The Voice - Match preview Bradford City v Hartlepool United Sat 18 March 2023 1pm

His second was sheer quality we were right behind it and bent it in the far post, God knows where we would be without his goals.

 

My ratings for today's performance

Lewis - 6 - Some good saves. He needs to come off his line an command his box. He stays on his line too often. Shot stopping wise, he's good.

Halliday - 6.5 - Solid performance from him, nothing special but nothing wrong either

Platt - 6.5 - The better of the 2 CBs in my opinion today

Stubbs - 6 - Did well first half. The less said about Hartlepool's second goal, the better

Ridehalgh - 5 - I dont get what this guy offers to this team. He always passes back, his crossing is poor. He's too slow to get back when we get countered. I don't see any improvement to that of Foulds.

Personally I want Bola to start from here onwards. If you are playing 3 defensive midfielders as part of a diamond, then you need your full backs to be dyanmic an Ridehalgh certainly is not that

Clayton - 5 - Did okay first half, shit in the second. I understand retaining possesion an what not, but his decision making today was poor.
• Not switching play when it was the obvious choice
• Deciding not to shoot on the edge of the box or to simply pass it either. Decided to cut back instead an quite rightly got tackled an Hartlepool countered us
• Delaying the forward pass when it was on. The reedeming quality that Costelloe has is his runs but whats the point in them if you wont pass him the ball

Smallwood - 5 - First half he was piss poor. Did not look interested one bit. Also started arguing with one of our players for no good reason. This rating would of been lower but he actually pulled his socks up a bit once the second half started an got stuck in. Up until the Hartlepool second goal of course, of which he was caught ball watching an jogging. Not a Captains performance. Got an assist so I think 5 is a fair rating

Gilliead - 6 - Annonymous in the first half. Played a lot better once he was moved to wing back in the second. Actually reminded me that he used to be a winger at one point.

Walker - 5 - Poor performance from walker. Poor pass to Cook in the first half, Cook should of been through but the pass was shit an under hit. His usual energy was not present today. This could be as a result of the knock he took at the start of the game. Looked absolutely knackered by the 70th minute mark. Needs to pull his socks up a bit, he's supposed to be our creative link in midfield

Costelloe - 2 - He tried. Il give him that. Besides that he was useless. Running yourself into the ground may be honourable, but losing possesion of the ball every time you get it is not. 3 chances gifted to him. Not one hit the target. Considering the nature of the chances, to not even hit the target is a cardinal sin. Needs taking out the team for his own sake an for ours. He's a young lad an his confidence is shit. But Hughes thinks he knows better an insists he stays on for as long as possible. Its a fecking joke.

Cook - 9 - His performance today is up there with Wells v Coventry
Hanson v Walsall
Wyke v Bristol Rovers
Yes, all those players got hatricks in those respective games but without Cook today, we'd be lost at sea. 3 chances all game an 2 of em were buried. The technique for the second goal was superb. His hold up play was excellent, His passing was good . He made great runs off the ball an ran himself into the ground. He deserved a hattrick today but unfortunately Hughes-ball doesn't involve creating chances for our only attacking threat. Rightful MOTM

Subs -
Banks - 6.5 - Play this man from minute 0. I dont give a feck who has to make way. And I dont care that he missed a good chance either today. Play the man. Hes the only one with a pair of balls who will run at the opposition, who isnt afraid to shoot or to take a chance. There is no creativity in this team, its crying out for a winger who is capable of making the defence work

East - 6 - Deserves to have a chance in place of one of the midfield 3 but Hughes wont ever do that so theres no point in going any further on that. Good performance from the lad
Oliver - N/A
Bola - N/A
Crichlow - N/A - Wish he'd just boot the ball up the pitch rather than passing it back when the time is ticking

 

I agree with everything else but Hartlepool were hardly very poor on the day IMO, strange how we see things differently with regards the same game

 

Hartlepool at least didn’t come for a draw,not too much of time wasting and faking head injuries. They were far more open than some of the teams that come here but they certainly gave us problems at the back. We should have put away some of our chances today though.

 

I can't disagree with any of that very much as I saw the game, just no logic IMO to bring 3 subs on in the 90th minute although there was 6 minutes of injury time, sorry Mark your use of substitutions today were weird to say the least.

 

That you wouldn't now give Costello a contract lol

 

Fair play to Hartlepool for coming and having a go, it certainly led to an open game similar to the Salford one at Christmas.

Mo Sylla and Dan Kemp impressed, but they looked dodgy at the back throughout.

Shame the Costelloe chances didn't fall to Cookie, who was immense throughout today.

Wasted opportunity for a big win today.

We go again on Tuesday against a promotion rival who will be as tense as ourselves.

Banks must start on Tuesday, surely, and Bola for Ridehalgh for me

 

Hartlepool were there for the taking.
We gifted them the opportunities to score their goals with awful flat footed defending.
Both Banks and Chapman from the start would have cut through their defence like a knife through butter but no we have to settle for Gilliead and Costelloe dithering about losing possession.
Really pissed off with today's match.
Hughes got it all wrong.
Too scared that if we make changes we might lose.

 

Hughes has flogged that starting 11 to death and it’s beginning to show. Walker was a shadow of himself, we play 3 defensive midfielders against 3rd bottom when we should really have rested some for Tuesday. This is on Hughes. Hartlepool were poor and we never got at them first half. You could see their confidence rising as the game went on. We ain’t going up automatically that’s for sure.

 

Hartlepool were there for the taking.
We gifted them the opportunities to score their goals with awful flat footed defending.
Both Banks and Chapman from the start would have cut through their defence like a knife through butter but no we have to settle for Gilliead and Costelloe dithering about losing possession.
Really pissed off with today's match.
Hughes got it all wrong.
Too scared that if we make changes we might lose.

Let's be honest, as good as Cook was 2nd half he missed a golden opportunity 1st half.

 

Walker was injured and down 3 times in the 2nd half.
Why didn't he get taken off after an hour.
He'd not done much anyway.

 

Foulds is crap

 

Walker was clearly struggling after that knock in the first half. Amazed MH couldn't see it and take him off much earlier.

 

You’ve had a bit of a mare here. Lewis did nothing wrong and their second goal was class from their player. Platt was the weaker of the two! Never seen a centre back with his physique be so awful on attacking corners. If Costello is a 2 then Walker should be a 3 or 4

 

Carlisle and Stevenage drew which is great for both teams as it was a must not lost game for both.

Northampton and LO won

Stockport and Mansfield drew

Salford won

How did the results go nicely?

Mansfield have a game in hand over us and we are now looking over shoulders again. We are in danger finishing 8th rather than 3rd.

 

8 minutes

 

Erm Orient drew Fordy…

And yes they went well, it is between ourselves, Stockport and Mansfield who will end 8th imo so neither of them taking max points is a good deal. Carlisle and Stevenage also didn’t get away from us. As I say wasted opportunity, had we won we’d have gained 2 points on 5 out of the top 8. Sounds like a good set of results to most…

 

Don’t know if I’m right Broncs but doesn’t Cook get a rest on Tuesday, yellow card count?

 

I don't think he has accumulated 10 yellow cards over the season. Apologies if I am wrong.

 

Not sure but if that is the case were in for a very long difficult night, I do hope hughes proves me wrong.