BRADFORD CITY 0
PORT VALE 0
Bradford: Eastwood ,Ramsden ,Rehman ,Williams ,Luke O'Brien ,Brandon (Colbeck ,86 ) ,Flynn ,O'Neill (James O'Brien ,84 ) ,Hanson ,Thorne ,Michael Boulding (Evans ,59)
Subs not used: McLaughlin,Bullock,Horne,
Port Vale: Martin ,Owen ,McCombe ,Collins ,Stockley ,Kris Taylor ,Loft (Dodds ,84 ) ,Griffith (Jorgensen ,70 ) ,Fraser ,Richards ,Robert Taylor (Horsfield ,69)
Subs not used Lloyd-Weston,Yates,Lawrie,
Bookings: Brandon (Bradford) Griffith (Port Vale)
Attendance: 11333
Referee: D Whitestone (Northampton)
Game Statistics
Bantams / Valiants
11 Goal Attempts 4
6 On Target 1
5 Corners 9
9 Fouls 9
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
53 % 47
Next game (h) v Lincoln City ko 7.45pm
===========================
Match pictures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1756854,00.html
===========================
Home-town boy delivers eye-catching display in preferred role
1:28pm Sunday 16th August 2009
By Simon Parker
City 0, Port Vale 0
When the story of this season is written, a goalless opening home game will have been long forgotten.
It was no end-to-end classic to live long in the memory. Port Vale effectively came for a point – and, after a bit of huffing and puffing, they got it.
You could count the number of chances on one hand. For visiting shots on target, you didn't even need one finger.
But there was one significant factor which should not be glossed over. Saturday was the afternoon when City fans finally got a glimpse of the real Chris Brandon.
Remember him? The local lad desperate to cut the mustard with the club he had supported as a boy.
Unfortunately the only Brandon that the Bantams had seen since he finally got here from Huddersfield was the frustrated figure with a season-ticket in sick bay.
And when the injuries finally abated late last season, his City career suffered an instant false start, coming into a team devoid of confidence with their promotion hopes falling apart at the seams.
Then a summer of turmoil followed with the will he, won't he saga over whether Brandon would still be around for the new campaign.
Well, he definitely is – and if this game was anything to go by, Stuart McCall will be very grateful for that fact.
If the most common question asked about Brandon has been "when will he be fit again", the second is always "what's his best position?"
Left midfield, where he lined up against Notts County, is not it because of his natural tendency to come inside all the time.
But stick him right side with a view to linking up as a three-man central force and watch the difference.
That was the brief Brandon was given on Saturday. With Vale employing three in the middle, McCall opted for Brandon over natural winger Joe Colbeck to allow him that freedom to rove.
Brandon responded with easily his most influential display in the claret colours, delivering one of several high spots for his manager.
McCall said: "You've got to give your good players a bit of freedom. Brando's work ethic is very good and he gave everything.
"We didn't put him wide on the right but got him tucking in to release the likes of Simon Ramsden. We wanted him to find those little holes to go at people."
Sadly there was no win at the end of a horrible first week. Nor was there even a goal for the Valley Parade faithful to celebrate.
But while City came up against unflinching Vale resistance, there was an opportunity for certain individuals to catch the eye.
Alongside Brandon, Steve O'Leary replaced Lee Bullock in McCall's "horses for courses" thinking and instantly looked at home. James Hanson, who deserved to keep his place on the left, ruled the air once again and always seemed the best bet to break the deadlock.
And at the back, Steve Williams – like Hanson, still cutting his teeth as a professional – made a solid partner for Zesh Rehman.
Right back Ramsden again looked the part as he and Luke O'Brien tried to push forward at every opportunity to stretch Vale's wing-back shape.
The only real concern for McCall will be the lack of productivity from his front men.
At Notts County, the ball was always up the other end. Against Forest, the lone striker system McCall employed meant scoring chances would be few and far between. Saturday should have been the launchpad to get the goal tally up and running.
Even against the blanket defence of black shirts, you would have fancied at least one juicy opening falling for Peter Thorne or Michael Boulding.
Skipper Thorne did have a couple of half-chances, one notably early on after the first of Hanson's many flick-ons momentarily unlocked the Vale ranks.
But Boulding is the worry right now. For the second week in a row, he could not get into the game at all.
With Vale's back three sitting a bit deeper, there wasn't the space for him to press the last defender and sit on their shoulder to force a mistake.
But it is still surprising that a striker who looked so razor sharp right through pre-season – and has declared himself so desperate to right the wrongs of last year – should suddenly become so anonymous. It is surely only a blip but one that cannot drag on a moment too long for City.
Their most likely route to goal on Saturday came via the Ian Ormondroyd-esque Hanson.
It was his header that Brandon hustled into Thorne's path for the first effort on target; and his delicious cross that whizzed across the six-yard box before Gareth Owen could toe it away from the in-rushing Thorne.
Those were the few notable City attacks of a first half which saw McCall encroaching on to the pitch at one stage to voice his frustration.
Vale had the better of the 45 minutes and were always a danger at set-pieces but, apart from Owen's glance over from a corner, City stood up to the test – a confidence-lifting exercise for the backline after the previous outings.
But if City were to fashion a breakthrough, they needed to move the ball quicker and stretch the visitors.
The tempo duly picked up after the break and another Hanson header dropped invitingly into the danger zone without any end product.
Vale brought on Claus Jorgensen, whose popularity from his time at Valley Parade was reflected with the generous ovation from the home fans. Geoff Horsfield, a former Guiseley striker like Hanson, was also thrown on to give them a more aerial focal point.
But City kept pressing for that elusive opening as substitute Gareth Evans took an excellent pass from Ramsden in his stride before drilling over.
Vale keeper Chris Martin had still been hardly stretched until the closing stages when he denied O'Brien and then, a minute into stoppage time, Hanson.
McCall said: "We knew it would be a game of patience and might take until the 92nd minute to score. That was nearly the case with the shot from big James."
Attendance: 11,333
===========================
Port Vale View
MATCH RATING
Entertainment 6
MARTIN: Wasn't tested on too many occasions, but handled competently when called upon 7
STOCKLEY: Seems to relish his duel defensive and attacking roles and barely put a foot wrong 7
McCOMBE: Always willing to put his body on the line and has benefited greatly from being deployed in a back three 7
COLLINS: His agility was required to contain the presence of strikers Peter Thorne and Michael Boulding, with the latter enduring a quiet afternoon 7
OWEN: Made a crucial first-half interception to deny Thorne a free shot on goal and looked his usual solid self 7
K TAYLOR: His experience of winning two league promotions is obvious as he continues to add composure both in attack and defence 7
LOFT: Vale need to engineer more attacking scenarios for the midfielder, who worked hard to create openings 6
GRIFFITH: Refused to back down against his midfield rivals and must continue to do so as the competition for places intensifies 6
FRASER: Produced a dynamic first-half display, but understandably tired during the second period as he continues to build up his match fitness 7
R TAYLOR: Still at his most dangerous when driving forward from deep positions 6
RICHARDS: A quieter afternoon in front of goal for the striker due to a distinct lack of service 6
SUBSTITUTES
DODDS (for Loft, 84): Yet to start a match this season and had little time to prove his worth 5
HORSFIELD (for Taylor, 69): Starved of a decent chance, but his introduction will always lift his team-mates 5
JORGENSEN (for Griffith, 70): Produced some tidy touches and could be a real find in the short term at least 5
Not used: Lloyd-Weston, Lawrie, Yates.
BRADFORD: Eastwood, Ramsden, L O'Brien, Rehman, Williams, Brandon (Colbeck, 86), Flynn, O'Leary (J O'Brien, 84), Hanson, Boulding (Evans, 59), Thorne.
Not used: McLaughlin, Bullock, Horne.
===========================
O'Brien out for Tuesday?
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1757718,00.html
===========================
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=46810838356
or search for
"City Forward! Mailing List"
***
Texas Bantams Blog
http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/
***
CFML since February 1997 is edited by Greg S. in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas
***
No comments:
Post a Comment