Npower League Two
Bradford C (0) 0
Gillingham (0) 1 McDonald 64
Att: 10,887
Read this article online
http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/
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CFML Daily News
http://paper.li/f-1315926867
Current table
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live/tables/cc_league2.html
Fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10266,00.html
http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/clubhouse?teamId=387&lang=EN
The "Social media Corner"
http://paper.li/f-1315926867
http://www.bradfordcity.tv/
Official Mobile app
http://communicatoremail.com/IN/Y2tx0dX-0UIRu4P1_588C9Eehl64XmQ-JA8WroOSpEQ/WebView.aspx
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Signings, Loans and Injuries
Injuries
Andrew Davies, knee, Out 4 months (from Nov 1st) ON BENCH v Gills, IN SQUAD FOR WYCOMBE
Luke Oliver, Achillies, out for the 2012/13 season
Rory McArdle will see a specialist Monday 11th to confirm the condition of his injury.
Carl McHugh was rested after making his Republic of Ireland under-21 debut against Holland. No injury.
Tom Naylor has now returned to parent club Derby County
Curtis Good loan extension until 3 March 2013
Blair Turgott loan extension until 3 March 2013
Rearranged games
Dagenham & Redbridge (H) has now been moved back to Wednesday 27 February 2013
Wycombe (H) Tuesday, March 19.
Rotherham United (H) Tuesday 16 April 2013.
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Match Media & Stats
Head to Head
http://www.11v11.com/teams/bradford-city/tab/opposingTeams
http://www.statto.com/football/teams/bradford-city/
Pictures
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/sport_bantams_pics2012/
(The T&A picture link will dfault to the last match for which pictures are available)
"Last Match" Highlights on Bantams Player
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/player/LastMatch/0,,10266~1612005~36,00.html
BBC highlights (uk only)
Match stats
http://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=234#teamTabs=results
http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/gamecast?gameId=345350&action=stats&lang=EN&wjb=
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Final whistle - match report
Report by Simon Parker (T&A)
City slipped further behind the promotion pack after suffering a third
league home loss against Gillingham.
While Wembley gets closer, the Bantams continue to stutter in League Two and
have now picked up only two points from six games.
City were the better team in a first half of few chances. Gillingham, the
away-day specialists, hardly got out of first gear.
The only real threat on goal came after 37 minutes. Stuart Nelson parried
Gary Jones' shot straight back out but then made up for it with a superb
tip-over to deny Nahki Wells from the follow-up.
Gillingham stepped it up after the break and made the breakthrough after 64
minutes. It was a bad goal to concede for the home side as Matt Duke
dithered coming for Deon Burton's ball over the top, allowing Cody McDonald
to nip round him and steer into the empty net.
Chris Whelpdale was inches away from a second before James Hanson missed a
golden chance to level, powering a header wide from Kyel Reid's inviting
cross.
Duke came forward for a couple of late corners but Gillingham comfortably
saw off the storm to clinch their tenth win on the road.
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When the dust settled - match report
Cup fever having debilitating effect on Bradford City's league form
7:50am Monday 11th February 2013
By Simon Parker
Bradford City 0 Gillingham 1
So Gillingham confirmed what Gary Jones had suspected – City are the team everyone wants to tame.
The skipper had warned before Saturday's game about the dangerous side effect from their record-breaking cup exploits.
City's astonishing progress to Wembley has put League Two on the map – and themselves on the dartboard. Success comes at a price.
The club that humbled three top-flight sides step out for every league game with a whopping great target on their backs.
Each opponent wants the reflected glory of beating the team that beat Aston Villa, Arsenal and Wigan. If teams weren't encouraged enough by the vast surroundings of Valley Parade, that determination to upset their hosts has just cranked up a few more notches.
Gillingham may have the best away record in the division – this was their tenth win on the road. But even Martin Allen's happy travellers saw the Bantams as a major scalp.
"A lot of teams that come here now feel that they are the underdogs," said Gills defender Andrew Frampton. "I've watched Bradford a lot on TV and well done to them for getting to Wembley.
"It's fantastic publicity for League Two and of course they can beat Swansea. They've done it three or four times already, so why not?
"It wasn't mentioned in our preparations but the players knew. We've all been in that situation – well maybe not as good as theirs because they're going to Wembley for a cup final..."
Teams tailing off before a final is nothing new.
Yes, Swansea won handsomely but building up to an occasion like a week on Sunday should not be such an out-of-this-world experience for Premier League players.
Phil Parkinson's problem is how to keep his side's minds fixed on the here and now on Wycombe and Wimbledon; not Wembley. Far easier said than done.
How can life seem normal when the previous week included suit-fitting by Will Smith's London tailor and a photo session for the giant images that will be draped around the stadium on final day?
The proliferation of giant foam Wembley hands and half-and-half City and Swansea scarves in the crowd betrayed the mounting excitement among fans.
The whole place feels like a classroom of six-year-olds trying to concentrate on the last school days before Christmas.
Meanwhile, City's league form and promotion chances continue to nosedive. The Villa home leg remains their only win in 2013 and they have taken only two points from 18 since Boxing Day.
Contrast that with tomorrow night's opposition. City were fifth – 12 places above Wycombe – when the Adams Park game should have been played three days before Christmas.
Now they have dropped to 12th, their lowest position since being spanked at Rotherham on September 1. Wycombe, on the other hand, have jumped above City following four wins in the last five games.
Parkinson and Steve Parkin had gone down to Gillingham last Monday to see one of those and thought the defeated Kent side could be there for the taking at Valley Parade.
Having seen Wycombe outstrip the "leggy" Gills with pace, he included both Kyel Reid and Zavon Hines to run them on the flanks.
It should have worked in a first half that City bossed. The visitors did look lethargic as the game was played out largely in their territory.
But domination of possession could not spark a breakthrough. James Hanson headed over and Stuart Nelson atoned for an unconvincing parry from Gary Jones by acrobatically tipping over the follow-up by Nahki Wells.
The goal would not come and you feared that Gillingham would not appear so disinterested again after the break.
They did up the tempo marginally but still seemed content with breaking things up and spoiling City's rhythm – a task made easier by a bobbly, uneven playing surface.
Matt Duke had not saved a shot in anger for an hour. But then his dithering gifted Gillingham the softest of goals.
Deon Burton showed a clever touch to loft the ball over the back four for strike partner Cody McDonald to chase. But Duke should have come straight away and cleaned up everything.
Instead he was caught on his heels, delaying a fraction too long before deciding to make a dash for it and McDonald rounded his half-hearted challenge with nonchalance to slot home the third goal in four games of his loan from Coventry.
The goal changed the mindset at both ends. Gillingham's protection of yet another triumph on their travels became more intense, while the Bantams became more desperate and rushed.
To Parkinson's obvious frustration on the touchline, their previous attempts to pass the ball around made way for a more direct approach.
It should still have brought a reward with 13 minutes left as Reid put a cross right on the money for Hanson. But once again the big man failed to hit the target with a header he would normally bury with his eyes shut.
That flew in at Villa Park but league games are a different matter. As City keep on discovering.
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We're better than this, roars Parkinson after Bradford City slump to 12th
6:50am Monday 11th February 2013
By Simon Parker
Phil Parkinson will not tolerate any more pre-Wembley switching off from City as they continue to slip away in League Two.
The Bantams face trips to Wycombe, the division's form team, tomorrow and Wimbledon at the weekend before the Capital One Cup final.
And Parkinson is determined to revive their faltering league form ahead of the Swansea showdown a week on Sunday.
Gillingham's win at Valley Parade ruined City's send off in their last home game before Wembley. It also dropped them to 12th spot – their lowest
position for five months. Parkinson's side have now lost three in a row at home in the league since their last win on Boxing Day.
He admitted: "There's no way we're walking out at Wembley without getting some more points in the bag.
"That won't be doing ourselves justice. We're better than being a mid-table team.
"This was a big game but we've got two cup finals coming up now before THE cup final. We've got to make sure we fight and scrap for every ball
and play to our maximum."
Gillingham claimed the points with a soft goal from Cody McDonald after keeper Matt Duke hesitated in coming for a through ball. Parkinson
branded the victory "smash and grab" after City controlled most of the game.
"We didn't come under pressure," he said. "We just gave them a very cheap goal.
"It's very frustrating because I thought they were there for the taking.
"If I was a defender or goalkeeper, obviously we're frustrated at conceding that goal but maybe that shouldn't have been the one that won
Gillingham the game.
"At most it should have been the one that got them back in it, because we'd had enough pressure to be ahead."
James Hanson missed City's best chance with a late header that he put wide from Kyel Reid's cross.
Parkinson added: "James has got to hit the target and he knows that. They are defining moments in games of football."
Carl McHugh was rested after making his Republic of Ireland under-21 debut against Holland. Tom Naylor took his place at centre half – and played
well – but has now returned to Derby at the end of his loan.
Andrew Davies was back on the bench for the first time since his knee injury in October. He will be in the squad again for Adams Park.
Parkinson said: "Hopefully he's ready sooner rather than later. I wasn't expecting to use him for more than 15 minutes and only if we were ahead.
"I just felt I had to take Carl out the firing line. People have got to remember he's a young player and he's had a lot of football."
The City boss also confirmed Rory McArdle will see a specialist today to confirm the condition of his injury.
"The results of the scan and the way his ankle is feeling don't quite match up."
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Pick our Mitre Goal of the Year!
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/mitre-goal-of-the-year-638591.aspx
(click link for full information)
The Football League have launched the search to find the Mitre Goal of the Year for 2012 and we are asking for your help in deciding which of our
goals from the last 12 months should be put forward as our nomination.
We can nominate one goal from anyFootball League competition in the 2012 calendar year, to include goals scored in the npower Football League,
the Capital One Cup and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
We want fans to help us decide our club nomination by simply e-mailing their choice through to bradfordcityfc@compuserve.com.
All entries must have the name of the player who scored the goal and details of the game that it was scored in - for example, James Hanson -
Morecambe (H) 18 September 2012. E-mailing your choice to bradfordcityfc@compuserve.com
The closing date for entries is this Sunday 10 February 2013.
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International duty
Turgott (and McHugh)
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/turgottmchugh-641057.aspx
McHugh
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/mchugh-642520.aspx
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From the Official BCFC Website:
GOOD LOAN EXTENDED
Australian defender Curtis Good will be in contention for a place in Phil
Parkinson's starting eleven against Gillingham at the Coral Windows Stadium
this Saturday after agreeing a further extension to his current loan deal.
Like fellow loanee Blair Turgott earlier this week, Good has penned a loan
extension which will keep him at Valley Parade until 3 March 2013. Good's
previous loan deal from parent club Newcastle United only kept him with the
Bantams until last weekend's match at Fleetwood Town.
This new extension for Good will be the second of his time with Parkinson's
squad after the 19 year-old first extended his loan deal with the Bantams
back in early January.
The defender, who has featured as a centre half and a left back for City
during his time with the club, missed last weekend's draw at Fleetwood with
a chest infection but he should be back in the mix for the visit of the
Gills.
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