Bradford City (U18s) 1-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

Bradford City (U18s) 1-1 Doncaster Rovers (U18s)

EFL Youth Alliance

Friday 28th April 2023

Not since before the pandemic had Doncaster Rovers avoided defeat on their trips to Bradford City at Under 18s level, but the point they picked up in this game was crucial as it ended the Bantams’ hopes of retaining the title for a second straight year which means Harrogate Town (yes, plucky little Harrogate Town) are the new league champions!

Walloped 5-0 by Bradford on both the final day of the 2021/22 season when the Bantams produced the best youth team performances I’ve ever witnessed - and then just a few weeks ago during the regular season, Rovers were keen, at the very least, to just try and avoid a repeat of being hammered again.

And this time around it was a much closer battle; a competitive affair with some decent individual showings from lads in both teams and in the end a point apiece was probably a fair outcome.

Played on the 4G at Bradford Park Avenue’s Horsfall Stadium (home to the two greatest advertising boards next to each other anywhere in the country - see the photo at the bottom), the task was simple as far as Bradford were concerned. 

They knew they had to win in order to keep the pressure on Harrogate (who themselves were playing away at Burton this afternoon; albeit with their kick-off time being an hour later). Anything less than three points meant the North Yorkshire team would be champions!

Both line-ups were reasonably strong. Bradford included two first-year pro’s in Dylan Youmbi (scorer of two goals in the more recent 5-0 game - including an impressive one which is probably up there amongst his best ones for this season) and also Cole Roberts (two-time scorer in the 5-0 game at Valley Parade last term. Meanwhile, Rovers fielded four second-year scholars in Josh Lindley, Faris Khan, Tom Parkinson and Alex Fletcher, who were making their penultimate appearances in the red and white hoops.

With plenty riding on the result for Bradford, it wasn’t surprising that they just about had more possession during the afternoon, though it was Rovers who mustered up the game’s first chance as Alex Fletcher slalomed his way down the right with some high-energy, determined skill and footwork, got into a shooting position and unleashed an effort that went narrowly over the upright.

Bradford then had their first opening as a low shot from the edge of the box went narrowly wide of Jake Oram’s post but as the game became tight and competitive, it took until the half-hour mark for Oram to be called into action as he kept out Dylan Youmbi’s shot with his trailing leg after some fantastic link-up play from Isaac Robinson (one of the best players on the pitch) put Youmbi through on goal.

That save kept Rovers on level terms and after a shot by a Bradford midfielder from distance harmlessly cleared the upright, plus a ‘shanked’ effort by Gabe Wadsworth after a partially-cleared corner dropped to him on the edge of the box, and then the first booking of the game which saw Ian Kamga yellow carded for a foul on Harry Wood, it seemed likely it would still be 0-0 at the interval.

But all that changed right on the stroke of half-time as Rovers grabbed the opening goal (against the run of play in terms of chances) and out of the blue.

It was from a set-piece and, as has been so often the case this season, Will Green was the provider - using his sweet left-foot to swing a delicious ball into the near-post area where Max Adamson connected with the deftest of headers to glance the ball across the ‘keeper and into the net. 1-0 to Rovers - and I’ve got a feeling news of that opener might have gone down well once the Harrogate lads found out (probably right at the end of their warm-up).

Shocked, shaken but not beaten by any means with that set-back, the opener acted as a wake-up call for Bradford and they flew out of the traps after the re-start with Jay Tinsdale offering a brilliant glimpse into what he’s all about with a first time volley from a left-wing cross (possibly by Isaac Robinson but not sure) that went wide.

Straight down at the other end, Max Adamson ought to have fired Rovers into a 2-0 lead as he pounced upon a loose pass midway inside the Bantams’ half and burst instinctively towards goal but a heavy touch upon entering the box, coupled with an advancing ‘keeper narrowed the angle, before a recovering forced him out of play with the ball.

Somehow the referee gave a corner, even though it was obvious to anyone that the last touch came off Adamson, but the resulting set-piece came to nothing anyway.

As the hour mark came and went, Bradford’s intensity, desire and determination to get back into the game started to grow and with Cole Roberts regularly switching to different attacking positions - keen to exploit any mistake or weakness, Jay Tinsdale looking dangerous with his movement, and Isaac Robinson coming into the game more and more, it was clear that they were desperate to find one of the two goals they still needed at this point.

A sense of urgency was starting to build and in one dangerous move, Alex Fletcher did very well under pressure to cut out a ball that was flashed across the box when Cole Roberts was lurking just behind him, ready and waiting to tap it home for an equaliser.

Rovers didn’t properly defend the resulting corner though and, shock horror, Isaac Robinson was involved as he provided a delivery every bit as good as Will Green’s earlier assist for Rovers with a ball into the near-post that was headed home by Harry Ibbitson who seemed to be in yards of space as he connected. Poor defending. 1-1. The title race was still on!

Now into the final quarter-hour and needing just one more goal to complete the turnaround, it didn’t take long for Bradford to put the ball in the net again in the most bizarre circumstances that you’re ever likely to see!

As Sam Bentley went to send the ball down the line with power, the referee inadvertently got in the way and made THE MOST BRUTAL OF CONNECTIONS; taking it at full-pelt in the most delicate and gentle of areas before a cartoon-style collapse to the ground. Out of breath, unable to move, in agony - and DEFINITELY unable to blow his whistle, the ball ricocheted off him towards the centre circle and play continued. Not one player seemed to want to kick it out and the ball was worked to Isaac Robinson who ran at his man with good technique and then unleashed a stinging 20-yard effort with venom into the bottom corner about two seconds after a whistle was blown from somewhere. He wanted the goal but it was never going to stand. Great finish though!

I’m not sure what Jonny Margetts, the Rovers physio, could actually do when he ran onto the pitch to ‘treat’ the referee - a gentle rub wasn’t the answer, it certainly wasn’t the right time or place for a massage either (no way) and we’ve long since passed the era where the magic sponge was a favourite weapon of choice amongst physios, but after a good five minutes or so the man in the middle finally recovered, realised his voice wasn’t quite as squeaky as Joe Pasquale, stopped thinking of the song 'All Around Me Are Familiar Faces', wiped the tears from his eyes, took a deep breath... or two... or three and the game continued again. What a warrior!

I don’t think he got much sympathy from the players while he was down on the deck but he took it in good spirits and he’ll remember this game for a while!

That injury paved the way for a good chunk of added time although it was difficult to keep track of how much time was actually remaining at this point. 

Nevertheless, Bradford continued to probe with intent for a winner and Max Adamson got back to defend a corner; heading the ball away at the near-post as the Bantams threatened, when Jay Tinsdale was fouled about 25 yards out it gave Isaac Robinson the perfect chance to score from a free-kick but this time he could only hit the ball over the upright, and then deep into injury-time (or what seemed like it was beyond the 45) when Isaac Robinson showed some fantastic jinking footwork and movement to open up an angle for a shot, his stinging drive was kept out by Jake Oram in what was probably the best chance of the lot.

That could have been the moment. That’s how close the Bantams got to winning but they nearly lost it too as Will Flint carried the ball out of defence and threaded an eye-of-the-needle ball through to Will Green, just a few moments before that big chance, who was denied by Zac Hadi - albeit the flag was already up for offside anyway.

In the end, it wasn’t to be and when the full-time whistle was blown (the referee definitely took a deep breath for that), the fact a few Bradford players sunk to the ground in disappointment said it all. They tried. They gave it their best effort. They showed bits of quality. They got the equaliser. They got close. But in the end, they didn’t get the three points that were needed and that meant their title chances were over.

Individually, there were some good players in both teams with Sam Bentley, Noah Wadsworth, Isaac Robinson and Jay Tinsdale all impressing for Bradford, whilst Max Adamson, Jacob Bacon, Alex Fletcher and Sam Brown (when he came on) were amongst the best for Rovers.

I’ve wanted to watch Sam Bentley for a while, know all about his background and loan at Ramsbottom earlier this year, but whenever I’ve watched Bradford, it hasn’t panned out where he’s been playing and I’ve been watching apart from one game. Typical. However, it speaks volumes that he signed a pro contract at the end of last season (at the completion of his first-year as a scholar) and his awareness/positioning - evidenced a few times during this game and especially in the second half at various points (including the one where he won the free-kick where Max Adamson was booked), was really good. Both of them are good players for this level; they had a fascinating duel and the battle tested both of them a lot and Sam’s performance left a good impression. He's the skipper of this team, looks confident, looks comfortable, had a decent presence about him, it was good - and it’s probably worth mentioning too for the fact he’s also the spitting image of Danny Rose (the ex-Barnsley one, Google him) when he was a YT at Oakwell. I didn't expect him to floor the referee with an absolute screaming thunderbolt but a few years down the line when he's playing somewhere and I randomly pop up and watch him, rest assured that I will bring it up!

Noah Wadsworth is something of a ‘Rolls Royce’ at this level; there’s lots of good aspects to his game - whatever position he plays in he looks comfortable, and the best compliment that can be attached to his name is that whenever I’ve spoken to players across the division (at all clubs), he’s consistently highlighted as being one of the best defenders in the league. And when players say that about you, and they recognise that quality, it shows you’re a player who deserves respect.

Jay Tinsdale was lively and problematic and posed problems for the Rovers defence and played well - a shame he didn’t score with the volley just after half-time because the technique was very good and it’d have made a good clip for the old highlights, whilst Isaac Robinson was my overall ‘Man Of The Match’. Amongst all the things he did listed already in this piece, he was direct, linked things up very effectively, was purposeful, showed a lot of effort and energy, was good at set-pieces (bar that free-kick he put over) and impressive. As a first-year scholar, he’ll only get better next year and he’s certainly someone to watch out for. His stats for this season (double digits on goals - and presumably double digits for assists too) proves he’s got a solid end product and that makes him a massive player to have in your team.

Elsewhere, Cole Roberts had a quiet afternoon by his own standards (it happens) and whilst this game might be his last at YT level (as he’s now at the end of his first-year pro), it’s been a pleasure watching him whenever I’ve had the chance because I know how good he is, I’ll always back him to the hilt - and I’ve so much time for him both as a player and a lad - and he’s genuinely one of the best I’ve seen in the North-East Youth Alliance in all my time watching it. And I’ll remember for years to come that morning down on the muddy little pitch under the railway arches at Woodhouse Grove where he seriously impressed me!

Finally on Bradford’s lot, Harry Ibbitson will have been pleased to have come off the bench and made exactly the impact he wanted too - and it’s worth noting that he scored against Doncaster in the last game too. So can he make it three in three next time?

Amongst the Donny players, Max Adamson was good for the reasons already mentioned. He was up against good defenders who were more experienced than him and still managed to score and pose a major threat and the only downside to an otherwise good individual performance is that he should have had two goals given the one-on-one that he didn’t manage to put away. It’s gone now, focus on the next one, but other than that, a good day - a good performance from the start (and not coming off the bench; notable too) and a mention as well for that headed clearance late on at the Bradford because the defensive stuff is just as important as things at the other end of the pitch.

Jacob Bacon also really impressed me. Being an U16 coming into this team - this was a challenge for him and being aware of exactly what he’d be up against with the firepower and quality that Bradford possess, I’ve got to admit I feared for him a little bit beforehand. But he more than held his own, competed well and passed this test with flying colours. If he does this next season and the year after next, then he’ll establish himself as a regular in the team and that’s for certain.

Sam Brown was lively when he came on, seemed to pick up a lot of second balls and affected the attacking play in a positive way. I think he was involved in a half-hearted penalty shout and also got into quite a few intelligent positions to receive the ball when play became stretched in the very late stages. He’s a good lad, he knows what he has to do to get better and what he already does well, and when it all clicks then you will see him dominate a game further down the line.

Alex Fletcher deserves loads of credit (not just for the beard growth over the past few weeks - good effort) but also for a committed display. He was good, did his best to keep tight to Cole Roberts when he had to mark him, had the early run and then the good bit of defending under pressure which led to the corner for the equaliser. He's been a credit to everyone over the last two years, has lots to be proud about, and this was another good showing to add to his CV.

A special mention for Will Flint too whose driving run and through ball late on to Will Green was superb. Eye of the needle stuff and as has been seen in games more recently, there’s more qualities to him than just being a standard centre-back - although he’s been consistently good there throughout this season as well.

The final word of this blog though needs to go to Harrogate Town.

I think the second half had started in their game by the time they found out they were league champions (a new one on me) but fair play to them. They’ve been underdogs throughout the whole season. Nobody really expected them to be up challenging for the title but they’ve  achieved it on merit as they’ve consistently achieved results - especially against those teams at the top and since they went top of the table a few months ago, they’ve pretty much stayed there and never fallen off.

They lost today at Burton (and Dylan Scott got both two goals which means he’s now onto 31 for the season in all competitions - top scorer in the North-East Youth Alliance), but I look forward to watching them next week when they receive their medals and trophy, and I hope the powers that be at Harrogate give those lads as much exposure as possible, play the game at their stadium at a suitable time to get a decent crowd watching, and really broadcast their achievement to a wide audience because they’ve got loads to be proud about right now. What they’ve achieved in two years is phenomenal.

Their success does also mean that there have now been six different league champions in the past six seasons:

2017/18: Mansfield Town

2018/19: Grimsby Town

2019/20: Doncaster Rovers

2020/21: Notts County

2021/22: Bradford City

2022/23: Harrogate Town

So who’s winning it next season, then?

Bradford: Zac Hadi, Casey Brakes, Ian Kamga, Noah Wadsworth, Sam Bentley, Fin Gledhill, Isaac Robinson, Gabe Wadsworth, Dylan Youmbi, Jay Tinsdale, Cole Roberts. Subs: Harry Ibbitson, James Edgley, Bilal Hussain, Franklin Dennison, Nathan Tinsdale.

Doncaster: Jake Oram, Will Flint, Jacob Bacon, Alex Fletcher, Freddie Allen, Faris Khan, Josh Lindley, Harry Wood, Tom Parkinson, Will Green, Max Adamson. Subs: Kasper Williams, Jacob Bryant, Sam Brown, Jamie Tomlinson, Trialist.