L2 v Port Vale (h) L0-1 Mar 21st 2009
Bradford: Evans ,Rehman ,Clarke ,Lee ,O'Brien ,Jones ,Law ,Furman (Bullock ,78 ) ,Gillespie (Brandon ,69 ) ,Michael Boulding ,Paul Mullin
Subs not used: Arnison,McLaren,Colbeck,
Port Vale: Anyon ,Stockley ,McCombe ,Prosser ,Edwards ,Gall (Dodds ,69 ) ,Howland ,Griffith ,Marshall ,Taylor (Richman ,87 ) ,Richards
Subs not used Martin,Glover,Collins,
Bookings: Lee (Bradford) Griffith ,Howland ,Prosser (Port Vale)
Attendance: 12436
Referee: S J Bratt (West Midlands)
STAT ATTACK
Bantams / Valiants
10 Shots On Target 3
12 Shots Off Target 3
16 Fouls (Conceded) 22
8 Corners 1
2 Yellow Cards 3
0 Red Cards 0
Video highlights (UK only)
http://www.football.virginmedia.com/page/Football/League2/VideoIndex/0,,12555,00.html?mvnAssetId=3924887
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Also in this issue:
No FA ban for McCall
Vp on Google maps
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7 games Remaining
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10266,00.html
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Sorry statistics mount up for City
2:42pm Sunday 22nd March 2009
City 0, Port Vale 1
Lost: one plot. If found, please return to Valley Parade as quickly as possible to avoid massive disappointment.
Four defeats on the trot; five in a row away; the first home loss for six months. City's timing for the current slump is terrible.
The silver lining, for what it's worth, is that nobody in that top bracket is turning it on.
Nails are being chewed up and down League Two, hence the fact that only Rochdale emerged winners among all the play-off contenders – and they were facing Wycombe.
City, one point adrift of seventh-placed Shrewsbury, are still very much in the hunt by default – but favours from elsewhere will have no effect until they put their own house back in order.
Stuart McCall has had better fortnights than this last one. If the boss had hoped for a powerful response from his midweek ultimatum, he was left bitterly disappointed.
Port Vale, City's traditional whipping boys, came and did a job; ugly but effective.
Dean Glover, Vale's under-fire manager, sensed it was the perfect time to play City, who were vulnerable after the hat-trick of trip-ups on their travels.
He said: "We knew there would be a bit of pressure mounting. As we frustrated Bradford, you could feel the edginess in the supporters."
Those supporters, who have trailed the length and breadth of the country in the past couple of weeks, must be wondering how it can suddenly go so wrong.
And how about Mark Lawn, who ploughed an extra million into City's coffers a week ago and has since seen them crumble to Bournemouth and Port Vale?
Against the backdrop of their worst form of the season, he has still got to persuade fans to shell out early for next year's season tickets.
It was hardly the dream debut for Paul Mullin, the bustling targetman snapped up from Accrington to beef up City for the run-in.
The big fella could not be knocked for his efforts, and he won far more headers and flick-ons than the striker he was brought in to replace, but how ironic that Barry Conlon should score in his first game at Grimsby.
Mullin had seen Vale at close quarters four days earlier when they offered little resistance against Stanley. He hardly recognised them on Saturday.
"They were set up totally different and made it very difficult for us to break them down," admitted Mullin.
"Port Vale went 4-4-2 last week and obviously fancied getting a result at Accrington. They put five men across the middle of the park this time and it was hard to get the ball through.
"We had enough chances and Spike (Graeme Lee) has been unlucky with a couple of headers. They just seemed to be sticking legs out and the ball was hitting them.
"But you come to a stadium like this and people do raise their game. It's happened with me in the past.
"A cold Tuesday night at Accrington is a different occasion to here on a Saturday afternoon when they sun's out and you've got a big crowd.
"But you can't fault the work ethic of our lads. Unfortunately it was one of those frustrating games when the ball just wouldn't go in."
McCall was happy with his latest addition but felt the team could have played to his strengths more.
He said: "I don't think we put in enough crosses from high up the park. But in the main, Paul did everything we asked of him and it was a good debut."
Vale have had a wretched season since being relegated but there are a few notable notches on their belt, including a win at Shrewsbury in Glover's first game in charge after replacing Lee Sinnott.
They also tend to do better away from the home crowd who have been calling for the manager's head. But let's be honest here, they were not world beaters.
Vale looked another Macclesfield; another Chester. Having lost their previous six games against the Bantams – and not managed a single goal in those – they should have been cherry-picked as the perfect pick-me-up opponents.
Their ultra-defensive intentions were clear from the outset but we have been here before this season many, many times and usually City find a way to pick the lock.
After his encouraging cameo at Dean Court, Keith Gillespie got his first start and his quality was clear. But the lack of pace from his advancing years meant City could not stretch Vale down the right flank the way that a flying Joe Colbeck or Omar Daley could.
And with the visitors cramming everyone into midfield, the Northern Ireland international's room to whip in an early cross was heavily restricted.
He still produced some knowing passes and clever little balls in for Michael Boulding but not the production line that Mullin would have lapped up.
The game as a spectacle was not helped by the hapless efforts of referee Steve Bratt, who demonstrated he had learned little since his last farcical appearance at Valley Parade against Blackpool two years ago.
The West Midlands official showed little grasp of when to play advantage and his handling of Vale's physical tactics was lenient to put it mildly.
Centre half Luke Prosser, in particular, seemed to enjoy more lives than a cat in Baghdad high street.
Inevitably, Prosser was one of those who should stick a leg out at just the right time to divert a goal-bound header from Lee.
Anthony Griffith was another walking a disciplinary tightrope who defied Lee in front of goal, knowing little about it at the time as the header powered against his foot.
But City feared it would not be their day when Lee and Mullin flicked on from a free-kick and the loose ball sat up deliciously for Boulding and Steve Jones eight yards out.
The striker got there first and it looked a goal all the way but the ball hit the prone body of keeper Joe Anyon and somehow stayed in play.
As the frustration mounted, City's approach grew more direct. Unable to get things moving through the middle because of Vale's extra man, they resorted to the dreaded hoof-ball, which made watching even less palatable.
They could have been forgiven if something had come from it but instead the only goal was snatched at the other end four minutes into the second half.
City were caught cold on the counter after Gillespie's loose pass towards Dean Furman was picked off by Paul Marshall inside his own territory.
Suddenly there were more blue shirts up there than claret and amber. Lee briefly held up Marshall's surge but Matt Clarke missed the tackle and the unmarked David Howland swept home.
It was the first goal City had conceded at Valley Parade since Mullin's Accrington two months earlier. Having picked the ball out of his net, Rhys Evans was not troubled again.
But City, for all their huff and puff, could not dig out an equaliser. Their mad March goes on.
Attendance: 12,436
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http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/yorkshire-soccer/BRADFORD-CITY-Injury-giving-Heck39.5096432.jp
BRADFORD CITY: Injury giving Heck' the needle
By Lee Sobot
TO see Bradford City stuttering towards the League Two finish line is frustrating for all those associated with the Bantams.
However, nobody is riled more than crocked defender Paul Heckingbottom, who four months on has yet to recover from tendonitis.
Heckingbottom has not played since the FA Cup win at MK Dons on November 8 after picking up the injury which is ruining his season.
The defender finally looked set to return last month, but a reaction in training caused his problem to flare up once more and the experienced defender is now out for another fortnight having received dry needling treatment this week.
A form of therapeutic acupuncture involving injections into the tendon – Heckingbottom's treatment is arguably painful enough – but City's first three successive defeats of the season have hurt the six footer more.
Heckingbottom knows the Bantams have a glit-edged chance to escape League Two and is mightily frustrated he can do precious little about it.
"The start of the season I thought we had a massive opportunity and I still do – the league is that tight," he said.
"I just feel like we are letting ourselves down – we get into good positions, but it's one step forward, two steps back at the minute.
"It's frustrating not to be able to be out there playing.
"My injury is not going the best.
"About four or five weeks ago I was in training just ready to play again and then I just had a reaction.
"Now I'm having different treatment called dry needling.
"I have had treatment before when I first got diagnosed where you get injections put in like cortisone, anti-inflammatory injections but they didn't seem to work.
"This dry needling is meant to be good – they just shoot through your tendon a few times to cause damage to it and then you get the blood flowing and it starts the healing process all over again.
"It's not nice and it's not pleasant – you have an anaesthetic burst and just feel a movement inside and it just goes through you a little bit.
"It's just on the top of my hamstring tendon, right at the very top where the tendon attaches to the bone."
At 31, Heckingbottom has enjoyed a long and successful career spanning eight professional clubs plus Manchester United in his days as a youth player.
Never before, though, has the Barnsley-born footballer been hit quite so hard with injury.
"When I was younger I had operations on my groin which kept me out a similar time but apart from that I have been fit and able to play every week basically," he said.
"It's just frustrating and it's hard to deal with as well – that's one of the hardest things. It's not the pain of it, it's just hard work.
"According to the surgeon I need a couple of weeks rest now before I can start again.
"It's just been hard work as I've not been too far away for so long.
"It's just like that last little hurdle to get over but hopefully I will be all right sooner rather than later."
Scheduled to return in around a fortnight, the Bantams will then have just a handful of games remaining in which to set themselves up for a leap to League One – whether that be through the play-offs or one of the automatic promotion spots.
Frustrated Heckingbottom knows but for the recent blip in form, City would be among the bookmaker's favourites – though the defender knows the Bantams cannot live in the past.
"You look how tight it is and we are not out of it yet," he said.
"If we would have just won a couple more games we would have been in a great position but that was not to be. It's how we do now and we have got to get up there."
Nobody would take quite as much joy as Heckingbottom in joining in a Bantams promotion party but first things first the left-back is counting down the days until he celebrates his own personal triumph.
For Heckingbottom, just getting on the pitch will feel like a victory in itself.
"I'll be over the moon when I get back and just as soon as I get back with the lads in training," he said.
"It's been hard work – I have to spend a lot of time on my own and the rehab I have been doing has been a lot of hard work.
"I have been on my own in the gym, running and on the bike and it will be great when I get back to being a part of it again."
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McCall still believes in Wembley target
Stuart McCall today pleaded with frustrated City fans not to throw in
the towel.
Saturday's shock home loss to Port Vale was their fourth in a row as the
wheels come off.
But with only one of their League Two promotion rivals winning, the
Bantams are still just a point off the play-offs.
With seven games left to rescue the campaign, McCall is urging
supporters not to give up on his side.
He said: "You change focus throughout the season and you've got to be
realistic. My aim now is to go to Wembley.
"People might say 'not playing like that you won't' but it's my dream to
take 30,000 fans there. I've still got that belief.
"Confidence is not as strong because of the form we're in but we can't
have doom and gloom.
"We've lost four on the bounce and it's the wrong time to do that but
I'm not going to be down about it.
"I've got to be philosophical. The opportunity to have a successful
season is still there and we've got to remain positive and have that
belief."
It was City's first league defeat at Valley Parade since September as
Vale stole the points with their only shot on target.
Graeme Lee, twice, and Michael Boulding had efforts blocked on the line
and McCall said: "On another day, one or two of those would have gone in.
"Port Vale had a break away, one shot, one goal. They came with a game
plan and will say they carried it out. But we didn't play well enough to
break them down and didn't show enough craft.
"The times when we got the ball in, it didn't fall for us. There was a
lack of composure but that might be a little bit of edginess from the
run we're in.
"A few weeks ago, a lot of the lads were playing on top of their game.
At the moment that's not the case.
"I'm juggling things and it's there for people to say 'I'm playing well,
give me the shirt'. The belief is still there in the dressing room."
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No FA ban for McCall
Stuart McCall has escaped a touchline ban after a successful appeal to the Football Association.
The City boss was sent to the stand during the 3-3 draw at Luton in January and was alleged to have sworn at the match officials.
But McCall has been fined for encroaching on the pitch and leaving the technical area.
Meanwhile, assistant Wayne Jacobs has been charged with improper conduct at Rochdale.
Jacobs was also dismissed from the dug-out following an altercation with Rochdale manager Keith Hill.
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Vp on Google maps
Follow this link http://maps.google.co.uk/
Type in Bradford City fc, Drag your little yellow man in the top right of the screen over where you want to see on the google map and you can wander round valley parade :-)
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Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=46810838356
or search for
"City Forward! Mailing List"
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Texas Bantams Blog
http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/
***
CFML since February 1997 is edited by Greg S. in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas
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