Post by stevek192 on Jan 21, 2018 11:24:57 GMT
It's great picking up a point on the road but three away draws on the trot is only really useful if you win your home games and so we entered the game yesterday with it being another pressure home game. I'm not complaining because an unbeaten run does the confidence no harm whatsoever and we all know what a lack of confidence does to both individual and team performances and the woe of the home game against AFC Wimbledon now seems far behind us.
The team sheet yesterday showed no real surprises with the only change being Broadbent reinstated in favour of Sweeney which is about the biggest compliment you can pay the rookie centre half who surely must have surprised even himself with the number of appearances he has made this season. The selection meant that the only new signing made in this window would remain on the bench which was somewhat disappointing but a fully understandable decision by the Manager especially taking into account the fact that the pitch would be pretty heavy after the recent weather. Our opponents welcomed back Charlie Wyke which for them was a real boost as they seem to have obtained most of their good results with him in the side and he has been out injured recently. Anyway on to the game and it was a disappointing first half overall because despite a lot of possession we struggled to turn the superiority into shots on goal and although we put together a lot of good football moves often they were ended with a poor final pass which often was so frustrating but made even more so when one of the few Bradford attacks resulted in the referee giving the away side what looked at the time a very soft penalty although having seen the incident again I can understand why it was given as although accidental IMO there was a definite hand to ball rather than ball to hand and whilst there was little Clarke could do about it the way he pulled his hand away made it look a lot worse than it actually was.
At the halfway stage it looked very much like one of those games where not much was going to go for us and despite quite a gap in superiority in possession I felt a change in personnel would be made at the interval to give us some punch in the final third. The fact no changes were made and yet we were soon back on level terms shows just how good our Manager is to not react too hastily and stay calm in a pressurised situation. The Partington half volley from the corner showed just how effective a somewhat mishit bouncing shot can be in a crowded goalmouth with it eluding everybody and creeping into the corner of the net to the relief of what was a very supportive crowd. The second half was a more even contest but a good game to watch with most of the excitement in the last ten minutes but I will use the players performances to look at the overall performance.
Smith 7 Is really looking the part now IMO because although he didn't have much to do what he did do he looked confident and the save low down in the second half was both excellent and important. He was a bit unlucky with the penalty that went underneath him.
Partington 7 Ok he got turned a couple of times by a very tricky opponent but he kept his cool and also his positioning and timing of tackles and put in a good shift both defensively and going forward. Whilst Leadbitter has more pace I feel Partington has that bit of class about him and is more sure footed as for me too often Leadbitter has that Bambi on ice look about him defensively.
Lockyer 8.5 Back to his very best which is a huge boost for the team and made a very important block late in the game. Tom on top form is part of the reason why the defence now looks a completely different proposition to that earlier in the season and it is a great shame that it has taken so long to come to the fore because the ten point gap to the Play Offs looks a long way off at the moment and the defending this season is the main reason why we are only six points off the relegation zone.
Broadbent 9 Another quality performance from the rookie centre half who is getting better and better. Yes there is still a raw edge to0 him but his calmness in possession and ability to bring the ball out gives him the look of a player who could play at a higher level. Certainly he is looking a very astute signing and you can visibly see his own confidence growing as well as his colleagues confidence in him.
Bola 7 Started off a bit shakily with a couple of mishit clearances but settled down and IMO got better and better both defensively and going forward. it can only be good for the team that we have the able Brown as cover and in all honesty little between the two as regards performance although Bola has that little extra class and pace and is rightfully getting the nod from the Manager at the moment. I am not one for rotation and i think the position is now Bolas to lose.
Lines 6.5 Thought he gave a disciplined performance with touches of class and quality but would like to see him having a shot at goal more often. The penalty was a real pressure kick and he showed calmness with the classic finish which gave the keeper no chance whatsoever.
O. Clarke 7 Getting better and starting to show a bit of composure that was evident last season but so far has deserted him this season. He needs to now get back the consistency to his game because there were still long periods yesterday where he was lost to the game and the right substitution was made. Unlucky with the penalty.
Sercombe 9 MOM Like the team just got better and better as the game went on. Really looks more like a striker when he is near the penalty area and a super goal to add to the many others he has scored. Perhaps there is life after Billy Bodin because he certainly put his stamp on the game in everything he did and always looked class in possession.
Sinclair 8.5 Just like the last home game Stuart not only gave his all but pressurised the opposition to submission and also looked composed on the ball and was unlucky not to score in the first half. It seems that his position at the top of the diamond is very effective in home games and I am sure that Bradford players were fed up of the sight of him.
Gaffney 6.5 Ran and battled throughout and gave Bradford defenders a tough time but when it came to the final pass or shot not much went for him which was a shame because in all honesty we really need more goals from our strikers.
Harrison 8 What a turnaround in Ellis this season and my only hope now is that we can keep hold of him because he is now such a good all round player and if anything all he lacks is that final composure in front of goal. Maybe we should get another physical striker in and play Ellis in the Bodin role because I feel that for all his effort and skill he does not in a game have enough involvement in the box although he did win the penalty and also it was a shame that he couldn't have finished off the good run at goal near the end where he took the ball too close to the keeper and hit it straight at him.
Subs: Nichols 5 Not much i can say other than at the moment the less we see the better as unfortunately for me he just lacks the physicality to do the job that he is needed to do in this team. I still hope that we may see the true player but not sure that we have the personnel in our squad to bring out the best in him.
Mensah 5 Not on long enough to really judge and would like to have seen more of him but can't fault the Manager on his team selection yesterday. i am sure Mensah's time will come and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Sweeney Not on long enough to mark.
Crowd 9 Good turnout and really got behind the team when things were not going right and praise also to the Bradford fans for their part in the impeccable 1 minutes applause for young Bailey Cooper. shame that other incidences at the game showed the Bradford fans in not so good light.
Ref 7 Had a good game and having seen the penalty incident again I can understand why it was given and was possibly the right decision. Nice to see a referee who does not rule a game by flashing cards left right and centre.
Bradford 6 I am not going to fall into the trap of criticising the ability of a team we have well beaten because their position in the league suggests they are a better side and perhaps it is the way we play that restricted so much the amount of possession they had or how little they created.
DC Got everything right again but my main hope now is that he does not forget just how poor we have been for much of this season and that he does bring in the three or four players that we need to give a us a great chance of turning this season around. I still feel that in addition to the positions that he has highlighted we still need to bring in another striker with a physical presence to give us a different option.
So we move on to a very difficult game at Donny next week and one where it would be great if we could see a couple more new signings that could help us to bring our home performances to away matches. On yesterdays performance iut is difficult to drop anybody but the important thing is that the improved results do not mean we forget the problems that have been evident all season and cause us to be in the position we find ourselves in. I would still be looking for an experienced leader in midfield, another winger or maybe two and another striker. Not sure about whether we need another Centre half which is what DC has indicated he wants but would have to be a really experienced leader type if so. Of course this is all based on us holding onto the players we have which would say is not guaranteed as we look far more able at losing good players than getting them in!! UTG
The team sheet yesterday showed no real surprises with the only change being Broadbent reinstated in favour of Sweeney which is about the biggest compliment you can pay the rookie centre half who surely must have surprised even himself with the number of appearances he has made this season. The selection meant that the only new signing made in this window would remain on the bench which was somewhat disappointing but a fully understandable decision by the Manager especially taking into account the fact that the pitch would be pretty heavy after the recent weather. Our opponents welcomed back Charlie Wyke which for them was a real boost as they seem to have obtained most of their good results with him in the side and he has been out injured recently. Anyway on to the game and it was a disappointing first half overall because despite a lot of possession we struggled to turn the superiority into shots on goal and although we put together a lot of good football moves often they were ended with a poor final pass which often was so frustrating but made even more so when one of the few Bradford attacks resulted in the referee giving the away side what looked at the time a very soft penalty although having seen the incident again I can understand why it was given as although accidental IMO there was a definite hand to ball rather than ball to hand and whilst there was little Clarke could do about it the way he pulled his hand away made it look a lot worse than it actually was.
At the halfway stage it looked very much like one of those games where not much was going to go for us and despite quite a gap in superiority in possession I felt a change in personnel would be made at the interval to give us some punch in the final third. The fact no changes were made and yet we were soon back on level terms shows just how good our Manager is to not react too hastily and stay calm in a pressurised situation. The Partington half volley from the corner showed just how effective a somewhat mishit bouncing shot can be in a crowded goalmouth with it eluding everybody and creeping into the corner of the net to the relief of what was a very supportive crowd. The second half was a more even contest but a good game to watch with most of the excitement in the last ten minutes but I will use the players performances to look at the overall performance.
Smith 7 Is really looking the part now IMO because although he didn't have much to do what he did do he looked confident and the save low down in the second half was both excellent and important. He was a bit unlucky with the penalty that went underneath him.
Partington 7 Ok he got turned a couple of times by a very tricky opponent but he kept his cool and also his positioning and timing of tackles and put in a good shift both defensively and going forward. Whilst Leadbitter has more pace I feel Partington has that bit of class about him and is more sure footed as for me too often Leadbitter has that Bambi on ice look about him defensively.
Lockyer 8.5 Back to his very best which is a huge boost for the team and made a very important block late in the game. Tom on top form is part of the reason why the defence now looks a completely different proposition to that earlier in the season and it is a great shame that it has taken so long to come to the fore because the ten point gap to the Play Offs looks a long way off at the moment and the defending this season is the main reason why we are only six points off the relegation zone.
Broadbent 9 Another quality performance from the rookie centre half who is getting better and better. Yes there is still a raw edge to0 him but his calmness in possession and ability to bring the ball out gives him the look of a player who could play at a higher level. Certainly he is looking a very astute signing and you can visibly see his own confidence growing as well as his colleagues confidence in him.
Bola 7 Started off a bit shakily with a couple of mishit clearances but settled down and IMO got better and better both defensively and going forward. it can only be good for the team that we have the able Brown as cover and in all honesty little between the two as regards performance although Bola has that little extra class and pace and is rightfully getting the nod from the Manager at the moment. I am not one for rotation and i think the position is now Bolas to lose.
Lines 6.5 Thought he gave a disciplined performance with touches of class and quality but would like to see him having a shot at goal more often. The penalty was a real pressure kick and he showed calmness with the classic finish which gave the keeper no chance whatsoever.
O. Clarke 7 Getting better and starting to show a bit of composure that was evident last season but so far has deserted him this season. He needs to now get back the consistency to his game because there were still long periods yesterday where he was lost to the game and the right substitution was made. Unlucky with the penalty.
Sercombe 9 MOM Like the team just got better and better as the game went on. Really looks more like a striker when he is near the penalty area and a super goal to add to the many others he has scored. Perhaps there is life after Billy Bodin because he certainly put his stamp on the game in everything he did and always looked class in possession.
Sinclair 8.5 Just like the last home game Stuart not only gave his all but pressurised the opposition to submission and also looked composed on the ball and was unlucky not to score in the first half. It seems that his position at the top of the diamond is very effective in home games and I am sure that Bradford players were fed up of the sight of him.
Gaffney 6.5 Ran and battled throughout and gave Bradford defenders a tough time but when it came to the final pass or shot not much went for him which was a shame because in all honesty we really need more goals from our strikers.
Harrison 8 What a turnaround in Ellis this season and my only hope now is that we can keep hold of him because he is now such a good all round player and if anything all he lacks is that final composure in front of goal. Maybe we should get another physical striker in and play Ellis in the Bodin role because I feel that for all his effort and skill he does not in a game have enough involvement in the box although he did win the penalty and also it was a shame that he couldn't have finished off the good run at goal near the end where he took the ball too close to the keeper and hit it straight at him.
Subs: Nichols 5 Not much i can say other than at the moment the less we see the better as unfortunately for me he just lacks the physicality to do the job that he is needed to do in this team. I still hope that we may see the true player but not sure that we have the personnel in our squad to bring out the best in him.
Mensah 5 Not on long enough to really judge and would like to have seen more of him but can't fault the Manager on his team selection yesterday. i am sure Mensah's time will come and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Sweeney Not on long enough to mark.
Crowd 9 Good turnout and really got behind the team when things were not going right and praise also to the Bradford fans for their part in the impeccable 1 minutes applause for young Bailey Cooper. shame that other incidences at the game showed the Bradford fans in not so good light.
Ref 7 Had a good game and having seen the penalty incident again I can understand why it was given and was possibly the right decision. Nice to see a referee who does not rule a game by flashing cards left right and centre.
Bradford 6 I am not going to fall into the trap of criticising the ability of a team we have well beaten because their position in the league suggests they are a better side and perhaps it is the way we play that restricted so much the amount of possession they had or how little they created.
DC Got everything right again but my main hope now is that he does not forget just how poor we have been for much of this season and that he does bring in the three or four players that we need to give a us a great chance of turning this season around. I still feel that in addition to the positions that he has highlighted we still need to bring in another striker with a physical presence to give us a different option.
So we move on to a very difficult game at Donny next week and one where it would be great if we could see a couple more new signings that could help us to bring our home performances to away matches. On yesterdays performance iut is difficult to drop anybody but the important thing is that the improved results do not mean we forget the problems that have been evident all season and cause us to be in the position we find ourselves in. I would still be looking for an experienced leader in midfield, another winger or maybe two and another striker. Not sure about whether we need another Centre half which is what DC has indicated he wants but would have to be a really experienced leader type if so. Of course this is all based on us holding onto the players we have which would say is not guaranteed as we look far more able at losing good players than getting them in!! UTG
