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Match stats
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Stats: Bradford C - Cheltenham
Possession: 44 - 56%
Shot on target: 4 - 8
Shots off target: 6 - 7
Fouls: 11 - 7
Corners: 4 - 7
Ref: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire).
Yellow cards:
Bradford C: O'Brien (68 min), Reid (75).
Cheltenham: Duffy (32 min).
BRADFORD C: 34. Matt Duke, 24. Liam Moore (76), 6. Luke Oliver, 36. Marcel
Seip, 3. Luke O'Brien, 26. Michael Bryan (60), 8. Ritchie Jones, 4. Michael
Flynn, 32. Kyel Reid, 9. James Hanson, 39. Craig Fagan.
SUBS: 1. Jon McLaughlin (GK), 10. Ross Hannah (60), 12. Steve Williams, 16.
Chris Mitchell, 21. Nahki Wells (76).
CHELTENHAM: 12. Jack Butland, 22. Sido Jombati, 6. Steve Elliott, 15. Alan
Bennett, 19. Luke Garbutt, 7. Marlon Pack, 25. Luke Summerfield, 16. Russell
Penn, 23. Kaid Mohamed (83), 9. Darryl Duffy (73), 14. James Spencer (88).
SUBS: 2. Keith Lowe, 8. Joshua Low (73), 10. Jeff Goulding (88), 11. Brian
Smikle (83), 21. Bagasan Graham.
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Saturday evening match report
NPower League Two
Bradford C (0) 0
Cheltenham (1) 1 Mohamed 8
Att: 9,645
By Simon Parker (T&A)
Out-of-sorts City were sunk by an early Cheltenham goal after an
error-strewn performance at Valley Parade.
Having defended so stoutly at Swindon the week before, City fell behind to a
soft goal after just eight minutes.
James Spencer picked up a long ball before squaring for Kaid Mohamed, whose
shot from inside the box squirmed under Matt Duke.
Michael Bryan drove straight at Cheltenham keeper Jack Butland but the
visitors had control of the early play.
Marlon Pack, who scored from long range when the sides last met, was
shooting on sight again. Duke redeemed himself with a fine diving save to
his left.
Bryan thought he should have had a penalty after his cross appeared to
strike Russell Penn's right hand.
But Cheltenham nearly had a second when Spencer just failed to convert
Darryl Duffy's cross after a City free-kick routine had comically broken
down at the other end.
City got more into the game towards half-time and Marcel Seip glanced a
header across goal from a corner.
Duke saved from Duffy at the start of the second half but looked very
uncomfortable from Cheltenham corners and Michael Flynn came to his rescue,
heading off the line from Mohamed.
City's ragged performance continued as Seip and Flynn got in each other's
way, the Dutchman recovering in the nick of time to tackle Penn on the edge
of the box.
Kyel Reid volleyed well over before another misunderstanding between Seip
and Duke nearly let in Duffy. The catalogue of mistakes continued.
Sub Ross Hannah at least forced a save but there was never a hint of a
comeback on such a flat afternoon.
Cheltenham's sixth win in seven games had never looked in doubt.
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PARKINSON BLAMES HIS PLAYERS
Bradford City boss Phil Parkinson was critical of his players following the
1-0 home defeat to Cheltenham.
The only goal of the game came when Kaid Mohamed beat City goalkeeper Matt
Duke with a low 15-yard shot after taking a pass from fellow striker James
Spencer.
Parkinson, who kept his players in the dressing room for more than half an
hour after the match, said: "We were frustrated with our performance. We
conceded a poor goal. Matt Duke should have done better. He has held his
hands up, but that goal should have been stopped and he knows that.
"If we could have gone in 0-0 at half-time we could have had a real go in
the second half, but we were flat, the tempo of our play was flat - we are
at home and we should be taking the game to the opposition.
"When you are a goal down you look around for other people to inspire you to
get back into the game, get in the challenge, chase back, but there wasn't
enough of that.
"Our central defender Luke Oliver had an excellent game, stood up strong and
did his job for the whole game. That sort of performance can sometimes
inspire people around you, but it didn't do that in this game. We are at
home and we've got to be stronger in all departments."
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CITY SERVE UP A STINKER AS ROTTEN WEEK GETS EVEN WORSE
By Simon Parker (T&A)
It was a result and performance that the Valley Parade powers-that-be needed
like a hole in the head.
After all that has happened off the field in the previous couple of days,
the last thing City could afford was to throw in the towel in such a timid
manner.
As any political spin doctor will tell you, the best way to bury bad news is
with something positive to distract the attention.
Fans still getting their heads round Archie Christie's sudden departure
might have been won round by a decent showing on the pitch.
A third straight home win and a good display to back up the sweat-and-tears
effort at Swindon would help encourage the conspiracy theorists that their
club was not going to rot.
Instead, City served up a stinker.
It was a nothing performance that only succeeded in reinforcing the popular
perception that the wheels are coming off.
The odd atmosphere around the ground suggested that something was not right.
After all the conjecture and opinion swirling through the week, you could
feel an air of disquiet.
The disjointed, out-of-sync display from the team just seemed to back that
up.
Phil Parkinson got his first taste of being booed off and he made no
apologies about it. He watched exactly the same game as the rest of us.
Credit where it's due, Cheltenham were easily the best visiting side to come
to City this season.
They played with the sure touch of a team used to winning. And once Matt
Duke had gift-wrapped their goal just eight minutes in, they never looked in
the remotest danger of conceding that advantage.
Cheltenham's five-man midfield was set up to stifle and nullify. With an
early lead established, they went into full lockdown mode.
"We didn't make their keeper work," admitted Parkinson. "We made him look a
million dollars."
The absence of any hint of cutting edge was the biggest worry for the
manager on an afternoon which threw up too many depressing questions.
How could an attack with the likes of Kyel Reid and Craig Fagan, both
established higher-division names, create so little?
Reid, whose wild and wayward shooting resembled Omar Daley at his most
infuriating, and the anonymous Fagan didn't particularly stand out by their
poor play. They were just symptomatic of the malaise that descended on the
home side once Kaid Mohamed had netted the only goal.
Parkinson resorted to throwing on Ross Hannah - who did force a solitary
save out of Jack Butland - and Nahki Wells but the change of emphasis up
front changed nothing.
The goals have suddenly dried up. That is three games without scoring now
since the come-from-behind win over Northampton.
The one area of the team that seemed to be functioning freely has broken
down without warning, much to the bafflement of the boss.
"We looked a real threat when I first came in. We were always looking to
create in the first few games.
"We haven't done that of late. I've got us more solid defensively up to
Saturday but we've got to make sure we carry that attacking threat again
because we have the options."
There was no pace and urgency to City's game. Everything was too laboured
and pedestrian and there was no momentum going forward.
Parkinson likened the tempo to a testimonial. It was slow, cumbersome and
very easy to defend against.
Cheltenham should have won by more. As well as the goal, they had all the
best chances and were ably assisted by some comical home defending.
The back four had been magnificent the week before against Swindon. On
Saturday, they played like a bunch of strangers who didn't get on.
Luke Oliver was the exception but he had his hands full trying to keep it
together while those around him lost their heads.
Duke had a shocker behind him. He made one fine save from Marlon Pack, whose
shoot-on-sight philosophy showed what Cheltenham thought of the keeper's
discomfort, but it was an afternoon to forget otherwise.
The goal itself was as soft as they come as the keeper allowed Mohamed's
shot to squirm under his body. And he looked in a constant state of anxiety
from every corner - an anxiety that quickly spread to the rest of his team.
It looked as if somebody had lobbed a hand grenade rather than a football
into the six-yard box as City players got in each other's way in their panic
to clear the set-pieces. The contrast to the County Ground was staggering.
At least the referee was on side for once. City can't bemoan their fortunes
with officials again after the favours that Chris Sarginson gave them.
Luke O'Brien would surely have received their fourth red card in a month for
his full-on lunge at Darryl Duffy with any of the last few refs in charge.
And Marcel Seip appeared to get away with a blatant penalty for his
desperate tackle from behind on Russell Penn after the centre half and
Michael Flynn had got in a right two and eight.
That miscommunication was not alone. Seip and Duke were on different
wavelengths when the Dutchman ferried a back pass behind him - only to
realise the keeper had come rushing out for it and was forced into a hasty
retreat.
Parkinson's line-up at Bramall Lane will be viewed with interest. Before
Saturday, he had talked about utilising the whole squad for a week which
contained two cup ties.
This general non-appearance will have sharpened his mind. Jon McLaughlin
surely needs a game and Parkinson may feel it's right to take Duke out the
firing line for an evening.
Others like Hannah, Jack Compton and Jamie Devitt - who got a bonfire rocket
for arriving late again - will also be in his thoughts for the JPT. Nobody
who gets left out can possibly complain.
===========================
Parkinson predicts changes
Posted on: Mon 07 Nov 2011
City boss Phil Parkinson has revealed that he will be making changes for Tuesday's trip to Sheffield United in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy as he looks for some of his squad members to take their chance to shine.
The Bantams travel to Bramall Lane tomorrow for their televised Area Quarter-Final tie with Danny Wilson's men only three days after their disappointing league defeat at the hands of high-flying Cheltenham Town.
Parkinson will be looking for a response from his players following last Saturday's loss to the Robins when they arrive at the home of the Blades, and new faces in his starting eleven are expected.
The City chief will be forced into making at least one alteration to his side following Kyel Reid's one match suspension, with more likely on top of that.
The Bantams boss says that the predicted changes does not mean he will be taking the tie lightly, however, and that the players brought in tomorrow [Tuesday] night deserve their opportunity to impress.
After Saturday (the defeat to Cheltenham) there are going to be changes," said Parkinson.
"There will be players who are given their chance to play, a chance to prove themselves and a chance to keep hold of the shirt.
"We were disappointed by our performance at the weekend. Some players will now be given an opportunity to impress because I think they deserve it.
"No matter who comes in though, we will be picking a team that we feel will give us the best chance of getting a result.
"It is a big game for us.
"We've done great in this competition so far. I don't think we really got the full credit we perhaps deserved for our result over Huddersfield.
"If you look at their results this season it shows you what a great achievement it was to get through.
"That result gave us a terrific lift, and now we've got to try and done it again at another tough place.
"We've got to go there and deal with their attacking threat, but equally, we know their have some weaknesses that we have to look to exploit."
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Get your photo in the programme!
Posted on: Tue 08 Nov 2011
Calling all City fans! YOU now have the opportunity to feature in an exciting section of the Bantams' matchday magazine this campaign!
The City programme for the 2011/2012 season now includes a page entitled 'Fanzone' in every edition - a section purely for supporters' pictures and messages.
So if you have a great picture of you wearing your City shirt with pride outside the Golden Gate Bridge, Taj Mahal or even on the beach at Blackpool, send it to us.
The page will also be available to any City fans wanting to celebrate their wedding, birthday or other happy event, so please feel free to send a nice little message of explanation along with your picture(s).
Interested? Well simply send your pictures and messages to bradfordcityfc@compuserve.com to get involved. Please title your e-mail with the word 'fanzone'.
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