By Tim Penfold

Bradford City fought hard but eventually came up short in their FA Cup first round tie against Wycombe. It was a spirited second half display that probably deserved a replay, but the hosts weren’t able to recover from gifting their opponents a two goal head start in the first half.

Mark Trueman sprung no real surprises in his line up, with Bobby Pointon and Ash Taylor returning for Adam Wilson and the injured Matty Platt in a 4-2-3-1, and his side made a bright start. There was some neat interplay between the midfield and the three behind Andy Cook, and Emmanuel Osadebe had one shot blocked before dragging another wide.

After ten minutes though, Wycombe woke up and started finding space to attack – particularly down their right. David Wheeler got in behind Liam Ridehalgh and fizzed the ball across the box to Kieran Sadlier, whose shot was well saved by Harry Lewis. City didn’t heed this warning though, and a few minutes later a deep cross was headed back by Wheeler to Killian Phillips who found the net. It was not a good goal to concede from a defensive point of view – both Wheeler and Phillips had far too much space in the box, while Lewis could’ve done better with the shot.

To their credit, the Bantams did not crumble – the neat interplay continued and Pointon showed some neat touches. Too often though, the attacks broke down – Osadebe made the wrong decision repeatedly in possession, while Cook was mostly anonymous. And then City did what they have done too often this season and shot themselves in the foot.

They’d initially defended the Wycombe corner well, and the ball was with Osadebe to the left of the box – but with nobody upfield to aim for, he chose to dally on the ball rather than launch it and was robbed by Freddie Potts. His cross wasn’t near a Wycombe player, but Lewis and Sam Stubbs got in a mess and the ball ended up in the back of the net.

The hosts hadn’t been bad, but they’d gifted two goals to their higher division opponents, and the game looked gone already. Their confidence wobbled, and Wycombe didn’t really capitalise on the opportunity they had to completely kill the game at that point. They sat off, and City rebuilt.

They nearly had a goal back just before half time, when a Smallwood pass over the top put Halliday through only for him to drag it wide. They came close early in the second half, with Jamie Walker peppering the goal with long shots. They went more attacking, with Osadebe being replaced by Tyler Smith and causing a tactical shift to a 4-4-2, and continued to cause problems.

The link up down the right between Halliday and Pointon was excellent. One perfectly weighted Pointon pass sent Halliday clear, and his low ball to the near post found Smith only for the shot to be smothered. Another Brad Halliday overlap saw City go even closer, with his far post cross headed inevitably goalwards by Cook, only for visiting keeper Max Stryjek to pull off an outstanding save. The pressure was building, and it finally forced a breakthrough.

Ash Taylor’s long throws had not caused many problems so far, with the wet conditions not allowing him the grip he needed to launch it. He lined up another one, only to take it short, receive a return ball and swing a cross over. It was half cleared, but only as far as Richie Smallwood who headed it back into the box. That header found Walker, who hammered it goalwards and – via a deflection – it made it.

The goal, however, didn’t lead to another. Wycombe reorganised themselves and were tough to break down. There was plenty of City territory, plenty of City crosses – but a lot of clearances and blocks. They slowed the game down, sometimes cynically – Stryjek eventually picked up a booking for timewasting – and threatened on the counter, with Lewis making another good save. Further subs were made, with the welcome return of Harry Chapman, but they couldn’t break through.

Deep into stoppage time, a Chapman run down the left was unceremoniously stopped by a Wycombe foul. Lewis went forward for the free kick, but the visitors – just about – kept the ball out with a series of increasingly desperate blocks and clearances.

There were some very positive points from today. The central midfield pairing both had good games, and Halliday had a fine game down the right, linking up well with the always impressive Pointon. Walker, meanwhile, had one of his best games of the season despite being shifted to the left wing and, later, to central midfield.

However, the defence looked wobbly, and Cook – one header aside – was anonymous. Cook looks like he needs a breather. It’s clear that he was rushed back from injury, and has played almost every minute since then. Last season, when he was at his best, we were able to rest him for Vadaine Oliver for the last fifteen minutes of games and give him a month off in January. The decision to not recruit a big striker to cover for Oliver’s injury, when we knew he’d miss a significant chunk of the season, looks like a particularly poor one from the recruitment team.

In the grand scheme of things, the FA Cup wasn’t hugely important this season. It’s nice to have a cup run, but promotion has always been the priority. And, in the short term, attention turns back to the search for a new manager – surely we can expect an appointment this week. That’s what the season will turn on – not days like today.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2023/24, BCAFC, FA Cup, Wycombe Wanderers