By Jason McKeown

The pass, the first touch, the emphatic finish, the celebrations – and now the nosebleeds. This felt like a huge, huge moment in Bradford City’s increasingly exciting campaign. Another major step forwards, as they climbed to a season-best league position of second in the table. Bobby Pointon’s late, well-taken goal leaves their automatic promotion credentials looking that much stronger, that much more authentic. After all those false dawns, this time they really do look like the real deal.

To win here mattered greatly. The question hovering over the Bantams going into this was why they’re not beating up opposition sides on the road in the manner they’re ruthlessly crushing teams on home soil. As this tight game threatened to drift into stalemate, the fear grew that this was going to be another road trip of limited value. And that the push for the top three is ultimately going to be undermined by patchy away form.

They certainly left it late here, but came up with a positive answer. It means the number of league away wins ticks up from a paltry three to a still-not-exactly-stellar four. And though the resultant elevation of their league position comes with the caveat that two of the three sides they’ve just leapfrogged now have games in hand, City are increasingly in a really good place.

Indeed, by the time third-placed Doncaster, fourth-placed AFC Wimbledon and fifth-placed Notts County kick off at 3pm on Saturday, they could all find themselves at least five points behind the Bantams, who play Salford City at lunchtime. Leaders Walsall, who also played this evening and blew a 2-0 lead to draw against Cheltenham, must also be feeling the Bantams breathing down their necks. City trail the stuttering Saddlers by seven points and could narrow the gap to four by winning at Salford (Walsall welcome in-form Swindon to the Bescot at 3pm). If noses are bleeding at the reality of City now sitting in their highest post-Christmas league position in any division since 1999, the summit has just crept into view on the horizon – and it’s not outlandish to believe it’s within their grasp.

We’re getting carried away of course. That’s dangerous but also fun. The feelgood factor is truly back at last, and we should allow ourselves to revel it in and dream. Especially with the romance that comes from a City supporter being front and centre of it all right now. The sight of the homegrown hero Pointon grabbing the winning goal made this night all the more special. Bobby was booked for his over-exuberant celebrations, but who can blame him? The lad who grew up sitting with us in the Kop knows more than any other City player just how much this club and its fanbase have suffered. Just how many blows we’ve endured. And why you therefore have to enjoy moments like this.

The goal itself was characteristic of Bradford City right now. An attacking move broke down, but there’s the high press pushing to win it back. As Bromley panicked, a loose ball was seized on by Brad Halliday, who fed it to substitute Jamie Walker, who ran on and delivered a beautifully weighted pass for Pointon. He took one touch with his right foot, before striking the ball powerfully and accurately with his left, the shot from an angle nestling crisply in the far bottom corner. Just so well taken. So typical of what we come to expect from the most exciting youth product the club has produced in a decade.

And from there, who – having watched City of late – doubted they’d go on and complete the job? Bromley did have a late headed chance, with the clock having gone past the six minutes of allocated stoppage time, but Sam Walker saved it with the minimum of fuss. And that was the only sniff of a chance Bromley had as they pushed to equalise. City have not conceded a league goal for an impressive 527 minutes now, and earned an eighth clean sheet in their last nine League Two outings. Graham Alexander has an amazing track record of winning almost every match where City have opened the scoring, and that wasn’t about to lessen here.

Truth be told, it felt like the goal and the victory wasn’t going to come. City played well right from the start. No question. But it took a while for much of anything to happen. They had loads of possession, and made a decent fist of executing their tried and tested game plan of quickly getting the ball into the final third and pressing. Full debutant Brandon Khela fitted in fairly well alongside Richie Smallwood, and the pair linked up purposefully with Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic. But for all City’s attacking intent, there wasn’t a great deal of chances. The first hour of the game came and went with neither team registering a single shot on target.

Going forward, City didn’t quite seem as finely tuned as they have been of late. Jack Shepherd had a chance from the edge of the box and shot well wide. Soon after the on loan Barnsley defender crossed for Sarcevic, who headed comfortably over. Khela had a shooting opportunity from a short corner but blasted high and wide. Sarcevic did manage to find the back of the net with a superb chipped attempt when played through one-on-one, but the offside flag cut short the celebrations. It was a tight call.

Bromley offered next to nothing at the other end. Jude Arthurs heading over from a well worked set piece was their only first half attempt at goal. Ultimately, the home side weren’t getting any change from another resolute City defensive effort. The participants again switched around, with Paul Huntington recalled and Shepherd back in after suspension, alongside the now-clearly-dependable Aden Baldwin. The back three were aided by a commendably high level of work-rate from the whole team that saw players quickly track back when Bromley threatened on the counter attack. But in the first half at least this was two sides who had the measure of each other’s attack. Drama was distinctly lacking.

There was also another notable injury setback for the Bantams. Lewis Richards was back for the first time since hobbling 31 minutes into City’s 1-0 loss to Wimbledon at the start of the month. Alas, it was a short-lived return – this time he made it to the 40th minute, before having to be withdrawn through injury again. Was he rushed back too soon? Possibly. Whatever the level of risk that was accepted in restoring Richards straight back into the starting line up, it didn’t pay off. Hopefully, his latest set back isn’t too serious.

Tayo Adaramola – who had made way for Richards – came on to take up the left wing back slot, and City’s solid defensive shape continued. It was the other end that remained the problem. And it’s on nights like this, when chances are at a premium and a clinical edge is needed, where Andy Cook feels especially missed. Michael Mellon battled hard, but the longer he goes not getting off the mark the more you fear it will weigh on him. No player who started or came on as sub for either side gave the ball away more often than Mellon (he had a 27% pass success rate). The Burnley loanee does a lot of good off the ball work, but isn’t able to make it stick when he gets it.

Fair to say the second half was a better watch. Still a bit slow and pedestrian at times, but with spells where the game burst into life and it threatened to become end to end. Both sides were able to get in behind backlines who were trying to push on, but questionable decision making let players down. The prolific Michael Cheek – who was largely tamed by City’s backline – got into one good position outwide and was left with a dilemma of whether to shoot or cross. In the end he didn’t execute either, with Walker able to save. On two separate occasions, Mellon got played into space in a wide position and could only aimlessly cross to no one. Khela produced a curling effort over the bar, when he had time and space to do better.

But then, there were finally some good chances. Bromley keeper Grant Smith produced an astonishing double save. First, he kept out a powerful Halliday header, after Pointon’s cross had found the City wing back. Khela kept it alive by swinging the ball to the back post, and Mellon got there first to force another header towards goal that Smith somehow kept out. City appealed that the ball had crossed the line. It was hard to tell, and either way takes nothing away from Smith’s athleticism.

Within minutes, Ben Thompson – who was the quietest man on the pitch in the first half – suddenly burst into life and produced a fierce shot at goal that was well saved by Walker. Soon after Adaramola appeared to handle in the box, but venomous Bromley appeals came to nothing. Replays suggested they had a very good case.

As the referee Jamie O’Connor waved away protests, for the first time all evening the game seemed to be coming to the boil. And then…all quiet again. A drifting into nothingness happened, despite both sides’ obvious endevours and ambition to achieve more from their evening than impasse. And as much as a 0-0 draw away to a side 10th in the table – and who had won their last three games – was reasonably respectable, the prospect of City’s away form stretching to one win in 10 threatened to cast a shadow over their bubble of positivity.

But that’s where Alexander benefits from the club having built such a strong squad. Where fresh legs and new ideas can take the team out of blind alleys. So on came Tommy Leigh, Alex Pattison and of course Walker. And five minutes later, Walker was setting up Pointon to score a goal that turns one point into three, and nudges them ahead of rivals in the race for automatic promotion.

There is so much they can take from this. A 12th win in 16 games is a remarkable record. But in each of those previous 11 successes, City had been in front before the hour mark, and the closing stages of matches became ones to see out rather than chase. Here, they had to keep pushing to the end, and they found the answer in those final moments. A different type of 1-0 win, and one that should give them even greater belief.

More than anything else, winning on the road has been too rare and that has to change. They came into this game with the 14th best away record in League Two, and with a heavy reliance on home form that needs to be balanced out by more wins on the road. In the last 19 League Two seasons, no team has earned automatic promotion with fewer than seven wins on the road – and even that relatively low total has happened only once (Stevenage in 2022/23). Nine wins or more is usually needed away from home. City are a long way off that.

So they rocked up at Bromley knowing they had to start carving out more away wins on their travels. That even though they’re doing truly remarkable things on their home patch, invincibility at Valley Parade might not be enough to earn automatic promotion. It’s why this win really does matter. And why City are now firmly set up for one mightily exciting run-in.

Strap in, enjoy this ride and don’t worry about any nosebleeds. These are the moments we live for as football fans. And they’re the kind of moments we Bradford City supporters have gone too long without. Just ask Bobby.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2024/25, BCAFC, Bromley, League Two