The Voice - Match preview Harrogate Town vs Bradford City Saturday 1 October @ 1:00pm

There is room in any game (usually) for route one.

Just not all the time.

Mix it up.

 

Yes the home match we dominated, lost 3-1 to a free kick and 2 break away goals when chasing an equaliser.

 

But it wasn't just the second half, there was only one team in it up to the penalty when we went 1 - 0 up then Harrogate dominated the rest of the half, then got the equaliser early second half and pegged us back until Hughes made the first two subs.
I posted this at half time "Will Sparkie make changes at half time Chapman off Angol on ?." now teams are allowed more subs for me it was a no brainer to could and maybe should have seen both Chapman & Pereira replaced at half time, it took the equaliser for Sparkie to make changes which got the team going again, most could see we were getting over run at times by Harrogate.
When you have a squad like ours you make the best of the players available and IMO it took Harrogate to equalise to get Sparkie to make changes that were obvious to many City fans watching the game, but I wouldn't want anyone else as our manager but Mark Hughes.


https://bantamtalk.com/index.php?threads/harrogate-town-vs-bradford-city-saturday-1-october-1-00pm.6516/page-12#post-685740

 

Today showed, just like the Wimbledon and Walsall game that there are no standout teams at this level. Just teams that know how to win. When winning becomes a habit you're half way there, Parky showed that.
All about the three points.

 

And?

Regardless how we are playing that was a worldly goal from distance with great power.

9/10 i5 would go over th3 8ft high stand.

 

7 games unbeaten and not playing that brilliantly if we are being honest yet we are sitting pretty in the league table.

I feel the strength in depth of the squad is going to be the difference this season.

Never say die spirit is there in abundance.

And can we keep Lewis please-outstanding keeper.

 

I'll take the 3 points all day long but again we have 2 or 3 of the front 4 below par. It would be good if Wright and Chapman or Wright and Dion were on their game at the same time. Hopefully Banks is fit for the next league game.

 

Did you see their executive suite Dave…. I give you a portacabin?

 

He's not on loan, he's ours I think, maybe even 3 years...

 

Lewis made two good saves….and he’s man of the match…..Are you trying to be constructive?

 

I suspect Keefly is just hoping we don't accept any offers we get for him, when we inevitably do...

 

2 or 3 but you are right Tony.
He’s a great keeper imho.

 

Harry Lewis is different gravy. A keeper that gains you 10/12 a season on his own.

 

Yes we won but we was 2nd best all over the pitch
our midfield is poor going forward
Sherwood & Gilliead are playing as defensive midfield Wright.chapman & Pereira are the attacking midfield but are dropping too deep to help the defence when the ball is played up field there is only cook with no support and the ball comes back when we defend a corner or free kick it all eleven players back when it comes to clearing the ball no one up field it comes straight back
This has got to change we our just handing the ball over to our opponents
But a win is a win especially against our bogey team

 

I think the Hughes would probably have chatted to the team, tried to get a reset from them to the first (successful) spell of the first half.

I'm not a fan of taking players off at half time, unless they've been terrible or the team is playing very poorly (i.e. Forest Green did it last season and it made no difference to the 2nd half tempo)

Both Chapman and Pereira (particularly the latter) look like they are still not up to the L2 pace, so perhaps earlier substitutions in the 2nd half might be the solution.

 

It is as a posh portakabin though Kev, a better class of temporary structure in the north of our county.

 

As good as a goal scorer in many respects. That save to his left in the first half from their big C/ F was outstanding!

 

Hughes did say he has teams to start matches and to finish matches.
This side are living up to that quote.

 

Even if we go up I think we’ll struggle to keep him. If Bass can get a move to the championship to a big club then I’d expect clubs to start sniffing around if they aren’t already.

 

I suppose you could say painted white makes it posh? There are acres of wasted space in that ground, yet they deliberately limit attendances from opposing fans…..Madness?