remember that those points at Stockport and Mansfield, look better each week.
Maybe it’s because we’ve succeeded at hounding out every manager apart from Stuart, that some fans believe in their own importance.
Managers probably don’t and shouldn’t listen to fans. But I think it’s very naive to think that football isn’t a regular business and someone isn’t listening to their customers.
It isn’t the first time Cook has played this season, but with Smallwood he was easily marked out of the game. Smallwood was dropped in the cup game at Wrexham and we played well. But selected the Saturday after. Walker has to work too hard when we have 5 defenders in the lineup. So obviously will benefit from a more positive approach. Maybe the same for Tulloch, who actually looked a little lost before. Personally I think the more positive approach is down to fan pressure so don’t agree with your 3 reasons comment.
I don’t know about everyone but all I want is a manager who improves and gets the best out of what he has. I don’t know which camp I am in but I haven’t seen anything remotely inspiring from Hughes yet. Why did he wait until Crewe scored before he made the (radical) changes? No confidence in his own squad maybe.
I have no wish to slate Smallwood but if Mcdonald plays like that surely he deserves a run in the team. Well done Cookie and the wingers.
Up the chickens 🐔
An excellent performance, hopefully a turning point in the season.
An outstanding performance that highlighted the importance of Andy Cook to the success of this team.
The ‘old’ defence looked rock solid and both full backs provided an attacking contribution and support to the pacy Tulloch and Odour.
So pleased for MH who has shown a refreshing willingness to make the big calls on both formation and players.
Long way to go, but the future looks positive with more quality players returning soon.
I really hope this is the way MH goes forward from now. Attacking football, get the opposition on the back foot, speedy clever wingers and a classic centre forward. All backed up by a strong defense and a creative midfield. All sounds easy, but then football is not rocket science, is it?
Great result, onwards and upwards. Such a lift to see Cooky back, not just for the fans, but for the players too.
Great result but one swallow doesn’t make a summer . We’ve all been here before only to be let down the next 2 or 3 games . Consistency is key to get up and out of this league . Set the standard now and push on . Attack attack attack .
Hughes knew he had to change to 4 at the back to save his job. He might be stubborn but he’s not daft. Another defeat with that formation in the Harrogate game and he may have been past the point of no return with most fans and more importantly, the board.