L2 (A) v Stockport D1-1 September 11, 2010. K.O. 3:00PM

Npower League Two
Stockport C (0) 1 Donnelly 78
Bradford C (0) 1 Syers 56
Att: 4,277

Next fixture
Next match: (H) Gillingham, Saturday Sept 18, 2010. K.O. 3:00PM.
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Fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10266,00.html



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Match stats

Stats: Stockport - Bradford C
Possession: 51 - 49%
Shots on target: 5 - 2
Shots off target: 13 - 5
Fouls: 9 - 6
Corners: 5 - 5

Ref: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Yellow cards: None

Stockport C: 27. Matthew Glennon, 2. Mark Lynch (83), 5. Danny Swailes, 6.
Mansour Assoumani, 12. Adam Griffin, 7. James Vincent (63), 4. Paul
Turnbull, 8. Greg Tansey, 15. Matty Mainwaring, 10. George Donnelly, 9.
Barry Conlon (63).
SUBS: 1. Owain Fon Williams (GK), 14. David Poole, 16. Danny Pilkington, 17.
Andy Halls, 19. Tom Fisher (63), 21. Jake Simpson (83), 26. Jamie Proctor
(63).

Bradford C: 1. Jon McLaughlin, 15. Lewis Hunt, 6. Luke Oliver, 16. Shane
Duff, 28. Robbie Threlfall (90), 23. Dave Syers, 22. Lee Bullock, 8. Tommy
Doherty, 3. Luke O'Brien, 9. Gareth Evans (63), 10. Jake Speight.
SUBS: 13. Lloyd Saxton (GK), 7. Omar Daley, 12. Steve Williams, 14. Leon
Osborne (90), 19. Louis Moult (63), 25. Chibuzor Chilaka, 27. Louis Horne.

Position: 22nd


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Saturday evening match report
By Simon Parker (T&A)

Bradford City stopped the losing rot but would have expected more from soggy
Stockport.

David Syers fired Peter Taylor's side in front early in the second half. But
hopes of picking up only a second league win were dashed by George
Donnelly's equaliser after they switched off from a quickly-taken corner.

In a featureless first half, Stockport striker Donnelly came as close as
anyone with a low drive that took a slight deflection wide.

There were few moments of excitement at either end. City tried something
different from a free-kick as Gareth Evans raced from the wall, turned and
hammered off a shot but it flew wide.

Luke Oliver forced a routine save with a header from a corner but it was
poor entertainment in the pouring rain.

Donnelly and Adam Griffin both fired wide at the start of the second half.

But it was City who grabbed the lead after 56 minutes. Jake Speight held off
centre half Mansour Assoumani as he powered into the left side of the
penalty area before drilling in a low cross which Syers smashed home at the
far post.

Stockport upped their pressure in search of an equaliser and got it with 12
minutes left. A short corner caught the visitors napping and Donnelly headed
home Adam Griffin's cross.

Tommy Doherty tested former City keeper Matt Glennon and Luke O'Brien's
charge into the box was denied by a sliding Danny Swailes as City looked in
vain for a second.

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From Tuesday 7th

TAYLOR DENIES QUIT THREAT

Bradford City have vehemently denied that Peter Taylor has threatened to
quit as boss following a row with the board.

The Bantams have lost four of their opening five league games, but Taylor,
appointed as Stuart McCall's permanent successor in February, insists he is
committed to turning the club's fortunes around.

He told Bradford's official website: "Apparently it was suggested I've had a
fall-out with Mark Lawn and basically told him to pay me up and I'll go.
That's a load of old rubbish.

"It isn't right at the minute and we all know that. But I'm very determined
to turn this round and produce a team that will go on a good run."

Joint chairman Mark Lawn said: "If this so-called story came from a source,
then it's a particularly bad source.

"Peter had a discussion with (joint chairman) Julian (Rhodes) and myself
last week, but at no time was there anything like that mentioned."

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From Wednesday 7th

From: Mike Harrison, City Gent Editor

I had an appointment to meet up with Zesh Rehman down at VP this afternoon to do an interview with him for the next

issue of The City Gent.
 
I was kept waiting for an hour after our appointed time because the team were kept behind after returning from

training today for a team meeting. I estimate this meeting went on for almost 2 hours. Zesh didn't go into detail

about the meeting and I wouldn't have expected him to, but he did say it was about Saturday's game at Stockport.
 
I suppose there are all sorts of ways you can take this information, but it sounds to me they're taking the game on

Saturday very seriously indeed, and so they should.

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Just for interest purposes, here is a web site with loads of players on free
transfers.

http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-transfer-list?name=FullName&page=1

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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8387228./

Torrential rain adds to sense of Armageddon for Bradford City
6:40am Monday 13th September 2010
By Simon Parker

Stockport 1, City 1

At around 3.30pm on Saturday, Edgeley Park felt like the set of one of those 'end of the world' movies.

Macclesfield and Morecambe were both winning. City were, at that moment, bottom of the entire Football League.

The rain took on monsoon proportions in keeping with the sense of Armageddon. The open away end, housing the Bantams fans, was getting drowned.

You half-expected Bruce Willis to be lowered down by helicopter with an army of angry aliens on his tail.

By half-time the outlook was slightly less nightmarish. Hereford were losing at home by then and had taken over the dubious honour of the basement shift – and things did improve a bit more.

For the soggy supporters, there was finally the opportunity to sit in the empty covered stand nearby. Though you wonder why it took so long for Stockport to open the gate and let them in to some belated shelter.

And for the team themselves, at least the four-game losing slump was put to bed. But let's not kid ourselves that suddenly everything is bright and shiny. The performance deserved nothing more than a point.

Even allowing for the defensive sloppiness which again undid City and cost them an equaliser, victory would have been incredibly harsh on their hard-working hosts.

But maybe, just maybe, those few melodramatic minutes towards the end of a wretched first half were the low point from which City will now claw their way back.

Maybe we might be able to look back in May, through a haze of celebration champagne, and recall that rain and that league table with a wry smile. Maybe.

There is an awful long way to go for that to happen. Firstly, City have to stop the errors and lapses in concentration that are hitting them hard.

Last week there was the Port Vale corner that shouldn't have been and the free header that followed. Then there was the comical second goal.

This time it was a quickly-taken corner which undid them. So quickly taken, in fact, that even Peter Taylor missed it.

He assumed George Donnelly's drive had flown straight out and turned away from the action to have a word with Wayne Jacobs.

When he looked back, the ball was already sailing over the penalty area for Donnelly to thump home at the far post.

Taylor was not the only one caught out. City's defence never reacted when left back Adam Griffin received the short pass and had time to measure his cross.

Luke Oliver said: "Half the people weren't in their positions because they were trying to argue with the ref.

"It didn't seem like the ball took a deflection, so quite a few of us thought it was our goal kick.

"Stockport found it hard to break us down but one lack of concentration cost us."

Taylor had talked in the build-up to the game about the silly errors and here was another with a much-needed victory tantalisingly close.

For all their shots, Stockport had hardly troubled Jon McLaughlin into a proper save.

His goal was peppered from distance but never under real threat. One or two whistled narrowly wide but, as boss Paul Simpson admitted, Stockport will need another week of intense shooting practice in training.

Not that City exactly over-extended Matt Glennon either. The keeper released by Taylor at the end of last season had little opportunity to show his former employers they might have made a mistake.

Jake Speight was his usual tigerish self, which was illustrated with his set-up play to City's goal, but alongside him Gareth Evans looks lacking in confidence.

Evans has lost that sparkle and edge that was so evident in his approach at the tail-end of last season and the warm-up to this one.

If Taylor cannot find the loan striker he is after to cover James Hanson's absence, maybe it is time to give Louis Moult an extended run.

Tom Adeyemi's toe injury had meant a recall for Lee Bullock. Otherwise it was the same team that had looked better against Port Vale.

There was no chopping and changing and the back four certainly appeared stronger for that continuity. Centre halves Oliver and Shane Duff won pretty much everything against an attack hardly inspired by the anonymous Barry Conlon.

Once again Big Baz was hauled off early against his old club to the jeers of the travelling fans. He had not troubled the scorers.

Neither team threatened to do that in a forgettable first 45 minutes. City tried to lift the gloom with a natty free-kick move straight from the training ground as Evans broke away from the Stockport wall to take Robbie Threlfall's touch, turn and have a pop from 25 yards. But the shot, though decently struck, sailed well wide.

Stockport, with Paul Turnbull pulling the strings at the base of their midfield diamond, had most of the play but the football on offer was not worth the drenching.

Then City grabbed a surprise lead 11 minutes into the second half. Speight powered past the otherwise rock-solid Mansour Assoumani and crossed low and hard; David Syers slid in to connect from close range.

It was his first league goal – and he also became City's top scorer so far with two in total.

Stockport levelled late as defensive minds went wandering and that set up a helter-skelter last ten minutes which saw more action than the previous 80 combined.

Luke O'Brien delivered the run of the match, exchanging one-twos with Threlfall and Speight before Danny Swailes smothered his effort as he drove into the box.

But City also lived on their nerves when another long-ranger from Turnbull flashed past McLaughlin's right post a bit too close for comfort.

Taylor said: "Every now and again you saw some good things like what Luke O'Brien did at the end. That's what I see on the training ground but it's not happening enough. We'll just have to keep working at it." Attendance: 4,277

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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8387166./

Another set-piece error costs Bradford City points after joy of Syers strike
7:40am Monday 13th September 2010
By Simon Parker

David Syers today admitted that City must start learning from their mistakes if they want to pull the season

around.

The rookie midfielder's joy at bagging his first league goal on Saturday was marred by the soft Stockport equaliser

as it finished 1-1.

For the second game running, City paid the price for not dealing with a corner – and Syers insisted that has to

change.

He said: "We go through these things every day in training. We know where we're supposed to be and who's doing

what.

"You switch off for a minute and you get punished. We've got to know that by now.

"You saw the five minutes after we scored and there was definitely a lift but then we let it slip.

"A few of the lads didn't think it was a corner but if the ref gives it, you've still got to pick up your men."

At least City halted a four-game losing rut after Syers had fired them in front from Jake Speight's cross.

He said: "The gaffer is always telling me to get myself into the box when I'm playing on the right. It was great

work from Jake and I just managed to connect right.

"I always fancy myself to score goals from midfield. That's how I've staked my claim. I back myself to get forward

and hopefully make a difference.

"If you're a midfielder who can help out the strikers, then it all adds up to more points at the end of the season.

"I've no doubt we will hit a purple patch with the quality we've got up front and start scoring for fun. But the

midfield have got to chip in.

"It was a great feeling to get a goal but I'd rather have come away with three points.

"But you aren't telling me that any team goes through a season without having a blip. Unfortunately ours has been

at the start."

Peter Taylor conceded it was another average display but was pleased for Syers.

"It wasn't one of his better games but he keeps working exceptionally hard," said the City chief.

"There were a few like that out there who didn't perform brilliantly but kept working.

"The players will feel okay on the strength of stopping the rot but we know we've got to be better."

Robbie Threlfall had to go off suffering from cramp in both calves, while City will be keeping their fingers

crossed over Tom Adeyemi's x-ray after he was ruled out following a nasty kick on the toe in training.

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