Stevenage 0
Attendance: 10,967
So to the second - and last, short of a playoff final - match report of the season. Those of us that have watched this lot for the past 20 years (or more!) know that the inevitable outcome of a fantastic cup upset is that they'll play like complete idiots the following Saturday. And so given how most of the players could barely move at the end of extra time following the win over Nottingham Forest, it boded ill for the visit of the league newcomers. There had already been some squad rotation for the Forest game, as compared to the lineup that started at Shrewsbury last week. Once again, Taylor shuffled the pack; out went the injured Speight, the disciplined Williams, Rehman, Moult, and Neilson. In came Evans, Adeyemi, Oliver, and Hunt.
You have to wonder whether all the changes from game to game are hindering the understanding of the team with each other at present. Remember also, that the preseason games were all essentially two different teams in each half. What is preseason for, if not to build understanding between the members of the first team? As far as I can make out, the only time the lineup you could consider the first team played together, was the last 30 minutes of a game against Bradford Park Avenue. Not exactly the level opposition we'll meet week in week out. Unsurprisingly, given the changes, City began slowly. Stevenage, buoyed by their first visit to Valley Parade were keen to make an impression and moved the ball neatly from back to front, but were generally limited to shots from distance as they found the Bradford backline hard to negotiate. City were ponderous; Hanson was labouring from a preseason halted by injury and then a long shift on Tuesday. Daley was Daley; a threat occasionally, but lost the ball a lot.
As it was, City took the lead. Bullock miscontrolled a ball from the right, and in attempting to reach the loose ball was scythed over by a Stevenage midfielder. Had he controlled it the first time the shot would probably have been blocked or missed. Evans sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot. City are a team that are often settled by taking the lead, but not this time. Half time came and the only shot on target registered by the home side was the penalty. In the early part of the second half, Daley's slaloming run from right to left gave a chance to double the lead. As the Stevenage defence parted, fearful of his pace, it left him one-on-one with the keeper, but he blazed wide and high with his weaker left foot. This seemed to be a turning point in the game. Stevenage pressed and harried, and the City team couldn't complete three passes in a row. The three central midfielders were seemingly under orders to not move from in front of the back four and not run ahead of the ball. Consequently, the forwards became more and more isolated. Hanson looked shattered but wasn't replaced. Adeyemi looked lost in midfield. Doherty was struggling also. The ball just kept on coming back.
And because the ball kept coming back, the mistakes in the overworked defence started to come. Duff's woefully underhit, blind backpass sent striker Yemi Odubade streaking away; McLaughlin's sprawling block right on the edge of the area foiled him. Moments later, a hesitation from Duff let Odubade in behind him and McLaughlin had to head away well outside the area, levelling the Stevenage forward in the process and ending his afternoon. Taylor had seen enough. Duff's league debut as captain lasted barely an hour, replaced by Zesh Rehman. Rehman has his detractors among the support but he came on and provided more solidity in the back four. Syers and Moult replaced Doherty and Daley soon afterwards. City ground it out, often with eleven players in the penalty area at corners and despite a late Stevenage flurry when a couple of free kicks were driven wide, kept the visitors at bay. That's the one major positive from the game; 90 minutes played, McLaughlin only rarely called upon.
Negatives? They did almost nothing of note in the attacking third of the field. Their only shot on target in the whole game was a free one from the spot. The midfield needs to get more involve, run beyond the ball, and attack balls into the box. Think back to the World Cup: Holland were pilloried for having two deep lying defensive midfielders, at times on Saturday it looked like we had three. Hanson and Doherty are clearly not anywhere near match fit. And the booing. Yes, opening day at home, a win, and booing from the crowd. Peter Taylor has commented about his displeasure at this in the papers today. I can understand both sides; it was an awful performance, but at the same time the team needs encouragement after so many poor home campaigns. But Saturday's fare was never going to get them on the edge of their seats. It had been commented widely upon Taylor's arrival in February that the football might become a little more pragmatic than under McCall. If it results in promotion, I think we can probably say that the ends justify the means. But it won't be pretty if it's like Saturday every week.
Bradford City: McLaughlin: Hunt, Oliver, Duff (Rehman), O'Brien: Bullock, Doherty (Syers), Adeyemi: Evans, Hanson, Daley (Moult): Subs not used: Saxton, Threlfall, Flynn, Neilson.
Stevenage: Day: Henry, Roberts, Bostwick, Laird: Byrom, Sinclair (Boylan), Mousinho: Odubade (Winn), Griffin, Beardsley (Vincenti). Subs not used: Bayes, Wilson, Charles, Foster.
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