By Jason McKeown

The clouds lifted. The sun even shone. And whatever the rights and wrongs of Mark Hughes’ sacking, there was no question that the first Saturday afternoon without him ended with the mood transformed. 

Here, the Bradford City players shook off the shackles, and lifted themselves out of the recent gloom to produce easily their best home performance of the season. The feelgood factor was added to by the local boy scoring the winner to build on his rising star status. And it was all sound-tracked by a thunderous Valley Parade atmosphere, as the pieces of the football club started to be put back together.

It’s only one game of course. But after the rock bottom feel of Tuesday night’s dismal defeat to Tranmere that triggered the end for Hughes, this was an afternoon to put weary cynicism to one side and begin to fall back in love again with your football club.

If asking Kevin McDonald to be the caretaker manager seemed a strange, leftfield choice, here was immediate validation of its logic. The veteran midfielder has been right at the sharp end of knowing what’s gone wrong. He offers a clear understanding of the mood within the dressing room. And with it, the intellect and courage to implement ideas that he could be confident his team-mates would respond well too.

The result was a shift in approach, but not a complete revamp. This was still a 4-2-3-1. The same backline. The same solo striker. There remained a commitment to passing the ball around. Evolution rather than revolution.

Yet tucked inside that familiar framework was a more simplified approach. Players were encouraged to be more direct. To get the ball forward quicker. And to not worry about losing possession. City were more compact. They had clear shape on and off the ball. They didn’t mind that Swindon dominated possession. They didn’t worry about trying to exert their usual desired level of control of things. 

In other words, this was more back to basics. And because each player’s game was decomplicated, their confidence soared. This in turn gave them greater mettle. They became braver on the ball. More willing to expose themselves to danger. The contrast between this and the Walsall and Tranmere games – where players had so much possession, but kept passing it around in a doomed attempt to pass responsibility onto others – was considerable.

It all resulted in an open game that could have gone very differently. Swindon looked an excellent side – easily the best to visit Valley Parade so far – and Michael Flynn’s 3-4-1-2 approach saw the Robins pass it around with menace. Swindon were very well organised. Extremely well coached. And they created some very good chances. Only extremely poor finishing let them down.

Crucially for City, they didn’t let Swindon’s threat worry them. They weren’t held back by their own fear. And accepted the risks they were asked to take. This became especially prevalent midway through the first half, as the home side began to get wise to Swindon’s dogged attempts to play it out from the back. City began to press them. They chased and harried. They forced mistakes and unearthed some Swindon frailties. The crowd reacted brilliantly to this greater intensity, creating a feedback loop that gave the players more confidence to keep going and press even harder.

This could easily have been a 4-4 game. Both sides created and wasted chances. But City played in a manner that suggested they weren’t worried about the downsides of the risks. 

They looked comfortable in their own skin.

The stats are striking. City had only 40% possession and produced just 310 passes. Against Walsall a week earlier, they had 67% possession and made 544 passes. Against Harrogate two weeks before that, it was 68% possession and a whopping 669 passes.

On average under Hughes this season, 17% of City’s passes were long. Here it went up to 22%. The Bantams average pass success rate prior to today was 74%. Here it fell to 64%. These aren’t earth shattering before and after stats, but that’s the point. McDonald hasn’t charged into Hughes’ vacated managerial office and ripped up the Welshman’s work, he’s refined it. Small changes that add up to a lot – especially in getting more out of the players.

The upshot was a performance where – for the first time this season – the Bradford City team looked greater than the sum of its parts. So many players thrived when they have floundered of late. It was a genuine makeover.

Richie Smallwood epitomised this better than anyone. The rumours have been swirling in recent weeks of tense relationships forming between Hughes and his club captain. Smallwood was said to be an especially loud voice in pushing for the manager to drop of three at the back. By the end, Smallwood had lost his place. And when called upon from the bench on Tuesday, he hardly gave a convincing impression of someone playing for his manager.

Smallwood was restored here and enjoyed his best performance for some time. There aren’t stats available that show the direction of his passes, but to the naked eye Smallwood seemed to be much more forward-minded and direct. He played the role of breaking up opposition attacks and getting the ball up the pitch quickly. And he was fantastic off the ball, evidently cajoling teammates to be brave and offering encouragement. A positive influence – Smallwood did justice to the captain’s armband he was back wearing.

With Alex Gilliead and Bobby Pointon also brought back in, there was more purpose to City’s attacking play. Better balance. At times the Bantams attacked down the right through Pointon and Brad Halliday. At other moments they went down the left with Adam Wilson and Liam Ridehalgh linking up. Then they went through the middle with Jamie Walker, who continued his own personal excellent form. Walker has really proved his positive character in recent weeks, and that continued here.

Pointon, Wilson and Walker kept swapping over positions too. One minute Pointon was charging down the right, the next he had come central, before having a go at the left. Rotate, attack, rotate, attack. Pointon, Wilson and Walker left gaps at the back for sure. Those are the risks that come in pursuit of greater rewards.

And the rewards did come, five minutes into the second half. Pointon got free of his man and charged forward, before playing a perfectly weighted pass to the onrunning Halliday. The City right back’s shot was saved, but Walker showed quick feet to collect the loose ball and cross it for Pointon to tap home. His first goal for Bradford City. Surely the first of many.

Pointon was superb here. His courage to take players on, his insightful runs into space, and his quality when pinging a pass. He produced a brilliant first half cross that Andy Cook probably should have headed City in front from. He also delivered some lovely skill to turn his man just before half time. What a talent the 19-year-old looks to be. His presence lit up the crowd.

Pointon’s strong showing here is naturally being used as a stick to beat Hughes with. Relegated to the bench four games ago, and left out the 18 entirely the last two games. It’s hard to defend Hughes for overlooking Pointon when he plays like this, but we shouldn’t forget that Hughes gave the midfielder his debut and the platform to impress. The departed manager seemed to be using Pointon more sparingly, partly to protect him – especially with results so poor and the pressure on the players considerable. I think it’s a slightly cheap shot to dig out Hughes for Pointon’s impact today. He’s played a big part in the youngster’s development.

The minutes before and after Pointon’s goal summed up the risk/reward approach. Swindon had two brilliant chances in-between the start of the second half and Pointon scoring. They should have scored one, if not both of them. City got some luck from that, but made their own luck too. And moments after Pointon’s goal, Cook came so close to doubling it with a ferocious strike that smacked the post. This was an end to end, entertaining game that in truth could have gone either way.

That said, having got in front McDonald and City were smart. Subs were gradually made that were designed to allow the Bantams to play two straight defensive lines and operate on the counter-attack. They largely did this very well. And in truth, Swindon only had one major chance to equalise, when Harry Lewis produced a remarkable save. Over the last week, Lewis has played six 45 minute halves of football – the first three (two against Walsall and the first half at Tranmere) were below par, but the remaining three have seen Lewis bounce back impressively. Too late to save Hughes, but highly encouraging for City’s prospects this season.

With a slight backs-to-the-wall feel, the crowd roared the team on for victory. Roared every excellent tackle from the back on-form Matty Platt and Sam Stubbs. Roared every lung-busting run from the energetic Gilliead. They gave a standing ovation to each player taken off, and a warm welcome to each player who came on. It was a completely different atmosphere to the last few home games.

The team got over the line with the booming noise of Kevin McDonald’s Bradford Army swooshing around the stadium. No boos at the full time. Only plaudits. A buzz of excitement, gleaned from knowing that this was the type of performance that more closely aligns with Bradford City’s true identity.

McDonald must have loved the experience. The amazing reception he got. The temptation to talk him up as the next permanent Bradford City manager is difficult to avoid. As auditions go, he absolutely nailed it. But as the cheers die down, caution and cold logic needs to come to the fore. It’s one game. A new manager bounce is a common thing – even if not necessarily around these parts. And the guy who was assisting McDonald today – Mark Trueman – is a cautionary tale against getting too carried away by a caretaker upturn.

More realistically, this victory and performance eases the time pressure on the shoulders of Ryan Sparks. The need for a new Bradford City manager still remains of course, but the urgency to make a decision has lessened. Sparks can go into next week without the panic of needing to end it with the new man fully installed. And that can hopefully allow him to make a more considered, careful choice.

Above all else, this was an afternoon where it felt as though the club could draw a line in the sand over Hughes. Bradford City are moving on. Perhaps, quicker than anyone might have expected. And the pulsating performance the players served up here – plus the overjoyed reaction from the crowd – offers everyone a glimpse of a future that can be so much brighter than the last few weeks.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2023/24, BCAFC, League Two, Swindon Town