Swings and Roundabouts

Back To Winning Ways? If Only It Were That Simple.

  

It was a night of mixed emotions, as City fought for three points

   Everyone knew that the Plymouth game was going to be a big one. At this point in the season, promotion dreams are often made or shattered, and you begin to get a bit of an idea about who may be grabbing the golden tickets to the above division. With City falling to seventh after the Exeter tie, the need to get three points was extra prominent.

   James Meredith and Stephen Derby made their much-anticipated returns, and both provided solid performances for the duration of the game. Derby put in some superb challenges and seemed composed on the ball, whilst Meredith created a number of chances in the box and threatened regularly, with his crosses.

   Wells seemed to be bearing the brunt of the hectic match schedule, lacking the speed and desire that he usually shows. If I was Parkinson, I’d be tempted to give him a rest for the Bristol Rovers game, and start Connell up front.

   The biggest blow of the night was undoubtedly John Egan’s injury. The defender-on loan from Sunderland-clattered to the floor after 13 minutes, and let out screams of agony as the medical team rushed to see to his twisted leg.

   At first, it was suspected that he’d sustained damage to his fibula and tibia, but, as the night went on, there was talk of a broken leg. Either way, it’s a huge blow, and is another addition to the already lengthy casualty list.

   The sad irony about Egan’s injury is that, when you go up for a header, your biggest worry is hurting your head and face, rather than your leg. Unfortunately for Egan, it was the latter that would prove the most problematic.

   In terms of the league table, it was job done. Other results fell in City’s favour, meaning that we’re just one point outside of the automatic promotion places. However, the cost was high: another member of the defence bit the dust, and there’s now an even greater urgency to bring in as many loan players as possible.

   Are we back on the rails? Who knows? Only time will tell. What is for certain, though, is this: if we want our promotion chances to improve, we need to buck the injury trend that’s suddenly developing at Bradford City.

  

At Sixes And Sevens

  

Six Injuries See Bantams Slip Down To Seventh

James Meredith is one of the latest casualties of the hectic midweek schedule

   After a roller coaster week, things are starting to go a little bit pear-shaped.

   Following the convincing win at Aldershot and the nail-biting triumph over Northampton, many of us were beginning to believe that the Bantams were back on the promotion chase. Indeed, City’s performance in the cup replay showed heart, spirit and determination, sealed our status as penalty kings and proved to the doubters that the Bradford boys never say die.

   Whilst the cup games are livening up proceedings somewhat, it’s difficult to ignore their effect on our promotion hopes. You can’t doubt the fact that the congestion of midweek games is crippling the team: six are already sidelined for several months, and many more are playing on injuries. Has the treatment room ever been so busy?

  And the damage is noticeable. Against Exeter, City looked like a fatigue-ridden team: the balls weren’t coming into the box as frequently, Wells was constantly rubbing his leg and the team just didn’t drive forward as much as they usually do. To make matters worse, the referee ignored Wells’ justified shout for a penalty, and refused to give the Bantams anything.

   It’s prompted a mad rush to draft in as many loan players as we can, and as quickly as we can. It’s a sad twist of fate, as the back four were beginning to look unbeatable and last season had many fans wishing that we weren’t as reliant on loan players. In the past, some talented footballers have never had a chance to make their mark on the league because their time at City has been plagued by injury: Simon Ramsden and Chris Brandon are two of the most recent examples.

   At this stage in the season, we can’t afford to be losing points and slipping down the table; we need to keep leading the back and remain hot on the heels of those above us. The Exeter defeat saw us tumble down to seventh, which is quite worrying, as it means that we’re only just in with the play off contenders.

  I’m the first to admit that it’s hard not to get caught up with the excitement surrounding City-you only have to look at my previous article to get an idea of how happy that the Arsenal draw has left me. Although the Capital One tie, the penalty record and the ecstasy of the Northampton win are all brilliant, we can’t lose focus on the League. Things do seem to be against us at the moment (This barrage of midweek fixtures is far from ideal, and, of late, the referees haven’t exactly been overly generous.), but, we’ve still got the chance to turn it around and keep in the promotion hunt.

   Let’s hope that City can get back to their winning ways soon, and that Davies, Oliver, Hines, Meredith, Reid and Ritchie Jones enjoy speedy recoveries.