Bradford City claimed their first away win since March with a Carabao Cup upset at Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
The Bantams secured a 2-1 victory at Ewood Park to continue their unbeaten start to the season and book a place in round two.
Alexander Praises Fast Start
League One side Bradford flew out of the blocks, taking the lead through a well-taken volley from summer signing Ibou Touray. Just four minutes later, Will Swan rolled in a second into an empty net after a mistake from debutant goalkeeper Nick Michalski. Both players registered their first competitive goals for the club.
Blackburn halved the deficit before the break when Dion De Neve scored from a long throw, but Graham Alexander’s side held firm in the second half to secure a result that ended a run of five months without an away victory.
Speaking after the match, Alexander said:
“It’s a great start for us. Two goals in four minutes. I thought we really went at them, showed we were here to compete and to win a game of football. Blackburn got a head of steam before half-time, but we didn’t let it affect our mindset going into the second half. It was a really tough game, we had to work exceptionally hard out of possession, but we created really good opportunities to get an extra goal.”
Ismael Left Frustrated
Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael admitted his side’s poor opening spell had been decisive.
“We lost the game in the first five minutes,” he said. “Two big mistakes, not concentrating. After that we were on the front foot and created a lot of chances, but it’s disappointing we killed ourselves straight away in the first five minutes.”
The night also brought confirmation from Ismael that captain Lewis Travis has asked to leave the club, adding to the sense of unrest for the Ewood Park outfit.
Writer’s View
Bradford’s early attacking intent was key to this result, and the combination of Touray and Swan making immediate scoring contributions will please Alexander. Defensive resilience after conceding just before half-time showed a maturity that could serve them well in League One this season.
For Blackburn, the defensive lapses in the opening minutes and the uncertainty over their captain’s future will be causes for concern as they look to settle into the campaign.
