L2 L0-1 (A) Plymouth A. Saturday March 31, 2012. K.O. 3:00PM. #bcafc

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Signings, Loans and Injuries



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Match Media & Stats

Pictures
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/sport_bantams_pics2011/

"Last Match" Highlights on Bantams Player
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/player/LastMatch/0,,10266~1612005~36,00.html

BBC highlights (uk only)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17579198?

Match stats
http://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=234#teamTabs=results
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/319890?&cc=5901

Plymouth Argyle: Cole; Berry, Purse, Blanchard, Williams; MacDonald, Wotton, Walton, Hemmings (Bhasera 79); Chadwick (S Fletcher 66), Tsoumou. Unused substitutes: Larrieu, Feeney, Hourihane.

Bradford City: Duke; Ramsden (Hanson 57), Branston, Bullock, Kozluk (Wells78); Syers, Ravenhill (Reid 46), Jones, Flynn; Fagan, Dagnall. Unused substitutes: Smalley, Annerson.

Referee: A D'Urso (Essex).

Plymouth Argyle       Bradford City
9(5)     Shots (on Goal)     16(7)
12     Fouls     13
7     Corner Kicks     11
0     Offsides     2
48%     Time of Possession     52%
3     Yellow Cards     1
0     Red Cards     0
5     Saves     4


Read more: http://www.plymouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/stats.asp?a=278025#ixzz1quhWtWRN

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Saturday evening match report


PHIL PARKINSON'S BLANK FACE SAYS IT ALL
By Simon Parker (T&A)

Phil Parkinson stood motionless on the halfway line, hands planted on hips,
transfixed by the scenes of green celebration.

As Plymouth milked the moment from a win that moves them to level pegging
with City, he looked on enviously and helpless.

A long horrible week had ended horribly. With the prospect of the longest
trip home on the club's calendar to follow.

It was no consolation that the better team had lost or that City had spent
most of the previous 45 minutes camped deep in home territory.

For the fifth time in four weeks, his side had to board the bus back to
Bradford with nothing to show for their efforts.

The 4-0 romp at Barnet at the end of February suddenly seems a lifetime ago.
Seven-and-a-half hours of away football since have delivered no points and
just one City goal – and that was turned in by a Wimbledon defender.

Nahki Wells was the last player in a Bantams shirt to score on the road when
he netted the fourth at Underhill.

Parkinson, his players and the 300 or so hardy souls who followed them to
the deep south will be scratching their heads at how that wretched statistic
was not buried on Saturday.

Wells did have the ball in the net but was ruled offside. Other chances came
and went, scrambles in the penalty box were thwarted, goal-bound efforts
kept out by desperate defence.

At times the Plymouth goal-mouth was busier than the caravan car park
otherwise known as the M5 at holiday time.

But Argyle clung on to their fifth-minute lead like men possessed. It is no
surprise that they have conceded only five in their last 11 games.

Guy Branston was like a kid at Christmas after getting his first game for
City since October.

The bruising centre half, returning to one of his many previous loan clubs,
thought he'd crowned a solid game with a late equaliser. But his thumping
header joined the lengthy list of "if onlys" as Jake Cole punched it away.

"That save was world class," admitted Branston. "It was going right in the
corner.

"But that just summed it up. I thought we totally outplayed them.

"We got the ball down, which people want to see, and put Plymouth under
pressure all the time. But they just scraped and scrapped it away.

"You'll watch the video and think how did the chances not go in? The lads
are trying their backsides off but it's just not happening.

"It was great to be part of it again, I can't say that enough. It just makes
it so disappointing to lose but we've got to lick our wounds."

Branston was one of six changes after the battle of Crawley. Like goalkeeper
Matt Duke, another called in from the cold, he did not let the manager down.

Both will have a big role to play in City's increasingly scary struggle for
survival. Nobody expected to be saying that a few weeks ago.

But then few would have anticipated the club still being mired in the sticky
stuff with only six games to go.

That Barnet win should have blown away any fears of getting dragged back
into trouble. But then Barnet are the only side at the bottom that City can
beat.

Saturday's loss, however harsh it may seem, prolonged their miserable run of
form against the teams around them. The so-called "six pointers" are not
City's forte – how that looming visit from Macclesfield is getting bigger
all the time.

Parkinson's reshuffle at the back was expected given the sudden loss of key
defensive resources. Only Rob Kozluk remained from the previous Tuesday's
backline and he was switched to the left side for the injured Matt Fry.

Kozluk struggled and so did right back Simon Ramsden, who looked washed out
after throwing up before the game. He insisted on playing but looked
predictably off the pace and was subbed soon after the break.

Ricky Ravenhill, too, went off early. Having passed a pre-match fitness
test, he suffered another dead leg from a tackle.

That meant a half-time recall for Kyel Reid, who Parkinson had left on the
bench to go with a midfield consisting of four centrally-based players. With
the winger spending the end of the week in London again on maternity watch,
his manager made the call not to involve him from the start.

Parkinson said: "Reidy had a problem after Tuesday with his hamstring and
back but there are also the on-going issues family-wise. So we haven't seen
him.

"We'd worked on that shape and that personnel for two days in training. I
felt it would offer the back four strong protection and it worked.

"I didn't think Reidy was right to start but he showed some good flashes
coming on.

"I just want this baby to arrive so we can get him back on the training
pitch."

Plymouth's goal was a shocker as City's zonal marking from Paul Wotton's
free-kick fell apart.

The defence weren't in the same post code as Juvhel Tsoumou, a German
striker who once scored against Bayern Munich, was left free to nod his
first goal in English football.

It was a terrible goal to concede before Duke had even had a proper touch.
After keeping Plymouth at bay for 90 minutes with Northampton the previous
week, he didn't last five with City.

The blame was not his at all but the absence of any defensive challenge
whatsoever.

Wotton then beat him with a free-kick that smacked the post before Duke's
day improved considerably, finishing with a superb save to deny the
midfielder's late thunderbolt.

After the first ten minutes, City started to take over. The further the game
went on, the tighter their grip became.

But there was no reward for all the pressure.

Before the break, David Syers had brushed a post and seen Durrell Berry
block a goal-bound header from the opening corner.

The substitutions added attacking options in the second half – by the end,
Branston was the only recognised defender in the City team.

James Hanson twice saw attempts cleared off the line; Wells was denied by
the assistant's flag and Branston by the keeper's reflexes.

Wells was inches away again from a bout of head tennis and Cole kept out Lee
Bullock's flick.

Plymouth were used to living on their nerves and edged their way to three
priceless points. The reaction at the final whistle showed the size of their
victory.

City at least have a free midweek to get their heads together. Their League
Two status remains anything but secure and a four-point cushion on the
bottom two could swiftly disappear over the two-game Easter period.

Fortunately Hereford and Macclesfield, the two occupants in the ejector
seats, cannot buy a win right now. But neither, for all their near misses
and hard luck tales, can City.

They cannot afford April to prove as miserable as March.

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BRADFRD CITY REQUEST PERSONAL HEARING WITH FA

By Simon Parker (T&A)

City have requested a personal hearing over their charge for failing to
control their players in the Crawley fracas.

The club have accepted the Football Association charges and will sit down
with the authority to put forward a case in mitigation.

The date of that hearing will be set by the FA. It can take place any time
up to and including next Wednesday.

Meanwhile the three City players sent off after the game will all return to
training today.

Phil Parkinson said: "Two of them become available again after Monday's game
so it's important they are all involved."


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Parkinson's job safe, says Bradford City chief Lawn
7:00am Wednesday 4th April 2012
By Simon Parker

Mark Lawn today urged fans to get behind manager Phil Parkinson in City's hour of need.

Lawn insisted Parkinson had the backing of the board despite the worrying league position.

And he felt that making another change at the top at this present time would be a "foolish" move.

City go into Easter with a four-point advantage on the drop zone after collecting only one win and two draws from the nine games in March.

But Lawn is still confident that Parkinson can keep their heads above water.

He said: "We've got to stick with Phil, simple as that. Now's not the time to start changing managers with only six games left.

"If you look at Macclesfield, they've changed and so far there has not been a positive impact.

"Who would you get in who could change it so quick? You just can't do that.

"Results have been disappointing. But if you look at the games, we are competing and we're there or thereabouts.

"It's been very close and we've just got to edge over that line. To change manager now would be foolish."

Parkinson signed a two-year deal when he succeeded Peter Jackson in August. The City joint-chairman added: "I still think Phil is a commonsense manager and he works very hard.

"We all hope we're in safe hands and we'll get to that position where we are safe in the league.

"At this stage, he has a contract to fulfil through next season."

Macclesfield, who visit Valley Parade on April 21, and Hereford sit in the relegation spots. Lawn admitted the sole objective for the final month of the season was to finish above them.

"We're still four points ahead of the bottom two and that's our league we've got to win. Finishing sixth or seventh bottom in that little league would be great but third means you're safe.

"If we do the same as Hereford and Macclesfield, we stay up. If we do better, then we stay up.

"I am amazed it's come to this but some of the decisions we have been getting are not the best.

"We can't change that. We've had words with referees and we're still getting those decisions.

"I've got to be quite honest, I thought Nahki (Wells) was in line at Plymouth and not offside.

"But we're just going to have to work harder. I spoke to Phil about it and there's no point moaning.

"I'm as worried as I was last year. We were in a similar position then so let's hope we can dig in again and get a few results to get out of it.

"Some very wise managers have turned round and said there will be some twists and turns before the end of the season. That will happen in our little league of seven."

Recent poor results have also hit season-ticket sales, with fans reluctant to buy for next term until they are certain that City will survive.

Lawn said: "I would be encouraged if we were selling more and it would help the cashflow. But I can see why people are hanging on and there hasn't been a great uptake.

"But I don't agree with it. I was a fan, I've been there and I've bought season tickets.

"In their position, I'd have got mine already."




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KYLE McFadzean will serve a three match ban after losing his appeal against an FA charge.

The FA had charged the versatile Crawley player with violent conduct for an on-field incident which was caught on video during the Reds' mass

brawl with Bradford last Tuesday, effectively giving him a retrospective red card. Crawley appealed, and McFadzean was able to play in Saturday's

0-0 draw at Burton, but the FA confirmed today that appeal has been unsuccessful.

Reds are already missing Pablo Mills and Claude Davis, who have started their suspensions after being red carded for their part in the

confrontation which occurred on the final whistle of Crawley's 2-1 win.

A brief statement on the club's official site read: "The Football Association have confirmed that Kyle McFadzean has lost his appeal against his

retrospective red card, issued on the basis of video evidence by the match referee following last Tuesday's game against Bradford City, and will

now be suspended for a period of three matches.

"Crawley Town Football Club would like to point out that no one from the club was permitted to attend the hearing which was held behind closed

doors."

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