Football League Youth Alliance
Friday 6th September 2019
Bradford City's youngsters deservedly ended Doncaster Rovers' unbeaten start to the season to collect their first three points of the Football League Youth Alliance season.
Despite having lost their opening two fixtures, the Bantams were decent value for their win; demonstrating excellent shape and organisation for the large part, whilst posing a threat in attack, and they'll be quite happy with their afternoon's work.
In contrast, it was a bitterly disappointing and disjointed display by Rovers, littered with poor 'on the ball' decision-making and carelessness at times.
The lads did create some good opportunities and eternal optimists might argue that had one of those ended up in the back of the net, they could have taken points from this game.
However, during the last half-hour or so when an equaliser was needed the most, the Bantams were never truly carved open and an equaliser didn't look particularly likely.
Paul Stancliffe made one change to his starting line-up following last weekend's 4-1 win over Burton Albion with Luca Nelson replacing Evan Howard in attack.
On a sunny afternoon, Rovers created the first opportunity inside the opening couple of minutes when Will McGowan played a low ball through to Jack Watson, but the visiting 'keeper saved with his feet from the subsequent near-post shot.
In truth, that was as good as it got for the lads during the first 10-15 minutes as the visitors quickly got on top - using the strong wind to their advantage.
Only seven minutes were on the clock when Bradford opened the scoring as their striker hit a shot from the edge of the area which Rovers' keeper Ben Bottomley had covered until it caught a wicked deflection to end up in the back of the net.
Whilst the manner of the Bantams' opening goal could have been considered unfortunate, it was clear even at this early stage that Rovers were up against good opposition.
Things would have got much worse very quickly had Lewis Cunningham not got back to make a crucial interception or if Bottomley hadn't done extremely well to punch away a dipping effort that caught the wind and was heading under the crossbar.
Eventually, as the minutes passed, the lads began to get a firmer foothold in the game - though the affair was largely scrappy and the visitors were still 'on top' in the midfield battle.
McGowan curled a free-kick just wide of the target around the half-hour mark whilst Junior Smith could have done better when he let fly with a powerful shot which whistled over the top, despite being in a position where he could have run at a defender and got nearer to goal.
Just before the interval, Watson undoubtedly squandered Rovers' best chance when he got on the end of Nelson’s dangerous cross, but his free header, which he seemingly tried to glance into the bottom corner, drifted wide of the right-hand post.
At the other end, Bottomley comfortably saved another low effort, whilst another Bradford player was just off-target with a speculative effort and as the half-time whistle blew, the Rovers boys knew they had plenty of work to do and plenty to improve.
Whatever was said at half-time seemed to provoke a response as in the early stages of the second period, Rovers were on top, posed questions and enjoyed their best spell of both possession and pressure.
An equaliser very nearly happened on 47 minutes when Elliott Walker's cross into a crowded area was met by Smith. In near slow-motion, his header looped up and ricocheted off the crossbar and then into a packed six-yard box. Big centre-back Nathan Dimou did his utmost to try and force the ball home, yet somehow the Bantams managed to clear their lines.
A couple of minutes later, Watson received a pass in a central position and twisted, turned and showed good footwork and movement to carve out a shooting opportunity, though his eventual effort drifted over the woodwork.
Lirak Hasani was beginning to influence the game a lot more by this point and on three of four separate occasions over the next 10 minutes, his balls played out to the advancing Walker on the right flank threatened danger. Each time, however, Bradford's defence, who'd been starting to drop deeper and deeper, cleared the danger and survived the scare.
On the hour mark, Stancliffe opted to make his first change with Smith being replaced in favour of Josh Clemitson, who was appearing for the second time this term. The change meant Liam Ravenhill was required to push forward to support the front line.
Around the same time, Bradford started to control things better again and they would have doubled their advantage had Bottomley not been quick off his line to smother an attempt after Clemitson was mugged of position in midfield.
The Bantams survived another goalmouth scramble, albeit not as dramatic as the earlier one, with a quarter of the game to go as Watson tried to get an effort away to no avail, despite being on the floor near the penalty spot, before the visitors cleared.
Bradford's shape was as excellent as Rovers' decision-making was poor at times and from this point up until the final whistle, an equaliser, unfortunately, never looked too likely.
Most times Rovers had the ball, they rushed their play, were untidy/sloppy and it wasn't pretty to watch. On other occasions, poor passes simply meant they conceded possession. By contrast, the visitors looked cool and calm despite the situation and always seemed to have players behind the ball - thus making it near-impossible for Rovers to carve them open.
In a final throw of the dice, big defender Max Jemson came on for the closing 10 minutes - replacing Nelson in attack, but the change didn't bring about any change in fortunes.
In total honesty, Bradford looked more likely to grab a second goal on the counter-attack and on the brink of injury-time, only a diving save from Bottomley kept out a curling 20-yard free-kick that had gone over the wall.
However, in pretty much the last action of the game, the Bantams did score again - this time on the counter-attack, and it immediately extinguished any faint hopes the lads might have had about a comeback.
All in all, it was a very frustrating game in all areas.
It was disjointed, sloppy, poor and the lads will know they can do so much better than what they offered today. If the game is split into six fifteen-minute sections, then only in one of those (possibly two; 30-45 minutes) were Rovers the dominant side posing serious problems.
The midfield battle was rarely won. The front line, collectively, didn't do enough to trouble their opponents. The decision-making, on an individual basis, at times, wasn't good enough and quite sloppy.
Credit has to also be given to Bradford where it's due. As I've said, they were good value and had some really positive traits in their play and their shape/structure/organisation was particularly noticeable - especially in the closing stages. They've come to town, done a job, got the points - so absolutely fair play to them!
It's back to the drawing board now for the lads and, hopefully, this result and performance can act as a big learning curve ahead of two successive games at home to Mansfield Town in the coming weeks.
Team: Ben Bottomley, Lewis Cunningham, Ben Blythe, Nathan Dimou, Elliott Walker, Will McGowan, Lirak Hasani, Liam Ravenhill, Luca Nelson (Max Jemson), Jack Watson, Junior Smith (Josh Clemitson). Unused Sub: Kian Johnson.
