Bradford 1-1 Bolton

Good game to watch, we were all over them. Should have had the 3 points

As usual so much possession, but failure to find the net so frustrating.

We always seem to be trying to hack it through a forest of legs.

Easily the best team for 85 minutes, to many unforced errors in the last third, but we are way better than Bradford, up to 85 minutes they deserved nothing very average and at home, thought when Gilkes made that save it was our day really gutted to concede but i have been banging on that we were due to concede.  

Results could have been kinder but we are still in the mix. Thought Sarcevic was really off today. Baptiste was outstanding and Isgrove put a real shift in.

This is one that got away that shouldn't have. We'll play worse and win. Just got to take this one on the chin and move on.

Just got to beat Cambridge.

Poor result after all the possession. Played well for long spells but we lack the killer instinct in front of goal.

Despite all the fanfare, this jury is still very much out on Doyle & Sarcevic.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Poor result after all the possession. Played well for long spells but we lack the killer instinct in front of goal.

Despite all the fanfare, this jury is still very much out on Doyle & Sarcevic.

Agree 100% about Doyle and Sarcevic Nat.
They were both our best players at the start of the season, and rightly earned their reputation. However, the team around them has now changed, and improved, and they don't seem to have the ability to do the same. With Doyle I think its mainly because of the way we don't pass it to him, not the best thing to do when he is an out and out poacher. However, I think Sarcevic is playing like a man who's lost interest.You can see some brilliant thinking behind his play, but it often fails to produce anything now. One thing they do have in common though, and that is their passing, and its dreadful at the moment.
If we don't at least get into the playoffs, it'll be because of our inability to take our chances when we are on top. To be fair, were not there yet, and we are getting better by the game.

Laughable to say the jury’s out on Doyle, he’s the best striker (relative to the league we’re in) we’ve had in years. 

Today was one of the poorest games I’ve seen him play for us he needed to get across the front post to convert one of the balls across. 

Yet his class should have won us the game, how many strikers have we had over the years who’d show the composure to work the angle he did for the goal? 

One of the smartest signings we’ve made in years, without a doubt.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:Laughable to say the jury’s out on Doyle, he’s the best striker (relative to the league we’re in) we’ve had in years. 

Perhaps I was sucked into the hype, but I expected more. Not once have I finished watching a game thinking Doyle was the difference between the teams.

It's good to see general progress in most areas of the pitch. Still frustrating but also more entertaining overall. Worth watching now.


If we did get promoted, it's beginning to look as if we would cope ok in L1.

Report: Bradford City 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Both sides shared the points at the Utilita Energy Stadium after substitute Danny Rowe cancelled out Nathan Delfouneso’s opener.

The visitors looked to be heading home with a seventh consecutive win after the Wanderers sub gave his side a deserved lead.

But with the Bantams throwing everything into the box, they grabbed an equaliser in added time.

Ian Evatt made one change to the team to face Bradford City at the Utilita Energy Stadium with Lloyd Isgrove coming into the starting eleven in place of Nathan Delfouneso who was named amongst the substitutes.

The game started immediately in an entertaining fashion with both sides probing into each other’s areas during the early stages.

Eoin Doyle fired just over the bar against his former club after being played in by Dapo Afolayan, while at the other end Alex Baptiste slid in to dispossess Ollie Crankshaw after the wideman threatened to put the ball into the danger area.

A good move in the middle set up Gethin Jones who got in behind Connor Wood on the right, but the full-back’s centre was too powerful for Doyle to reach.

Afolayan was played in by an impudent backheel from Baptiste and with midfielder’s searching cross just evaded Isgrove at the far post.

Andy Cook shot over from just outside the box after Callum Cooke charged into space when Wanderers had lost possession inside their own half.

Cook got in behind Baptise and headed into the danger area but a timely intervention by Ricardo Almeida Santos took the ball off the striker with a superbly timed sliding tackle.

Almeida Santos had a powerful shot blocked by Paudie O’Connor after he lost his marker with a spin and probed forward.

Afolayan wasn’t able to control Kieran Lee’s pass sufficiently enough to volley on target and the ball went behind for a goal-kick early in the second half with Wanderers looking to go on the front foot.

Afolayan forced out a fantastic save from Sam Hornby after Declan John jinked his way into the box. The on-loan West Ham man’s right-footed curler was kept out at full stretch.

Almeida Santos and Paudie O’Connor both were shown yellow cards after clashing just after the hour mark.

After a sustained period of Wanderers pressure, Hornby pulled off an important save to keep out an Almeida Santos strike, while seconds later Doyle headed John’s left sided cross wide of goal.

Isgrove volleyed wide after Afolayan’s cross into the box caused problems in the Bantams’ defence.

Wanderers made their first change with 12 minutes to go when Delfouneso came on for Sarcevic.

Bradford sub, Rowe lashed a volley over from distance as the hosts had a rare foray into the Wanderers’ box.

Wanderers took the lead with seven minutes to go when Delfouneso steered the ball over the line after Doyle’s looping effort was headed goalwards. The Wanderers sub had the decisive touch to make sure of the goal and it was no less than Evatt’s men deserved.

Gilks made a stunning save to preserve Wanderers’ lead just a couple of minutes later when he scooped out Anthony O’Connor’s header at the far post.

Wanderers made a double attacking sub with Arthur Gnahoua and Shaun Miller on for Isgrove and Doyle with three minutes of time remaining.

Rowe’s thunderous free-kick came off the wall and into the path of Elliot Watt whose effort was blocked by Williams.

Rowe managed to get on the score sheet though to get a last gasp equaliser for the hosts firing in from the angle beyond Gilks.

It was a hard result to take as Wanderers had done more than enough to pick up the victory.


Bradford City:

Hornby, P. O’Connor (c), Canavan, A. O’Connor, Cooke (Rowe 70), Vernam (Clarke 70), Watt, Sutton, Wood, Cook (Donaldson 82), Crankshaw (Stevens 82)

Subs Not Used: O’Donnell, Clarke, Cousin-Dawson, Scales.

Goal: Rowe (90+3)


Bolton Wanderers:

Gilks, Jones, Williams, Almeida Santos, Doyle (Miller 87), Sarcevic (c) (Delfouneso 78), Isgrove (Gnahoua 87), Baptiste, John, Lee, Afolayan.

Subs Not Used: Maddison, Tutte, Brockbank, Thomason

Goal: Delfouneso (83)

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As I've said before we really shouldn't be muddying the waters with talk of promotion just because we had a good run against bottom half teams. A draw with Bradford was a fair result because despite being flattered by possession they allowed us, we hardly threatened their goal and they pretty much had us where they wanted us - passing it backwards and sideways with their entire team between us and the goal. We did have a few good moves but the fact is that 3 shots on target in 90 minutes isn't going to blow away anyone.
What we do have is entertaining and frustrating in equal measure because as pretty as it is to watch at times in midfield, we still haven't got it anywhere near right in an attacking sense.
We're 7th - or 11th if the teams behind us win their games in hand - so we really have to win pretty much every game if we are going to talk about promotion and unless we sort out our attacking play that isn't going to happen IMO.
We're a good watch though.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:Laughable to say the jury’s out on Doyle, he’s the best striker (relative to the league we’re in) we’ve had in years. 

Today was one of the poorest games I’ve seen him play for us he needed to get across the front post to convert one of the balls across. 

Yet his class should have won us the game, how many strikers have we had over the years who’d show the composure to work the angle he did for the goal? 

One of the smartest signings we’ve made in years, without a doubt.

If you're commenting on my remarks, read again. I did state that he wasn't performing as well as he was at the beginning of the season, mainly because he wasn't getting the ball, something that has become worse as the season moves on. I think he's an excellent player, but we aren't playing to his strengths, and his passing lately has deteriorated slightly, but I don't know why.

gloswhite wrote:
If you're commenting on my remarks, read again. I did state that he wasn't performing as well as he was at the beginning of the season, mainly because he wasn't getting the ball, something that has become worse as the season moves on. I think he's an excellent player, but we aren't playing to his strengths, and his passing lately has deteriorated slightly, but I don't know why.

I was actually replying to Nats comment the jury was out on him.

wanderlust wrote:As I've said before we really shouldn't be muddying the waters with talk of promotion just because we had a good run against bottom half teams. A draw with Bradford was a fair result because despite being flattered by possession they allowed us, we hardly threatened their goal and they pretty much had us where they wanted us - passing it backwards and sideways with their entire team between us and the goal. We did have a few good moves but the fact is that 3 shots on target in 90 minutes isn't going to blow away anyone.
What we do have is entertaining and frustrating in equal measure because as pretty as it is to watch at times in midfield, we still haven't got it anywhere near right in an attacking sense.
We're 7th - or 11th if the teams behind us win their games in hand - so we really have to win pretty much every game if we are going to talk about promotion and unless we sort out our attacking play that isn't going to happen IMO.
We're a good watch though.

Don’t agree with your assessment, I can’t believe anyone watching that game thought Bradford deserved anything out of it we completely dominated the second half and should have held on for the win.

I agree with this though TROY 

I’ll take that 

T.R.O.Y. wrote:

Don’t agree with your assessment, I can’t believe anyone watching that game thought Bradford deserved anything out of it we completely dominated the second half and should have held on for the win.

We had the majority of possession- which means nothing- and we might have lost.but for an incredible save from Gilks.
 I just don’t think that passing it around at the back counts as “domination” as you call it because they handled absolutely everything we threw at them in the final third where it actually counts. Apart from the lucky deflection we got for our goal. 
As for “deserving” anything- can you honestly say we deserved anything with that toothless attacking performance?

Yes I can say we did, because it wasn’t just possession. We got in behind them numerous times only for the final ball to let us down. I genuinely don’t know what game you were watching if you think we created nothing, and the statistics support that.

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I thought we played well in spells and look good until we get into the final third and a bad pass or cross usually lets us down. If we can sort that out then we will look a much better team.

We should have seen the game out with us scoring so late but before the game i thought it would be a draw anyway.