The Voice - Match preview #33: Bromley vs Bradford City Tuesday 25th February 2025 7:45pm

We never had either Pattison or Sarcevic partnering Smallwood on a regular basis until recently, those two have made a massive difference to our attacking game, not only to what they contribute to our game but what it allows others to do a perfect example being Smallwood.
We can show examples out all day long, but I'm sorry you cant claim for certain Cook wouldn't fit into this present starting 11 that is your opinion you can't say with any certainty as the situation rarely arose Pattison or Sarcevic have only recently got themselves fit, where as I can make the claim a fit Cook who excellent goal scoring record at our club would have scored some of the chances that have gone begging not just tonight but other games.
The first time both Pattison or Sarcevic started together was against Chesterfield at home and Cook also started, the following game at Barrow Pattison started but no Sarcevic unfortunately that game ended Cook season, that's when these two started getting regular starts, home to Grimsby, away to Carlisle, home to Walsall, don't you see the correlation.

 

I don’t think we have to worry about a Crich injury either. He was trying to ride Bobby like a brooking bronco when he scored. I didn’t know non subs were even allowed to warm up tbh unless he ran from the stands!

 

I'm certainly not trying to take anything away from Cook and what he did in the first half of the season. As you say Sarcevic and Pattinson were injured for most of that so Cook was our only reliable goalscorer so it made sense to have the plan of 'create chances for Cook' and it's hard to we could play how we are now with both of them injured as we don't have anyone else like them in the squad

 

Bronco. I think there something in the theory, that the same players around Cook seem to play better when they have to 'fend' for themselves.

Besides last seasons Trophy SF, he was also missing against Tranmere and we still managed seven shots on target (admittedly it would probably have been the same against a poor team if Cook was there). And of course there was Crewe away - which I'd say was our best away performance so far (tonight might have surpassed it)

I think the fluidity we now have, wouldn't be the same with Cook in the team. However, of course he'd mop up some of the chances we create, more effectively.

Great discussion for me. We miss him, but the team are making sure that we aren't missing him - if you get what I mean.

 

Amazing stuff from a team playing its 10th match in 28 days.

I thought this was a big banana skin - but they came through it magnificently.

I'd put money on GA telling the players that now we must hunt down Walsall.

Their form, since last seasons terrible four defeats on the trot (and thirteen goals conceded!!) has been sensational. It's now 79 points from 40 matches since then.

No need for it to stop. We have so many unsung characters like Huntington, Walker and Johnson - that I don't think the players will allow it to.

 

Just the two pings on my phone as I landed.

Pointon’s goal for one
The final result for the second.

Absolutely brilliant to see them both.

Roll on Saturday.

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/video/30998/13317154/bromley-0-1-bradford-city-league-two-highlights

 

Saying we don't need Cook now is like saying we didn't need Sarcevic on our previous good runs because Cook stuck the ball away anyway.

Yeah, nah.

Both please

 

I’ve said before but I think the players would love to get promoted for their own careers obviously but I also think that they would love to do it for Cook.
They know more than anybody that Cook has got us out of the shit so often over the last few seasons and to be able to get top 3 would be the icing on the cake for him.
He deserves as many accolades as any other player if we do finally get what we all want.

 

Just back from the match.
We thoroughly deserved that win tonight.
Some of our possession play was superb and we recycled the ball so well to stop them creating anything of note until late in the second half when the ref decided he would turn himself into a right homer and give them everything, although I felt we got away with one with the Adaramola handball.
We created the best chances, Halliday could maybe of done better with his header, Mellon did well on the follow up to draw a great save from their keeper.
I was confident we would find a way so it proved with a great finish from Bobby.
Motm for me was Smallwood or Huntingdon.
Kept Cheek very quiet and marshalled the defence superbly.

 

Ha ha.
I got to Bromley at 18:45.
I was given a ticket in the away end by a very generous City fan who couldn't make it.
He wouldn't even take some money for it!!
Going there I went over the QE bridge.
Coming back because of road closures, I drove past Greenwich and Canary Wharf then up the A2 to M11.
Got back to Suffolk about 23:30.
A very enjoyable but cold away night.
Not done one alone for years.

 

A few words from the goalscorer

 

And a few from GA

 

I think this hits the nail on the head Jon I'm amazed more aren't of this thinking.

Let's play out an Hypothetical scenario here...on the 1st January, Andy cook doesn't tear his ACL and instead suffers a knee injury keeping him out for six weeks.

After a couple of weeks training, cook is now fit and ready to go.

Would anyone still have him behind Mellon, kavannagh and Leigh on the basis they run the channels more and leave space for the midfield?

 

Fair point. I’d be interested to see how many games Sarcevic and Cook actually started together. I’d like to think they’d both shine

 

Just back. Great win on the road. Total domination all over the pitch

 

Good, hard-fought win tonight. For those saying we got away with one on the handball, IFAB’s current guidance states it’s not handball if you play the ball with another part of the body first (direct quote below).

“A handball offence is not committed when a player…heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm”.

Our handball incident perfectly fits the above.

 

What if it hits the knee for example and the player then deliberately bats the ball away with their hand. I'm not saying Tayo did this but even straight forward guidance like the rule above is open to subjectivity.