Game Summary:
Coca-Cola League Two
Bradford C (0) 2 Thorne 62, Colbeck 90
Grimsby Town (1) Till 9
Att: 13,448
Grimsby suffered stoppage-time heartbreak at Valley Parade as they threw
away the lead to go down 2-1 to Bradford City.
The match looked like it was heading for a draw when Bradford's Joe Colbeck
picked up a loose ball in the Mariners penalty area before firing a low shot
into the far corner to send the home fans delirious.
Grimsby had gone in front after eight minutes when Peter Till turned the
ball into the net at the far post from Ciaran Toner's cross.
But City's leading-scorer Peter Thorne equalised in the 62nd minute, as he
intercepted Tom Newey's back-pass before firing in.
And Colbeck then completed the fine comeback with a last-gasp winner.
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A bit of City humour... http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/
Next game(s) : Upcoming fixtures
2007/2008 fixtures now out
FL2 Table Table
Must be a midlife crises - I'm on facebook !
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Highlights (UK only) Virgin Media
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Match Stats
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Coca-Cola League Two
Bradford C (0) 2 Thorne 62, Colbeck 90
Grimsby Tn (1) Till 9
Att: 13,448
Stats: Bradford C - Grimsby
Possession: 47 - 53%
Shots on target: 8 - 3
Shots off target: 6 - 5
Fouls: 8 - 14
Corners: 6 - 2
Ref: Jarnail Singh
Yellow cards:
Bradford C: None
Grimsby: Bolland (12 min), Atkinson (17).
Bradford C: 34. Scott Loach, 2. Darren Williams, 5. David Wetherall, 6. Mark
Bower, 19. Luke O'Brien, 15. Joe Colbeck, 18. Tom Penford (66), 8. Eddie
Johnson, 22. Kyle Nix, 10. Peter Thorne (83), 7. Omar Daley (75).
Subs: 3. Paul Heckingbottom, 9. Barry Conlon (66), 11. Alex Rhodes (75), 25.
Luke Medley (83), 33. Ben Starosta.
Grimsby: 1. Phillip Barnes, 5. Ryan Bennett, 25. Robert Atkinson, 6. Nick
Fenton, 3. Tom Newey, 7. Peter Till (11), 11. Danny Boshell, 4. James Hunt
(73), 8. Paul Bolland, 10. Ciaran Toner, 21. Nathan Jarman.
Subs: 2. Jamie Clarke, 13. Gary Montgomery (GK), 17. Nick Hegarty (11), 22.
Matthew Bird, 23. Martin Butler (73).
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BCFC Report (from the T&A )
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Colbeck's a ghostbuster
City 2, Grimsby 1
Stuart McCall is ready to boot out tradition and kick first towards the Kop more often.
Down the years, City have always preferred to attack the home end in the second half.
But Grimsby forced them to switch direction on Saturday and, far from leaving the City players disorientated, they responded by netting twice under the noses of the away fans to bag a come-from-behind success.
McCall was even happier to see Joe Colbeck's winner flash in during stoppage time, killing off the ghosts of previous last-gasp defeats that have haunted the Bantams boss in recent months.
The Bradford End has witnessed a few dramatic winners this season yet until this weekend they had all come against City.
McCall admitted: "That goal holds nightmare visions for me. I can still see Stockport's goal going in after 90 minutes - and Bury's and Rochdale's ...
"But it's nice feeling now as if everything's been wiped away. All I can remember now is Colbeck smashing the ball into that bottom corner.
"Maybe it's the thing to do from now on and go that way in the second half. Whoever the new captain might be for next year, I might have a word with him if we win the toss."
That could be a bonus for the City fans who are going back into the TL Dallas Stand next term as the club crank up their season-ticket drive.
John Hendrie had popped up on the pitch at half-time to bang the drum about tickets - a thankless task, given the unconvincing home display in the first 45 minutes.
Though given the turn-around in the second half, perhaps the City legend has a budding career as a motivational speaker during the break!
The opening half matched the Barnet game in that City weren't very good. Their touch was off and they struggled to find any space to work in with Grimsby's smothering five-man midfield.
A blustery wind hardly made for attractive, end-to-end football, although it didn't seem to harm the Mariners when they pushed forward in numbers.
For a side that had lost five on the trot, Alan Buckley's men did not turn up with their chins on the floor and signalled their intentions from the second minute when Ryan Bennett fizzed in a dangerous cross that was cleared with some difficulty.
McCall kept faith with Luke O'Brien at left back after his promising debut at Brentford but the youngster found himself two-on-one on several occasions and was powerless to stop Grimsby scoring after nine minutes.
Darren Williams was caught in possession on the other side of the box by Nathan Jarman and Ciaran Toner's drilled centre was turned in by Peter Till despite O'Brien's close attentions.
The pair collided and the scorer stayed down, the goal proving to be his final touch as he left the action on a stretcher.
Bennett's overlapping runs were a constant cause for concern, while Jarman rattled the advertising board beside Scott Loach's goal with an effort that was too close for comfort.
City could not get themselves going. Tom Penford, in particular, was having a game to forget in midfield, where his usual control deserted him against the combined factors of Grimsby's pressing and the unhelpful conditions.
He sprayed one trademark pass to release Colbeck but the winger drove in a harmless cross behind both strikers, summing up City's first-half frustrations.
They still could have had a penalty but assistant referee William Smallwood decided to change his mind after initially raising his flag for handball against Rob Atkinson.
But equally it should have been 2-0 at the break as City enjoyed a huge slice of good fortune. Substitute Nick Hegarty, on for Till, beat Loach into the far corner but Bennett - who was in an offside position in front the goal line - decided to touch it and make sure.
McCall said: "That would have been game over. We got out of jail. That was our lucky break of the day and I told the lads we've got to capitalise."
Thankfully they did with a much-improved response after the break.
There were signs approaching half-time that City were finding the next gear. Twice Peter Thorne set up Omar Daley but the Jamaican snatched horribly at the first chance and then drove straight at keeper Phil Barnes.
But City came back out with far more purpose and straight away Thorne peeled free to nod wide from a Colbeck free-kick, although the same combination got it right just after the hour to fashion the equaliser.
Grimsby defender Tom Newey sensed no danger as he set out to retrieve a ball heading for the touchline but Colbeck refused to give it up as a lost cause and set off in eager pursuit.
Panicked by the winger's sudden arrival, Newey turned and passed a blind square pass towards Barnes with his weaker right foot.
Thorne anticipated it perfectly - earning a lavish comparison with Ian Rush from his manager - and expertly steered the ball round the stranded keeper. It was still no gimme because of the tight angle but Thorne showed great presence of mind to beat Nick Fenton's desperate efforts on the line.
McCall said: "Thorney senses where the danger is going to be. Like Rush used to do, he'll appear from nowhere in just the right position - but that's the sign of a very good striker."
Colbeck's role in forcing the error had been just as important and was another indication of the way his game has come on leaps and bounds over the past eight months.
A few hours later, Joe Calzaghe was climbing off the canvas in Las Vegas to battle back and silence the doubters in style. City's own Joe C has certainly conquered his early-season knockdowns to come back firing and convince all but the hardest Valley Parade judges.
He will find out on Tuesday whether that's enough to earn the coveted player-of-the-year accolade from the fans but if there was a most-improved trophy, Colbeck would win it by a mile.
The goal handed City fresh impetus and Kyle Nix spotted Barnes slightly off his line with a perfectly-judged chip that the Grimsby keeper just managed to finger over the crossbar.
Substitute Barry Conlon just could not get enough on a close-range chance and McCall also threw on Luke Medley, remembering how the young gun had wreaked late havoc at Blundell Park in October.
Grimsby were going for it too as Buckley threw on an extra striker and O'Brien showed real precision to whip the ball off Jarman's toes as the Mariners looked to break.
But there was still time for the customary late fireworks from the Bradford End. Medley laid the ball off to Johnson, who chested it into Colbeck's path and the outside of his right boot did the rest.
It's an ending that Valley Parade has seen before - only this time the late twist was provided by a City goal.
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Official match report
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Misc. Report(s)
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From Official website (Programme Notes)...
"Thank you all for your tremendous support "
Saturday 19 April 2008, Coca-Cola Football League 2
Bradford City vs Grimsby Town
Welcome to the Coral Windows Stadium for this afternoon's visit of Grimsby
Town. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the directors, officials,
players and supporters who have travelled over from Grimsby for today's
game.
This will be my last set of programme notes for the season because, as many
of you will have noticed, myself and Julian have been taking turns
contributing to this column. Therefore, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you all again for your tremendous support this season
on behalf of myself, Julian and all of the players. The backing that you
have given the team both here at the Coral Windows Stadium and on the road
has been terrific.
I am very frustrated, as I am sure you are, by the way this season has gone
and I will be doing my utmost to ensure that we enjoy more success next
year. Planning for the new campaign does not start now or indeed at the end
of this season - it is something that we have been preparing for over the
past few weeks. Hopefully we can put a plan together which can make us more
successful and give us the best possible chance of securing a play-off place
at least come the end of next season.
We should bear in mind that since the beginning of January Stuart has done a
terrific job in turning round the results and if we had performed to that
level across the season we would have achieved a play-off birth this year
with the current squad. I do believe that the squad does need strengthening
to ensure that we achieve our aims next season. However, we should not throw
the baby out with the bath water. Instead, there needs to be a strategic
pruning of the squad which - to continue the gardening analogy - will allow
us to grow back stronger next season.
As you will probably have heard by now, we will be holding a fans' forum at
the club with myself, Stuart and David Baldwin on Tuesday 29 April at
7.00pm.
This will be a great opportunity for you supporters to ask us questions on a
whole variety of topics affecting the football club and, as always, we will
be as honest and informative as possible. I hope to see as many of you there
as possible and look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Finally, I would like to remind you that we have the TL Dallas Bradford End
back in use for home supporters again next season and I would urge fans to
take up the opportunity to book their season tickets in that stand. I firmly
believe this will help to ensure that the support we have in the ground is
even more vociferous than it has been this season.
I will finish by again saying thanks to you all for your backing this year.
As we head into the summer, please remember that everything that myself and
Julian do at this football club we do as fans and we always do what we
believe is in the best interests of Bradford City.
Enjoy the game, have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you back
here for the first game of the new season.
Mark Lawn
Joint Chairman
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BRADFORD CITY: Kyle hoping all the work pays off
By Leon Wobschall
KYLE NIX has done the hard yards for the Bantams this term and is hoping that his maturing all-round game is rewarded with the ultimate vote of faith from boss Stuart McCall.
The City chief and Nix go back a fair way, to when the fresh-faced youngster cut his footballing teeth as a rookie midfielder at Sheffield United where McCall was number two to Neil Warnock.
Nix was a regular in McCall's reserve team before being released by the Blades in the summer of 2006.
Then a potential second chance in league football was ravaged by an ankle ligament injury at Grimsby at the start of the last term – and he found himself in the wilderness at UniBond League outfit Buxton during the second half of the season.
But McCall proved he hadn't forgotten Nix by handing him a passport back into the league last summer by virtue of an initial month's contract after he impressed in trials.
That was successfully negotiated with the 22-year-old signing a deal until the end of last year before penning a fresh six-month contract at the start of January.
And proving his worth is the name of the game again now for Nix, who fired his eighth goal of the campaign – a spectacular 20-yarder– in last Saturday's 2-2 draw.
Despite having shown a goalscoring penchant, it could well be that the diminutive midfielder's muck-and-nettles displays in the centre of midfield prove just as big a factor when McCall makes a decision on his future shortly.
Keen to land a longer-term deal at City – which he will have earned the hard way – Nix said: "Nothing has been sorted out, so I'll just have to keep my head down.
"If nothing does happen, I'll be a free agent at the end of the season.
"Obviously, I want to stay. But I've just got to come in every day and prove my worth to stay here.
"I'd like to think I've got a chance. Obviously, it's up to the gaffer and I can see that keeping people on their toes works to his advantage, to be fair."
And if he does stay, he'd love to feature in the heart of the engine room next term, if he has his way.
He added: "I prefer being in the centre. As I'm maturing, I see my role there.
"I've played on the left of midfield and at left-back in a few games and that can only help me.
"People maybe look at me and see I'm too small to play in centre midfield.
But I don't think I've been bullied out of any game or pushed off the ball. When I was at Sheffield United towards the end and at (Aston) Villa, that was maybe a criticism and people thought that my defensive side was poor and that I didn't track back or get stuck in.
"But I've worked really hard on that side of it this season and have played a different role.
"I've certainly enjoyed it and feel like I've proved myself and am grateful to the gaffer for giving me the chance.
"The gaffer knew a lot about me from his days at Sheffield United. But obviously being in the first team is a different kettle of fish to reserve team football.
"Some people make the step up, others fall by the wayside.
"For my first real season, playing in the first team, I think I've consistently played well, apart from the odd couple of games, where I haven't done my best. You are always going to get that.
"But I've played 40-odd games and if someone had said that I'd have played that many this time last year after being out of the game, I'd have been delighted.
"I'd have done anything to play that many. Everything seems to have fallen into place. I scored on my debut against Wolves with one day left on my month-long deal.
"I then played against Wrexham in my home debut and did quite well and I've just really gone on from there.
"I've just kept my head down. A couple of times, I've been out of the team when in my eyes, I shouldn't have been dropped. But you just get on with it.
"It's been brilliant, touch wood, and it's been okay injury-wise too. I've not had so much luck before.
"I've loved training and being in the first team in front of such big crowds here. Expectations are high, but that's the pressure of football and you have to handle it.
"I feel I've got more experienced and matured and hope to go from strength to strength."
On his eye-catching strike at Griffin Park, Nix added: "It's probably the best goal I've scored for Bradford.
"I'm looking at double figures now. I'm the second goalscorer behind Thorney (Peter Thorne), so I'm quite happy with that, definitely."
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