Different tactics, better performance, but the same crushing feeling of defeat as Harrogate come from behind to complete the double over City. Despite a better showing from the Bantams, there was still a severe lack of quality at both ends of the pitch, as well as too many schoolboy mistakes, which ultimately cost the home side.
After a slow and uneventful opening to the game, Bradford took the lead in spectacular style.
Harrogate failed to properly clear a Luke Hendrie long throw, and the ball fell into the path of Matty Foulds. The ball bounced up of the surface perfectly for Foulds to strike the ball on the half volley, and the City defender’s strike arrowed into the bottom corner of the net.
For a while after City took the lead, the performance and atmosphere around Valley Parade could have been mistaken for one from prior to 2017.
The City players were pressing Harrogate, making themselves hard to play against. They were pushing to find a second goal. This hard work was rewarded with many of the City fans singing their favourite songs.
Although, right on the cusp of half time, the inevitable occurred. After both Theo Robinson and Andy Cook had seen efforts well saved by Mark Oxley, City were punished for not taking their chances.
Harrogate won a corner on the counter attack, despite City having a number of chances to commit a tactical foul. Having conceded two goals from set pieces at the weekend, City didn’t learn their lesson, as Warren Burrell headed home Lewis Page’s corner.
Bradford began the second half on the front foot, with Andy Cook’s header, which looped over the bar, the best chance they created early in the second half.
However, just after the hour mark, City were once again punished for not making their pressure count.
Lewis Page stepped up to take a free kick in a dangerous position. His effort was exquisite, giving Alex Bass no chance as his effort flew into the top right corner, creating jubilant scenes in the away end.
Bradford did not give up though, with Alex Gilliead twice coming close to finding an equaliser.
First, Gilliead was perfectly picked out in the penalty area by Callum Cooke, but City’s left wing back on the night failed to test Oxley, heading the ball straight down the middle of the goal.
Minutes later, Gilliead cut inside from the left flank, before sending a curling effort towards goal. Oxley made a comfortable save, but did excellently to push the ball away from the onrushing City attackers in the box.
But, for the third time on the night, City were punished once again by Harrogate, who put the game to bed with less than a minute of regulation time to play.
Yann Songo’o failed to clear a long ball from the Harrogate defence, and subsequently found himself out of position. Paudie O’Connor tried to win the ball back, but after failing to do so, allowed a two on one situation to develop. Jack Diamond was played through on goal, and slotted the ball past Bass to seal the three points.
Similar to many games recently, a number of City fans had left before the full-time whistle in frustration. The fans’ annoyance is stretching beyond the players, as calls for more to be done by the board grow. Despite claiming there was still plenty to play for this season, the board’s slow approach to appointing a new manager suggests they have given up on this season.
Whoever the new Bradford City manager is, it is hard to see them being successful until things change behind the scenes.
