Bradford City’s caretaker manager Kevin McDonald believes his side ‘have to be better’ following the Bantams’ 4-1 loss at MK Dons last night in League Two.
Dons took a fourth-minute lead at the Stadium MK through Joe Tomlinson before City fought back and got level with an Alex Gillead strike. However, the home side ran away with the contest, with Jack Payne, Max Dean and Alex Gibley all scoring past a helpless Harry Lewis.
McDonald, who started the match in midfield for Bradford, gave his thoughts to club media after the game.
“We have set a standard and we fell below those standards. We expect better and the fans expect better, the fans deserve better. They are a good team, they had lovely patterns of play, they played through us sometimes and they are a good side.
“Sometimes, we were caught in the press and staying compact, but they did well to play through us at times. Credit to them, because they played some nice stuff. It was a tough evening for us.”
MK Dons dominated the game, having 57% of the possession and taking 11 shots on target to City’s paltry two.
Despite the severity of the loss, McDonald is firmly focused on a trip to strugglers Sutton on Saturday who are sitting rock bottom of League Two with seven points to their name.
“There were positives to take from the game, but we were not good enough.
“It is a game of football and we have been beaten. We have set a standard and we fell below that.
“We know it was not good enough and we will look to rectify that on Saturday, and we are happy that the games are coming thick and fast.
“We will not accept performances like that, and we will be ready to go for Saturday.”
Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus, McDonald added that the loss of Richie Smallwood and Jamie Walker through suspension were huge blows to the side.
“Richie and Jamie have been spot on. I’ve heard some people saying Richie is like a new man.
“He’s a good player and I’ve got so much faith in him as a player and a guy and we missed them both. We fell short on the whole.”
Bradford fell to 15th position in the League Two table and will look to rectify last night’s loss against a Sutton side that has lost their last three matches in a row.
Writer’s View
The momentum following Kevin McDonald’s appointment as caretaker at Valley Parade was inevitably going to wear off. It was quite impressive watching the Bantams through their run; a team finally looking free of the shackles of Mark Hughes and playing more positive, exciting football. Whilst on paper a 4-1 loss looks terrible, the absence of key players in midfield such as Richie Smallwood and Jamie Walker undoubtedly played a role in the severity of the loss.
There was of course one positive to take away heading into the weekend. Bobby Pointon got another assist for the Bantams, the forward and boyhood fan of the club quickly becoming a favourite in his hometown. The 19-year-old, yet again, put in a great shift before his substitution in the 64th minute. Whilst it was a bad day at the office for the West Yorkshire side, it doesn’t seem like it will be a recurring theme for them and they have a great opportunity to get back on track at Sutton.
