L2 W2-1 (H) Accrington Stanley Wednesday December 26, 2012. K.O. 3:00PM. #bcafc

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Signings, Loans and Injuries


Injuries
Andrew Davies, knee, Out 4 months (from Nov 1st)
Luke Oliver, Achillies, out for the 2012/13 season

Craig Forsyth, returned to Watford

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Match Media & Stats

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Bradford City: Duke, Darby, McArdle, Naylor, Meredith, Hines (Wells 43mins, Connell 72mins), G Jones, Doyle, Atkinson (Reid 82mins, Thompson, Hanson. Unused substitutes: McLaughlin , Ravenhill, R Jones, Connell, Turgott.

Accrington Stanley: Rachubka, Winnard, Murphy, Nsiala, Liddle, Lindfield, Boco, Miller, Joyce, Molyneux (Carver half time), Beattie (Amond 88mins). Unused substitutes: Dawber (gk), Hatfield, Clark, Dixon, Eckersley.

Referee: G Eltringham (Newcastle).

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Final whistle - match report


Supersub Connell ends long Bradford City wait to sink Stanley

6:40am Thursday 27th December 2012

By Simon Parker

City 2, Accrington Stanley 1

There have been enough hints already that this season could be something special for Bradford City.

The race to snap up Capital One Cup semi-final tickets this morning illustrates that.

But surely the most compelling case to make this campaign one to remember was yesterday's Valley Parade scoreline.

A home win – secured very late – over a ten-man Accrington side on a dreadful run hardly sounds the stuff of legend.

But this is Stanley at Valley Parade which, for City, has been like trying to topple Manchester United at Old Trafford.

You had to go back to October 1955 for Accrington's last loss on Bantams soil. Since then they had made ten trips without defeat.

Not that City's record at the Crown Ground was much healthier, with no win over Stanley at either ground since 2008.

But City finally put that eight-game wait – and 57-year jinx – to bed, if not in the most convincing fashion. Few in the rain-swept crowd will have worried about that.

Garry Thompson set them on the way with a reprise of his cracking Arsenal finish. But it needed a late intervention from substitute Alan Connell to clinch the victory after Accrington, by then minus defender Dean Winnard, had threatened to spoil the party yet again through Rommy Boco's equaliser.

It was Connell's fifth league goal of the season – and reinforced his reputation as a super sub after netting the winner in the last home win in the league against Torquay.

City may have anticipated facing novice Andrew Dawber in the Accrington goal after Paul Rachubka's late red card at the weekend.

But Stanley played the system to slap in an appeal and, with no time to hear it over Christmas, that cleared the on-loan Leeds stopper to feature. City had done a similar thing this time last year with David Syers.

Rachubka was a spectator as City almost stole into a second-minute lead. James Hanson nodded into the mix and Will Atkinson's flick-header bounced past the far post with the keeper motionless.

Then Tom Naylor – deputising at centre half for Carl McHugh, who had a slight thigh strain – picked out Hanson with a long diagonal ball. The striker nodded down into the path of Zavon Hines but he scuffed the shot into the ground.

Nathan Doyle and Gary Jones both drove wide from outside the box before Doyle was back defending in his own penalty area with an important intervention as James Beattie shaped to strike.

But City were asking the questions and got their reward after 23 minutes. Rory McArdle's free-kick from just inside Accrington's half was nodded on, once again, by Hanson and Thompson met it with a sweet first-time drive that flew into the net.

It was the confident strike of a player clearly enjoying his football and a first league goal after his Capital One Cup exploits.

As the rain became a deluge, Stanley centre half Winnard got the game's first booking for a foul on Hines, who was proving a handful for him.

Hines then looked set to exploit Peter Murphy getting his feet in a tangle but the striker dropped to the floor holding his face after being caught by a stray finger.

Accrington struggled to deal with James Meredith's long throw and Doyle lashed another effort into the Kop.

City were forced into a change just before the break as Hines, still troubled by that whack to his head, was replaced by Nahki Wells. But there was no obvious respite for the visitors, with the substitute nearly nipping in between two defenders to chase a long clearance from Matt Duke.

Accrington won a corner to start the second half and Craig Lindfield's shot on the turn was their first of the game. But there was a scare for the hosts when Boco got on the end of Lindfield's cross with a low header directed back across the goalmouth and not far wide.

It was a worrying spell for the previously-dominant City and they were then caught out by a quickly-worked Accrington free-kick. Beattie teed up Lindfield for an angled shot that was heading for the far corner of the net until Duke tipped it away superbly.

City were not keeping the ball like they had done before the break, although Luke Joyce received Accrington's second yellow card for a late lunge on Hanson.

That was soon followed by a third – and second for Winnard after a cynical foul on Wells, although Stanley boss Leam Richardson later claimed his player was dismissed for a handball on the assistant referee's say-so.

Accrington's tactic of trying to neutralise City's ball players backfired, with the centre back getting his marching orders despite heated protests from his team-mates. He could have few complaints.

City subbed their sub with Wells, who had been recovering from the effects of a weekend stomach bug, making way for Connell.

Thompson fired over the bar but City had not read the warning signs – and were made to pay 11 minutes from time.

Joyce's free-kick into the mix was not dealt with and Boco drove past Duke from ten yards out.

The goal sparked huge celebrations in front of the Stanley dugout, although this time they did not spill in front of the home bench as was the case when Accrington equalised in stoppage time last season.

It looked to be heading for another tale of frustration – but the City subs had other ideas.

Kyel Reid, making his first appearance at Valley Parade since his Rochdale injury, collected Jones' sweeping pass and his cross to the near post was expertly buried by Connell.

The supersub had come off the bench to deny Stanley at the start of the season with a deftly-taken lob to equalise.

And he had broken their hearts again to rescue two crucial points with a well-directed header that keeps the City bandwagon rolling along.

Attendance: 11,181

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When the dust settled - match report


Super-sub Connell at it again for Bradford City

8:30am Thursday 27th December 2012

By Simon Parker

Phil Parkinson applauded another match-winning intervention from super-sub Alan Connell to get City's holiday campaign off with a bang.

Connell came off the bench to sink ten-man Accrington at Valley Parade yesterday – the second successive home league game when he had delivered the decisive blow.

His header from fellow substitute Kyel Reid's cross came just four minutes from time after Rommy Boco had cancelled out Garry Thompson's opener.

Parkinson said: "It was one of those days when it was very tough with the conditions and the heavy pitch. But the lads kept going and got their rewards with a real moment of quality.

"It was a class goal and Alan made the header look easy. But I can assure you, with the pace on the ball that was not the case.

"He won us the game against Torquay, has done it again now and got us a point at Accrington. They are three off the top of my head.

"He was unlucky not to start but I just thought the conditions were more conducive to the pace of Zavon Hines behind (the defence) rather than Alan's technical ability."

Hines had to go off with blurred vision after getting scratched in the eye with a fingernail. Nahki Wells, who was also a sub, was struggling with the effects of a stomach bug and had to be replaced himself by Connell.

Parkinson said: "Zav's vision was affected and he couldn't see properly. I've had that before as a player and it will be painful for the next 24 to 48 hours.

"We hadn't seen Nahki for seven days so I thought it was best to put him on the bench. He came on a bit sooner than anticipated and didn't feel great."

Curtis Good became the latest victim of the bug which has been sweeping the dressing room. Nathan Doyle had hardly been able to eat over the last few days.

Parkinson said: "We've had two doses of it now and we're trying to do everything we can (to stop it spreading).

"A few of the lads live in the same house, so we moved them out and put them in a hotel over Christmas. But it's hitting everyone hard.

"We hadn't seen Doyley until yesterday morning, so he did great to play.

"I feel for Curtis because he's waited for his chance and was going to play but he went down with it just before the game. Let's hope we get no more phone calls before the weekend."

Matt Duke saved superbly from Craig Lindfield as Accrington, unbeaten in their previous ten visits to Valley Parade, put on the pressure in the second half.

Stanley boss Leam Richardson complained about defender Dean Winnard's dismissal for a second bookable offence. He claimed it was given for a handball but Parkinson felt the centre half deserved to go for his foul on Wells.

He said: "I thought it was quite a cynical challenge as Nahki was putting the ball round him. Then one of their players kicked Nahki in the head when he was on the floor, which none of the officials saw but that was right in front of me.

"You'd like to think we could have dominated more against the ten men. But with the conditions and the rain, it was very difficult to get any fluency in our game.

"But we went again and it's great for us we've got subs with the quality of Connell and Reid to come on and win us the game."
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Parkinson: Let's get futures of Bradford City staff secured

8:30am Friday 28th December 2012

By Simon Parker

Phil Parkinson wants to get his Valley Parade future secured so he can nail down the crown jewels in the City squad.

Parkinson's current contract runs out at the end of June along with those of assistant manager Steve Parkin, fitness guru Nick Allamby and physio Matt Barrass.

Joint-chairman Mark Lawn told the T&A ten days ago that the board are keen to keep Parkinson at the helm after a season that is shaping up to be the best in well over a decade.

But they have not timetabled any discussions yet because of the hectic fixture schedule.

Parkinson is happy to bide his time until the board are ready – but hinted that getting something on the table sooner rather than later will allow him to start working on those players whose deals are also due to expire.

He said: "It's not just me but the staff as well. Steve, Nick and Matt are all out of contract.

"We're really happy here and really enjoying it. Myself and Steve love coming in to work every day, it's a terrific club and I feel that we are building something.

"It's the chairmen's prerogative (to decide when to talk). When they are ready to sit down, I'll be more than happy to do that so that my future's settled.

"I feel that will be important for the players as well because a lot of those are also out of contract."

The likes of Kyel Reid, Gary Jones, Andrew Davies and Nathan Doyle are all up for renewal at the end of the season.

Parkinson played a huge role in attracting them to City in the first place and his continued presence would be a telling factor in keeping in-demand players on board.

Parkinson, who took over the hot-seat from Peter Jackson 16 months ago, is confident that his own position can be finalised but will not push the board to hurry things along.

He said: "I haven't mentioned it at all to the chairmen. They are the chairmen of the football club and it's their right to decide when they are ready to discuss it.

"We have been exceptionally busy. Every meeting we've had has been taken up with planning for the next game, players who we are going to bring in and ones we are going to let go and things like that.

"It would be good to sort it out and I'm sure when the time's right then something will be done.

"Steve and I are both really enjoying our time here – but it's down to the chairmen.

"When they are ready, we look forward to having a good chat with them about it."

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