Saturday 2 October 2010
npower League 2
Bradford City 0
Morecambe 1 (Mullin 23)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at the Coral Windows Stadium
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Fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10266,00.html
Pictures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2173265,00.html?
"Last Match" Highlights on Bantams Player
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/player/LastMatch/0,,10266~1612005~36,00.html
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Match stats
STAT ATTACK
Shrimpless Shrimps
3 Shots On Target 4
7 Shots Off Target 5
12 Fouls (Conceded) 4
5 Corners 4
1 Yellow Cards 2
0 Red Cards 0
Bradford: McLaughlan, Duff, Williams, Gill, Brown, Hendrie (O'Brien, 70 ) , Daley (Chilaka, 62 ) , Bullock,
Adeyemi, Evans, Oliver (Speight, 46 )
Subs not used: Rehman,Doherty,Saxton,Moult,
Morecambe: Roche, Parrish, Bentley, Wilson, Rundle ( Brown, 77 ) , Stanley, Drummond, Fleming, Duffy, Mullin,
Hunter
Subs not used: Jones, Capaldi, Spencer, Hendrie, Cowperthwaite, Shuker,
Bookings: Hendrie (Bradford) Duffy , Hunter (Morecambe)
Referee: S W Mathieson (Cheshire)
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A message to fans travelling to Hartlepool
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2173440,00.html?
Tuesday night's opponents, Hartlepool United, have asked the football club to pass on the following message to it's
supporters:
Bradford City fans have been allocated the Rink End of Hartlepool United's Victoria Park.
The Club, like most Clubs, is acting upon guidance from the Football League on persistent standing.
Any spectator persistently standing during the game is liable to be ejected from the stadium.Hartlepool United also
confirms that anyone entering the stadium with bags or flasks is liable to be searched and checks will also be
carried-out to ensure concession tickets for children are not being used by adults.
The Club have contingency plans in place for all emergency situations; spectators are asked to co-operate with any
requests from stewards and to comply with the efforts being made by the Hartlepool United to ensure a safe
environment.
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Monday morning report
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8428731./
Natives have had enough as Bradford City plumb depths and Taylor steps up search for loan striker
6:50am Monday 4th October 2010
By Simon Parker
City 0, Morecambe 1
Just where do City go from here? That is the uncomfortable question foxing everyone at Valley Parade, from the two
chairmen down to the fans.
The season has already reached a crossroads. Which direction it takes next will be critical.
It is often said that the table doesn't take shape until you've played ten games. Well, City have now reached the
double-figure mark in a relegation spot with more defeats than they have scored goals.
Ten years ago, Peter Taylor was sitting proudly on top of the Premier League as manager of Leicester. Now only
Hereford are keeping his side from the bottom of the whole lot.
It's tough for him and impossible for the supporters, who once again vented their feelings at another unacceptable
performance. The natives have had enough.
Taylor will continue scratching around for solutions but seems no nearer finding a team he can have genuine faith
in delivering more than one good game in five.
He will once again scour for a loan striker this week; somebody capable of actually scoring a goal or two to lift
some of the all-pervading gloom.
But then, any striker needs a supply of ammunition and there has been precious little of that.
On Saturday, there were two big chances. The first came after 90 seconds when Omar Daley's cross-shot clunked back
into play off the far post as Morecambe keeper Barry Roche looked on.
Even then, the rebound fell to the player you would want; someone who has spent the bulk of his career earning a
living in the top flight. But Lee Hendrie skied it horribly.
The other gilt-edged opportunity fell to Luke Oliver after Gareth Evans had bulldozed his way through to cross.
Somehow the big man nodded past the post from six yards.
It confirmed Oliver's unwanted mantle as the general scapegoat for his side's current shortcomings, especially when
Taylor hooked him off at half-time.
But the manager still made a point of defending him from the critics afterwards, saying: "A few people have been
saying that Luke shouldn't be playing up front. But he's a centre half who's helping us out and doing an honest
job.
"When your confidence is as low as ours at the minute, then sometimes you need that big targetman. Playing the big
fella up front is the easier option.
"Ideally I'd like Michael Flynn to get fit and James Hanson to be back and playing like he was last year. If not, I
have to get another striker.
"But we certainly looked more like scoring in the first half with Luke on than we did in the second. We didn't
create anywhere near the same."
The second half was nearly half an hour old before City mustered another shot directly at Roche's goal and his
routine save from Evans was greeted with an ironic cheer from the disgruntled stands.
By that point, Daley too had been sacrificed. It was a case of "after the Lord Mayor's show" for the Jamaican, who
had made such an exciting return at the Don Valley.
That early shot apart, he was a peripheral figure more noticeable for the number of times he fell over.
Taylor admitted: "I wanted a bit more of what he did in the first minute. Unfortunately he seemed to have the wrong
studs on."
As general performances go, City looked to have the wrong feet on. Taylor gave Hendrie his much-anticipated first
start but he could not find the right role to fit.
Starting out wide, he naturally drifted inside as City's play became narrower and narrower. That allowed
Morecambe's full backs free rein to gallop up and down the flanks in support of lively wingers Adam Rundle and Mark
Duffy.
Taylor had debutants at both left and right back but his decision to blood both Manchester United youngsters and
rip up a defence that had blotted out free-scoring Rotherham so effectively did not go down well with the
supporters.
The loud ovation that Luke O'Brien received when he went to warm up on the touchline made that point quite
emphatically.
Growing tension in the crowd spilled over into a couple of incidents. Two young lads traded blows as they fought
for a loose ball which had sailed behind the goal, while a steward appeared to be marched out of the away end after
a heated confrontation.
If only City had shown a bit of that fight on the pitch. Instead, Morecambe were handed only their second win of
the season with the minimum of fuss and hassle. Fair enough, the Shrimps were good and passed it about nicely but
they were hardly extended at any point.
Their midfield bossed the show, with the creative Duffy the eye-catching pick of the bunch. And up front Mullin led
the line with authority, holding the ball up well and consistently bringing the red shirts around him into play.
His dad had turned down a ticket for the game because Valley Parade was his "unlucky ground". So he missed Mullin
bury that particular ghost when he flicked home at the far post from an inviting Duffy cross.
Mullin had half a dozen games chasing shadows when Stuart McCall brought him in during the late free-fall two
seasons ago. On Saturday he looked exactly the type of targetman that Taylor's City would kill for.
Maybe it would have been different if Daley's shot had gone in or Hendrie had got his head over the rebound. But
just like at Northampton the week before, it's hard to fathom how City could turn in such a limp effort on the back
of the gutsy display in midweek.
Taylor would like to dismiss this latest setback as a one-off but it is happening too often for that. Depressingly,
it's the decent displays such as the one against the Millers which are the rarities.
Next up, forgetting the JP Trophy tomorrow night, is the weekend trip to fellow strugglers Barnet. It's a fixture
that has suddenly taken on mammoth proportions.
While it is still very early in the campaign, the signs are desperately worrying. City cannot afford to take
another wrong turn. Attendance: 10,640
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Daley hits post early but it's all downhill from there for Bradford City
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/8428690.print/
7:50am Monday 4th October 2010
By Simon Parker
Peter Taylor admitted that the Valley Parade boo boys were right to heckle him and his team.
Angry fans vented their fury after Saturday's home loss to Morecambe dumped City into the bottom two.
Taylor's team were booed off at half-time and at the end of their sixth loss in the opening ten League Two games.
And once again they failed to add to their tally of only four goals.
The City boss said: "I'm the first one to say booing isn't right if the players are doing everything they can.
"But I thought Morecambe worked harder than us, ran around more than us and looked the better. In that respect, it
was justified.
"I do agree with what the supporters are saying. They are very frustrated and I'm 100 per cent with them. I'm
amazed as much as they are.
"I'm the manager who picked the players, so I suppose it's my fault, but the ones who are playing at the minute are
not doing as well as I expected."
Omar Daley hit the post with City's first attack but they failed to kick on and were beaten by a solitary strike
from Paul Mullin, who had been on loan at the club under Stuart McCall.
Taylor said: "We seem to be a team that has to start well to have a good 90 minutes. That shouldn't be the case.
"We were flat and the players didn't look confident. It was the opposite to what happened on Tuesday night (against
Rotherham).
"It's not an easy one to work out but you never know what type of player's going to turn up. It's very frustrating.
"The last six matches of last season we were playing confidently, we were playing well in front of the crowd and
handling every situation. But this year has been the opposite."
Taylor gave debuts to Manchester United youngsters Reece Brown and Oliver Gill but left Tommy Doherty on the bench
to mend his injured ankle.
The City boss said: "Every time he kicks the ball it opens the joint up. The supporters haven't seen Tom 100 per
cent fit yet, he's probably 70 per cent.
"But the physio said that a week off would help him. I wanted to take that chance.
"I thought the two young boys from Man United did fine. But it's not easy to come into our team at the minute
because we are very low on confidence."
Michael Flynn will make his first appearance with a half-hour run-out in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Hartlepool
tomorrow night. He has been sidelined with a groin injury which also needed a double hernia operation.
Taylor said: "I still think he's training within himself and hasn't stretched out. That's the big worry."
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YP report
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Bradford-City-0-Morecambe-1.6562397.jp
Bradford City 0 Morecambe 1: Miserable start continues
Published Date:
02 October 2010
By Robert Gledhill at Valley Parade
NO city or town has lost two clubs from the Football League – Bradford is in danger of becomming the first.
City have overcome far worse crises than they are currently confronting yet it is not being alarmist to say that
after this display the pre-season promotion favourites are in danger of dropping into the Conference.
Neighbours Bradford Park Avenue were voted out of the Football League in 1970 – a place in League Two's bottom two
this season will result in automatic relegation for City.
That is where they sit now, just three points above Hereford United with eight points from their opening 10 games,
just half the tally they had gleaned last season when they finished 14th.
It is going to take all Peter Taylor's vast experience to lift the club and the manager is as frustrated as anyone,
especially after ending last season on a high with four wins and two draws from their last six games.
The one consolation is that visitors Morecambe, who began the day one place below City, have an identical record to
last season with 10 points from their opening 10 games and Sammy McIlroy's side went on to clinch a place in the
play-offs.
The way they approached this game with a certain amount of swagger and undoubted self-belief must have brought
envious glances from the City fans, who had to endure watching their side lump the ball forward.
"Sort it out Taylor," was a plaintive cry from the stand as confidence-shredded City rarely looked capable of
retrieving anything against a side shorn through hamstring injuries of their regular centre-backs.
One of the biggest gripes among the faithful – and there were still over 10,000 in the ground – is Taylor's
decision to play central defender Luke Oliver as a striker yet the side created even fewer opportunities once he
had been withdrawn at the break following a glaring miss in the 36th minute.
Partner Gareth Evans, whose 100 per cent wholehearted effort should be a beacon to team-mates, hustled Craig
Stanley off the ball and sent an inviting cross which Oliver met with a bullet header way off target into the Kop.
Taylor justified his selection, saying: "A few people have been saying Luke Oliver should not play up front and I
know he is a centre-half who is helping us out and who is doing an honest job. We did not create a load of chances
in the first half but we certainly looked like scoring more than in the second. We are a team that's low on
confidence and sometimes you need that big target man.
"In the end we tried to play a smaller player to get the service into the striker to hurt a slower centre-half but
you've got to have a confident team to do that – you have to be able to pass the ball into people.
"That's why we have been playing the big fellow up front because we are not the most confident team at the minute
so it's an easier option just to lump the ball forward.
"In the end, we were 1-0 down and it was worth the gamble to see if we could get the ball into Jake Speight or
Gareth Evans but, unfortunately, it didn't happen."
Taylor brought in Manchester United loanees Reece Brown and Oliver Gill as full-backs but that did not go down well
with fans of left-back Luke O'Brien, who came on as a second-half substitute into an unaccustomed midfield role as
Lee Hendrie, still not match fit, was rested after his first start for the club.
Taylor also went from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 with the introduction of Speight and Chib Chilaka but, for all City's obvious
muscular advantage, Morecambe hardly broke sweat in holding their 21st-minute lead.
The goal came as Mark Duffy produced instant control to a raking ball from defence, had his first cross blocked by
Gill but curled the second to the far post where striker Paul Mullin, who had a short loan spell with City last
year, tapped home as Jon McLaughlin scrambled across his line to no avail.
Mullin was outstanding in a lone front role, supported from behind by Andrew Fleming and with Duffy and Adam Rundle
hugging the touchlines to keep the game stretched.
Stewart Drummond was given the holding role but also showed initiative to get forward and Morecambe were by far the
brighter and more inventive side throughout.
It could perhaps have been different had City scored in the opening two minutes when left-footer Omar Daley cut in
from the right and struck a cross-shot against the far post and right-footer Hendrie raced in from the left to
volley over the bar.
Boos which greeted the final whistle were justified, admitted Taylor.
Bradford City: McLaughlin, Brown, Williams, Duff, Gill; Daley (Chilaka 62), Adeyemi, Bullock, Hendrie (O'Brien 70);
Oliver (Speight 46), Evans. Unused substitutes: Saxton, Rehman, Doherty, Moult.
Morecambe: Roche, Hunter, Bentley, Parrish, Wilson; Duffy, Drummond, Rundle (Brown 77); Fleming; Mullin. Unused
substitutes: Jones, Shuker, Spencer, Cowperthwaite, Capaldi.
Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).
MATCH FOCUS
Hero: Paul Mullin
The Morecambe striker gave a tremendous display of solitary front-running and City fans must wish the club had
signed him last season following a five-match loan spell at Valley Parade by the experienced former Accrington
Stanley player.
Villain: Luke Oliver
City's makeshift striker should have scored with a free header in the 36th minute but he would be comforted by
England striker Peter Crouch's similar wayward effort on 'Match of the Day'.
Key moment
2nd minute: Daley hits the post, Hendrie blazes the rebound over – what a difference a goal could have made.
Ref watch
Scott Mathieson: Worked well with his linesmen and got all the major decisions spot on.
Verdict
Peter Taylor must be hoping that Michael Flynn, James Hanson and Tommy Doherty return to fitness as soon as
possible after this abject display.
Next game
Hartlepool United v Bradford City, JP Trophy, tomorrow, 7.0pm.
Quote of the day
Stand up if you love your Shrimps.
– Morecambe's 218-strong travelling support as they watch their side gain their first win at Valley Parade.
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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8430234.print/
Bradford City midfielder heads to former club on confidence-boosting mission
7:00pm Monday 4th October 2010
By Simon Parker
The Johnstone's Paint Trophy feels like an unwanted diversion as City try to right their terrible league campaign.
Given the perilous position in the table, tonight's cup trip to Hartlepool seems small beer in comparison.
But that's not how Lee Bullock is viewing it.
The former Pools midfielder believes the trip to his old club offers a welcome diversion from their struggles in
the division.
And he hopes that a positive outcome at Victoria Park could provide the injection of confidence City desperately
need ahead of the weekend journey to fellow strugglers Barnet.
Bullock said: "Doing well in the cup can affect everything the right way. A cup run works wonders for everyone and
the pressure of our league position disappears for 90 minutes.
"There's no better feeling than beating decent teams in cup games and counting the games down to the finals. It can
get a changing room buzzing again.
"The JPT is a good competition. A lot of people have changed their views on it over the past couple of seasons.
"Maybe teams don't take the earlier rounds as seriously because it's the start of the season but once you get going
in it, you can see the excitement build.
"As I've said before, it's the best chance that teams at our level will ever have to get to Wembley."
City enjoyed their best-ever Trophy run last term. A first-round win at Rochdale was followed with thrilling
penalty shoot-out triumphs over Notts County and Port Vale at Valley Parade.
But with the mouth-watering prospect of a two-legged northern final against Leeds beckoning, they were seen off 3-0
by Greg Abbott's Carlisle.
They have already negotiated this season's opening hurdle with a bye. Now they face League One opposition in a tie
which has extra spice for Bullock.
He played 66 games for Hartlepool after signing for £100,000 from Cardiff in June 2005. Bullock still lives in his
native north-east but this will be his first senior outing at the club since.
"I played them in the reserves a couple of seasons back but have never been back there properly.
"I've still got a lot of good friends up there. They've kept the nucleus of the team together from then.
"I've been having a bit of stick with Andy Monkhouse, who lives in Leeds. It's a game I'm really looking forward to
and I imagine I'll have to find a few tickets for friends and family.
"I had two full seasons up there and had a relegation and a promotion. It was terrible being relegated the first
year and going down to this division.
"We had a sticky start again, a bit like here, but then got it going. It was a great dressing room to be in and we
went into every game very confident.
"It's the only time I've ever got promoted in my career and I always tell the lads here that there's no better
feeling than being part of a team that's going up and the celebrations that go with it.
"The next season didn't go so well but luckily I got the chance to go out on loan and ended up here."
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