Game Summary:
Football League Two - KO 19:45
Chester 0 (0) - 1(0) Bradford
Conlon 66
At Saunders Honda Stadium on 12-03-2008
It was hardly a night for great football but it was a great piece of finishing which won it from a player often derided for lacking composure in front of goal.
There could be no complaints about the way Barry Conlon clinically dispatched only his second goal of the season from open play.
Chester's local population had clearly voted with their feet after the recent slump judging by the rows of empty seats in the shoebox ground. The feeble 1,566 crowd was more than 2,000 down on Sunday's derby with Wrexham.
Even the music system had given up the ghost, denying the pre-match cheerleaders their three minutes of fame.
City have too often been a soft touch for teams in need. If you can't buy a win for toffee, the Bantams tend to be the perfect opponents. Chester, with seven successive losses at home before last night, fitted perfectly into that category. Another charity desperately in need of a break. When the sides first met at Valley Parade in early November, Chester were second and flying. Their nosedive in the intervening four months has been spectacular, with only an away win at Mansfield from 16 games since Christmas.
But this time City were not in generous mood.
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A bit of City humour... http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/
2007/2008 fixtures now out
FL2 Table Table
Must be a midlife crises - I'm on facebook !
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Match Video and Picture Links
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Highlights (UK only) Virgin Media
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Match Stats
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Football League Two - KO 19:45
Chester 0 (0) - 1(0) Bradford
Conlon 66
Chester: Danby ,James Vaughan ,Roberts ,Linwood ,Wilson ,Rutherford ,Dinning ,Hughes ,Ellison ,Murphy ,McManus
Subs not used: Palethorpe,Sandwith,Kelly,Rule,Mitchell,
Bradford: Loach ,Williams ,Wetherall ,Moncur ,Heckingbottom ,Colbeck ,Johnson ,Evans ,Nix (Rhodes ,77 ) ,Thorne ,Conlon
Subs not used Ricketts,Bower,Penford,Topp,
Bookings: Ellison (Chester) Johnson ,Moncur ,Thorne (Bradford)
Attendance: 1566
Referee: G Hegley (Hertfordshire)
Game Statistics
Blues / Bantams
13 Goal Attempts 7
3 On Target 4
8 Corners 7
11 Fouls 9
1 Yellow Cards 3
40 % 60
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BCFC Report (from the T&A )
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City are no charity case at Chester
By Simon Parker
Chester 0 City 1
City have too often been a soft touch for teams in need.
If you can't buy a win for toffee, the Bantams tend to be the perfect opponents.
Think back the last few years to Stockport, Brighton and Rotherham or, just a few weeks, to Bury.
All sides wondering where the next three points would come from. And all finding them against City.
Chester, with seven successive losses at home before last night, fitted perfectly into that category. Another charity desperately in need of a break.
When the sides first met at Valley Parade in early November, Chester were second and flying. Their nosedive in the intervening four months has been spectacular, with only an away win at Mansfield from 16 games since Christmas.
But this time City were not in generous mood.
Rather than bucking the trend, they were happy to follow it and inflict more misery on the sinking Seals.
More importantly, they made the wind-swept journey back to West Yorkshire with the three points which Stuart McCall had demanded after those two demoralising defeats at the hands of Dagenham and Stockport.
It was hardly a night for great football but it was a great piece of finishing which won it from a player often derided for lacking composure in front of goal.
There could be no complaints about the way Barry Conlon clinically dispatched only his second goal of the season from open play.
Chester's local population had clearly voted with their feet after the recent slump judging by the rows of empty seats in the shoebox ground. The feeble 1,566 crowd was more than 2,000 down on Sunday's derby with Wrexham.
Even the music system had given up the ghost, denying the pre-match cheerleaders their three minutes of fame.
City had the first sight of goal from the game's opening corner. Eddie Johnson flicked on Kyle Nix's kick and the ball dropped to Peter Thorne, whose close-range snap-shot was blocked.
That was the best moment of a scrappy first quarter, not helped by the blustery wind.
Johnson was booked for a touchline lunge on 17-year-old rookie Paul McManus right in front of the Chester dug-out. Caretaker manager Simon Davies reacted angrily to the foul and shoved Johnson away, which brought Wayne Jacobs stalking across from the away bench to have a few sharp words with his opposite number.
Nix buzzed into the box and his presence panicked keeper John Danby into picking up Tony Dinning's back pass. It gave City a free-kick six yards out and the ideal chance to break the deadlock.
Johnson stood over it with his back to goal before stepping aside for Paul Evans to crash a shot goalwards. But his thundering drive was bravely blocked by Danby who atoned immediately for his mistake.
Mark Hughes launched a quick response but could not keep his curler down from 25 yards.
A loose pass from TJ Moncur outside his own penalty area almost gifted Chester an opening but David Wetherall was alert to the danger and dispossessed John Murphy. But the home side's confidence was lifted and Scott Loach had to deal carefully with a powerful free-kick from Dinning.
Kevin Ellison then slipped Murphy through a hole in the City backline but Moncur showed his pace to get across and close him down at the expense of a corner.
The pressure was eased by a wild long-range try from left back Laurence Wilson which flew out of the ground - much to the amusement of the home supporters.
There was not too much to entertain them, although Joe Colbeck, as busy as ever on City's right flank, tried to use the elements to his advantage with a chip on the run that landed on top of Danby's net.
With the wind against them, City were looking for their long passes to hold up like a golfer applying back spin on to the green. One move nearly worked on the left when the loose ball fell for Evans but he was flagged offside while shooting over.
Ellison launched another ball out of the ground as half-time approached, which summed up much of the scrappy proceedings.
Conlon showed good skill and control on halfway before starting a break which almost saw City grab a bizarre lead. Colbeck laid the striker's pass back to Darren Williams, whose cross hung on the wind.
Danby came to take it then slipped but Evans, unaware of the keeper's predicament, could not get any direction on his header as the ball swirled wickedly.
But with the elements at their back for the second half, City would certainly have fancied their chances of forcing a fourth away win in 2008.
They gained a corner within a minute of the restart and Evans' curling kick emphasised how strong the wind had become as it drifted over everybody and landed on top of the Chester goal.
Nix saw a strong strike well blocked by James Vaughan and there was a greater urgency about City's play.
Thorne found space on the left and his cut-back was cleverly dummied by Nix as it ran to Conlon, whose first-time left-footer just beat the top corner.
City were gaining momentum and Nix, having just been flagged wrongly offside when through, almost forced a breakthrough after 58 minutes.
Conlon helped a long ball on and Nix got there a fraction quicker than Danby on the edge of the Chester area. His header lifted it past the keeper but two home defenders frantically gave chase and Vaughan managed to clear off the line.
But City only had to wait another eight minutes to make their pressure count.
Evans was the creator with a ball from the right and Conlon showed great composure in the box to bring it down and coolly loft his shot beyond Danby. Chester were arguing, possibly with some justification, that the big striker was offside but it was a quality finish.
And within a minute Conlon could, maybe should, have had a second as Chester crumbled again. But this time he unselfishly tried to work the ball to Thorne instead of having a crack himself and the home side scrambled it away.
But City were grateful to the reflexes of Scott Loach for making sure their lead stayed intact five minutes later as he superbly turned away a goal-bound header from Ellison after City switched off from a short corner. No wonder the Premier League big boys are said to be watching the young keeper's progress.
Alex Rhodes came on for Nix and was straight into the action with a dangerous cross which Danby, taking no chances, touched over the bar.
Conlon's tail was up after his goal and he was a coat of paint away from another with a well-judged volley that crashed back off the woodwork.
Conlon then turned provider to release Rhodes into the danger zone. Thorne was screaming for a pass in the goal-mouth but the ball was fizzed over with too much on it and beat the striker's lunge.
Thorne did have the ball in the net with five minutes left - but got a yellow card for his trouble for time-wasting after the whistle had blown.
Still Conlon had not finished and he collected a diagonal pass from Colbeck before sliding a shot just wide of the far post.
And the striker was back in his own box in stoppage time to head away a Chester free-kick and then launch it to safety.
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Opposition Report
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Official match report
n/a
Misc. Report(s)
http://www.chestercity-mad.co.uk/news/loadrprt.asp?cid=MTCH&id=382358
http://www.rivals.net/news/pgarticle.aspx?artid=13738_3297333&id=24
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Post match reaction
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Lee Bullock will undergo a hernia operation on Monday that will rule him out of the bulk of City's remaining games.
The midfielder, signed from Hartlepool in January, has been trying to play through the pain in the last month as his groin injury grew steadily worse.
Stuart McCall had hoped to delay surgery until the summer but felt Bullock could not wait that long.
He said: "Sometimes you can get through games and hold out but Bully wasn't doing himself or the team any justice.
"He was struggling to get round the pitch at Stockport and that's not like him.
"He was trying to play through to help the team out but it's sensible that he has the op as soon as possible. We want him back and feeling right and hopefully he can return for the last game or two.
Bullock's absence puts the onus on Eddie Johnson and Paul Evans in centre midfield and both delivered in the win at Chester. McCall is expecting more of the same against Mansfield on Saturday.
"I think that was the best Evo has played for us this season. And I don't know if Eddie felt he had to prove himself because it was against his home-town team but he also did a very good job.
"They got about the pitch, getting tackles in and showing a great desire. Now I want to see that all the time."
McCall was pleased with his side's response after losing the previous two.
"I told the players before the game that I could have made five or six changes after Stockport.
"Some had played okay but we need to be better than that because okay isn't good enough.
"You shouldn't get pats on the back for working hard - that should be a gimme in football. You can't always play well but you should expect people to go out there and give everything.
"We knew it would be a battle but we matched them and had that quality to win the game. Now we're up against another side fighting for their lives and I want to see us on the front foot again."
Omar Daley returns to the squad after a back strain forced him to miss midweek. TJ Moncur iced his sore hamstring after the Chester game but should be fine.
Mansfield, like the majority of the division, are far happier on their travels.
But McCall wants to see a home performance along the lines of the Shrewsbury, Notts County and Rotherham games and not the recent hiccups.
He added: "Mansfield seem to have the freedom to cut loose when they go away but then there doesn't seem to be any advantage from playing at home in this league.
"Since the turn of the year, we've scored four at home against Shrewsbury and three in the Notts County and Rotherham games and I want to see a return to that form. We've had a few bad ones of late in front of our own supporters and it's important that we play a lot better.
"Mansfield's away record is very good but it's always about what we do.
"We got a good result at Chester and I expect us to be able to build on that."
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Other reports
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feels the buzz
Barry Conlon admitted scoring City's winner at Chester left him buzzing.
The Irishman's second-half goal last night was his fifth for the club - but only the second not to come from the penalty spot.
"They've not exactly been flying in for me so it's a great buzz," he said. "It was good to be starting in the side again and even better to get a goal.
"Everyone has to prove themselves in the team but I like to think that people see I always give 100 per cent out there. That's all I can do.
"But scoring a goal always strengthens your hand as a striker."
Conlon, making his first start for nine games, also crashed an acrobatic effort against the bar in City's 1-0 win while Kyle Nix had a header cleared off the line.
Conlon added: "Overhead kicks aren't my speciality but, having scored the first one, I was expecting that to fly in as well.
"The most important thing was getting the three points after a couple of disappointing results. It's a sickening feeling when you've lost so it's nice to see the lads with smiles back on their faces.
"It's the gaffer's choice who plays up front in the next game. He'll have had Mansfield watched and will decide what he thinks is best but hopefully I've done enough to show that I deserve to stay in the side and I can kick on."
Assistant manager Wayne Jacobs said: "You always know you'll get a lot off Barry but maybe he hasn't delivered the goals, so that will do him the world of good.
"We worked ever so hard first half with a gale-force wind blowing at us. At half-time the message was to go out and make all that effort count by forcing things on them.
"Confidence is fragile when you are on a run of defeats like Chester have been and we knew we could push home our advantage if we got the first goal. It was a very professional performance."
Lee Bullock was out with a groin injury and Jacobs praised the partnership of Paul Evans and Eddie Johnson in central midfield.
"They were fantastic. They scrapped and battled and that was a really key area for us."
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News of former players
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Ex-pro Lawrence back at school
Your Game meets Jamie Lawrence
By Alistair Magowan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/your_game/7287554.stm
Jamie Lawrence and Nightingale School pupil Jameo
Some of these kids nowadays, all they want is someone to be around for
them and show them the right direction to go in
Jamie Lawrence
Not more than 12 miles from the David Beckham Academy in east London
is a soccer school of a different kind.
While Beckham's facility in Greenwich can boast being the largest in
Europe, the set-up at the Nightingale School in Tooting is altogether
more threadbare.
Four temporary goals adorn a patch of grass that is home to the Jamie
Lawrence Football Academy and its existence owes much to the former
Bradford star's past.
Lawrence, who earned 42 caps playing for Jamaica and played for eight
clubs in the four English divisions, spent two periods in prison but
it was while inside that a prison officer spotted his ability and
showed him the path to become a professional.
Now, the 38-year-old is offering similar guidance to a blend of
expelled pupils, semi-professionals on the cusp of making it and, on
occasions, players such as Crystal Palace's Clinton Morrison.
And the venture has also aided a turnaround in the Nightingale
school's fortunes after years of decline.
"I wanted to give something back to grassroots football," Lawrence said.
"If I wasn't in prison and the screws seeing me, I wouldn't be where I
am today because there wasn't anyone else looking out for me.
"Some of these kids nowadays, all they want is someone to be around
for them and show them the right direction to go in."
After initially playing for Cowes Sports on the Isle of Wight in 1992,
Lawrence signed for Sunderland (coincidently running out to Jailhouse
Rock on his debut) to begin his professional career and made most
appearances for Bradford, who he played for in the Premier League.
Jamie Lawrence (centre) with the group at Nightingale School
I respect Jamie more than teachers because he is on a level with us
Nightingale School pupil Jameo (bottom left)
His remarkable story led to his autobiography, From Prison to
Premiership, being published in 2006 and he is now writing the next
chapter training the unique mix of players who hail from the local
community.
Many of the pupils who attend the Nightingale school have emotional or
behavioural difficulties and it was after seeing Lawrence's Academy in
a newspaper eight months ago that head teacher Richard Gadd got in touch.
"This was a school which, for many years, was on its knees, it really
struggled," said Gadd.
"It was very different to this, a lot of the kids were in control,
they weren't turning up, there was lots of bullying and violence. But
now we've turned that around and bringing people in like Jamie proves
how far we've come."
Although his experience as a professional has enhanced the school's
status and improved the facilities which were described as "a jungle",
it is Lawrence's background which has improved discipline amongst the
pupils.
"I've got little rules in the session like they're not allowed to
swear," said Lawrence. "It sounds silly but they have to do press-ups
if they do.
"That's a discipline in itself and a lot of the teachers can't do
that. Because I've been there on the other side of it, the pupils
respect me even more.
"I've seen a lot of the players' (behaviour) change, even the
Headmaster said to me: "I don't know how you do it." When I first went
down there for a talk he said: "You'll never get them doing
press-ups." A week later I did and he couldn't believe it."
In-between carting a weighted sledge up and down the field, Jameo, one
of the pupils at the school, likens Lawrence's role to that of a big
brother.
"The training is hard but Jamie helps us through it. Anything we do,
he does with us," he said.
Jamie Lawrence made his name at Bradford
A lot of ex-professional footballers, especially the ones from the
inner cities, should be going back to their areas and teaching these
kids about life
Jamie Lawrence
"Other people will tell you to do things but Jamie helps us and
encourages you through it.
"I respect him more than teachers because he is on a level with us.
He's like us because he's been through similar stuff when he was younger."
Lawrence is well aware of the danger of boredom on the streets near to
where he grew up. But he also recognises how football and footballers
could do more to help.
"Football is a way of getting their attention and from there you can
share your life with them," he said.
"Football is a key, but it's not just football, there's music or
whatever but they need something to channel their energy into.
"A lot of ex-professional footballers, especially the ones from the
inner cities, should be going back to their areas and teaching these
kids about life. The little words they say to these kids mean a
million dollars."
It might not have two indoor pitches or the flashy kit that players
receive when they join the Beckham Academy.
But with the likes of Wigan's Emile Heskey and Portsmouth's Sean Davis
set to help out in the summer, the Jamie Lawrence version may yet
prove to be a bigger hit where it is needed most.
Your Game is a partnership between the BBC and the Football Foundation
which offers young people, aged 16 to 25, from under-served
communities the chance to get involved in football, music and the media.
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“All the news and none of the views”
Since February 1997
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This match report available online at The Texas Bantam Blog
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