Coca-Cola League 2
Darlington (0) 0
Bradford C (1) 1 Williams 23
Att: 2,744
Stats: Darlington - Bradford C
Possession: 51 - 49%
Shots on target: 5 - 6
Shots off target: 1 - 9
Fouls: 14 - 11
Corners: 1 - 9
Ref: Neil Swarbrick (Preston)
Yellow cards:
Darlington: Hall (36 min), Harsley (41), Hogg (50), Thorpe (74)
Bradford C: Neilson (82)
Darlington: 13. Nick Liversedge, 3. Mark Bower, 32. Danny Hall, 19. Andrew
Milne, 20. Stuart Giddings, 28. Jonathan Hogg, 12. Josh Gray (73), 7. Jeff
Smith (73), 33. Paul Harsley, 30. Mor Diop (60), 9. Lee Thorpe.
SUBS: 25. Ashlee Jones (GK), 5. Stephen Foster, 14. Gary Smith, 15. Curtis
Main (73), 16. Danny Groves, 18. Mark Convery (73), 23. James Collins (60).
Bradford C: 1. Simon Eastwood, 2. Simon Ramsden, 3. Luke O'Brien, 12. Steve
Williams, 6. Matthew Clarke, 8. Lee Bullock, 4. Michael Flynn, 26. Scott
Neilson, 27. Simon Whaley (86), 14. Michael Boulding (63), 17. James Hanson.
SUBS: 13. Jon McLaughlin (GK), 9. Gareth Evans (63), 11. Chris Brandon, 16.
Jonathan Bateson, 18. Rory Boulding, 19. James O'Brien (86), 24. Louis
Horne.
Next matches: (H) Rotherham, Saturday Dec 12, 2009. K.O. 3:00PM
JPT(N): (A) Carlisle, Tuesday Dec 15, 2009. K.O. 7:30PM.
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By Simon Parker (T&A)
Bradford City got back to winning ways after their midweek setback in a
scrappy clash with League Two whipping boys Darlington.
It was no classic but the Bantams left with the three points they had to get
ahead of the big games to come this month.
City showed no immediate signs of a Rochdale hangover as they pressed the
struggling hosts from the start.
Scott Neilson, one of three changes to the side from midweek, and Lee
Bullock both went close before City grabbed the lead midway through the
first half.
Steve Williams had just been denied from one corner. But nobody picked him
up from the next as the centre half nodded home Neilson's kick at the far
post after 23 minutes.
James Hanson should have extended the lead ten minutes later but City were
well in command at the break.
Darlington, skippered by Valley Parade old boy Mark Bower, had offered
little going forward and looked a side devoid of any confidence.
The second half began in the same vein with City pushing for the second goal
to surely put the game beyond Darlo. Michael Boulding deflected a Simon
Whaley shot straight at keeper Nick Liversedge and Hanson sliced wide after
more clever play from the livewire Neilson.
But City did not have the safety net of a second and Simon Eastwood was
called into action to save from sub James Collins and Jonathan Hogg as
Darlington rallied.
The last 20 minutes were more uncomfortable than they should have been but
City kept it tight to make sure of their fourth away win in the league.
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Video and pics
http://www.darlofc.co.uk/news.php?NewsID=131
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1897109,00.html
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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/4779684.Williams_redemption_gives_positive_reply/
Defender's text message gives team-mates belief
6:30am Monday 7th December 2009
By Simon Parker
Darlington 0, City 1
Steve Williams texted Michael Flynn after the Rochdale flop to say sorry for the way he'd played.
The big defender was distraught over the blunder which put the skids under City as they tumbled to the heaviest home loss of the season.
But four days on, Williams was the toast of his team-mates by scoring a redeeming winner in the north-east – and Flynn made sure he was at the front of the queue to say well done.
Flynn said: "For a player to send a text message like that shows how much he cares. I have full respect for Willo for doing that.
"But these boys here all care and they all want to do well for the manager. We were just as hurt as anybody else after Tuesday."
A lot of steam has been let off since Rochdale. Message boards have seethed with indignation following such an awful night.
Fans – not to mention the manager – were entitled to feel let down at the way such a hyped-up match swiftly turned into a one-sided non-event.
Normal service, of a sort, was restored in the eerily empty Darlington Arena on Saturday. City reacted with the right result, even if the way in which it was achieved was nothing to write home about.
The job got done with few frills or fuss. Against a side that had shipped 13 goals in three outings, one proved to be sufficient.
And how appropriate that it should come from the head of the novice defender who had taken the blame so personally for the previous slip-up.
Stuart McCall talked about the self-inflicted pressure City took into the game and nobody felt that more so than Williams.
McCall said: "People think of his last game and it wasn't his best. But you could say that about nine of them who were on the pitch that night.
"I had a good chat with Willo on Friday about his confidence and he's shown great character.
"You look at him throughout the season and he's been doing far better than we could have hoped for from where he's come from. But he's got to keep learning and he will do that."
Lee Bullock always makes the point that players are in League Two because of their inconsistency. If they were good enough to play at a decent level week in, week out, they wouldn't be plying their trade in the basement division.
It explains why results in this league fluctuate so wildly compared with higher up the food chain.
By the League Two law of averages, everyone will have a shocker or two at some point. It's how you respond next time out.
The most consistent results have been churned out by the boys at the bottom. They get beaten every week.
If City think they've got it bad, spare a thought for the long-suffering Darlo faithful; very few in number and pretty much devoid of hope.
A Darlington steward took exception to the "going down" chant from the boisterous away end. He argued: "They've got it wrong – we're already down. We're just playing out time now."
That sense of defeatism is underlined by the fact Darlo have used 40 different players already – half of which appear to have been on loan. But the ship lacks a skipper because Steve Foster is consigned to 'gardening leave' on the substitutes' bench because his contract is too expensive for the cash-strapped club.
Darlington are clearly there for the taking – and should have been once City turned almost total possession into a breakthrough midway through the first half.
The visitors had already set up camp in the Darlo half when corner number six brought its reward. Scott Neilson, looking sharp on his recall, whipped it to the far post where Williams burrowed through to score with a stooping header.
That should have signalled a goal avalanche to match the recent tallies clocked up by Chesterfield, Morecambe and Notts County.
Had James Hanson buried the headed chances that came his way, City would indeed have won by a canter.
But opportunities kept coming and going. Bullock, seemingly destined never to get off the mark, shanked a shot while Simon Whaley's effort was deflected straight into the keeper by Michael Boulding.
The striker was one of three changes from midweek as McCall also switched formation to accommodate two wingers in a 4-4-2.
City should have been out of sight by the break, so the slender advantage at the interval caused a few concerns in the away dressing room.
But Darlington hardly crackled with attacking intent themselves. It took them until 12 minutes from time to win their only corner.
They did get better in the second half though, particularly after the introduction of Aston Villa rookie James Collins. He gave them a bit of spark up front, although Williams and the recalled Matt Clarke kept a tight rein on his battering ram partner Lee Thorpe.
As the game and City became scrappier, Darlington began to have more joy. But Simon Eastwood still only made one real save of note to cling on to a fierce drive from Jonathan Hogg, another Villa loanee.
So City answered the criticism to a degree and made it two wins from three. Now to register a long-overdue victory on home soil against Rotherham.
McCall admitted: "If we hadn't taken the three points it would have been doom and gloom. It was vital we took them and we did.
"Everyone was a bit anxious at half-time, saying that we needed the second goal under our belt. But the bottom line was that if we defended strongly and kept a clean sheet we'd win the game.
"We were a little bit sloppy but we still had opportunities and deserved the points. Now we want to put on a show at home where we've not won so many." Attendance: 2,744
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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/4781449.Slowly_does_it_for_pace_ace_Daley/
Slowly does it for Bantams pace ace Daley
7:00pm Monday 7th December 2009
By Simon Parker
There will be no crowd as such. Even the one man and his dog who usually turn up for reserve games aren't invited.
But this afternoon's action behind closed doors at Hull's training ground certainly matters for Stuart McCall – and for one player in particular.
The manager's focus will be fixed on the City wing, where Omar Daley aims to take another few tentative steps on the long road to recovery.
After ten months out, any game is a big one for the Jamaican, who finally made his return last week against Oldham's second string.
His 45-minute outing at Stalybridge Celtic was nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of darts down the flank and a shot into the side-netting before Daley headed for the dug-out.
But it was a mental barrier safely negotiated – and that was the real significance.
McCall knows exactly how Daley must be feeling. A knee injury once robbed him of 11 months of his career.
He is well aware that – even for someone with Daley's electrifying pace – those faltering first steps are just as crucial as the big strides that everyone hopes the winger will soon be making.
McCall said: "We can't expect too much from him too early. Every manner of Omar's game needs working on because he has been out for so long.
"You don't come back straight away. It just doesn't work like that.
"Even when you've been out a couple of months before pre-season, it takes four or five games to get your sharpness back.
"Omar has been out for ten months so the rustiness is obviously evident.
"There will be things that he could do before that he won't be able to at this moment in time. You think of Omar beating two or three players and it will take a while for him to be able to do that again.
"The one thing you must not do is feel down about yourself. When I was out with my knee it was frustrating not being able to do everything straight away.
"You do worry that you will never get back to the level you were at before. But if you do all the rehab and keep working hard then the pieces will hopefully fall back in to place."
Not that McCall has any fears over Daley's presence of mind. Within days of the injury, the player was talking defiantly of coming back even better than before.
McCall added: "Omar is mentally strong and there is no pain in his knee whatsoever. He's a good kid who wants to do well and is totally focused on what he's doing.
"He's got the understanding to realise that he won't be able to do everything in the first game back or the second. It will add up and add up every time he goes out there as he builds up his match fitness, sharpness and the technical side of the game.
"You can do all the running and gym work but Omar's strengths are taking people on. That confidence to go past people will come and I'm sure he will be firing for us soon.
"Hopefully we'll see the best of him in the coming months and he can come in and play a big part in the rest of the season."
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Eastwood: What's the score Stu?
7:20am Tuesday 8th December 2009
By Simon Parker
Simon Eastwood will press Stuart McCall for a clue about his City future.
The young keeper's loan at Valley Parade is up on New Year's Eve and Eastwood is keen to discover what will happen next.
Having played second fiddle to the highly-rated Alex Smithies at the Galpharm, the Huddersfield stopper would love to extend his chance of regular first-team football with the Bantams.
But with the on-going transfer speculation surrounding Smithies, there are no guarantees either way.
Eastwood admitted: "It's getting closer (to the end of the loan). I'll try to sit down with the gaffer this week and see what's going to happen.
"I would like to know what the two clubs think and whether they can agree something."
The latest Smithies rumour suggests Stoke will make a £3m offer next month and then loan him back for the rest of the season.
Everton, West Ham, Tottenham, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough are other names who have been linked with the England under-19 international.
Eastwood said: "I couldn't answer what's going on but obviously Alex is doing really well this season. There are a lot of other clubs interested in him and rightly so.
"If he does go, then you never know what might happen."
Eastwood has played every game for City so far and kept seven clean sheets – the same tally as Smithies.
Having replaced the experienced Rhys Evans, there were initial fears about the raw youngster but he has improved significantly in recent matches, notably with his penalty-saving heroics which saw City through two shoot-outs in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
Eastwood was not given too much to do at Darlington last weekend but he was relieved to shut out the basement side as City hit back from the home loss to Rochdale.
"We know Darlington are struggling but we had to go up there and win," he added.
"We wanted to get the previous game out of the system and had to do a job.
"The gaffer had said he wanted us to keep our heads up in training after the Rochdale game but that's easier said than done when you've had a bad result, especially at home.
"You're going to get bad games like that when you're not at the races and the opposition play well but you have to put it right and that's what we did.
"It was important to get the three points and I'm glad about the clean sheet, which was our second in a row away.
"We've got a tough run coming up and it would be nice to get a couple more."
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