Saturday 14 November 2009
Coca-Cola League 2
Bradford City vs AFC Bournemouth

Welcome to the Coral Windows Stadium for this afternoon's match against AFC Bournemouth. We extend our usual warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters who have made the long trip up from the south coast today.

Bournemouth are riding high at the moment having survived a 17-point reduction last season, and it seems they have simply picked up from where they left off at the end of the last campaign. We lost 4-1 at their place in March and, whilst we didn't play well that night, it was clear then that they were a good side so it is no surprise to see them doing so well this season.

Bournemouth are obviously a club that has had a fair share of financial difficulties. I don't know their current situation but it seems that, on the field at least, they have put their problems behind them, so let's hope they have a bright future. We know exactly what it is like when you are in administration so Bournemouth are to be commended for coming back so strongly and so quickly.

By the time you are reading these notes, we will know who we have drawn in the area semi finals of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. We may well have a match against Leeds United to look forward to, which would be an excellent game for us, or perhaps we will be saving them for the regional final, when a trip to Wembley will be the prize on offer. Whatever the outcome of the draw, I am sure that we can look forward to another exciting evening - and if it is anything like Tuesday night we will have another match to remember. Anybody who was here on Tuesday would, I am sure, agree that it was a game that was full of thrills and spills. Those who continue to regard this competition as some kind of lesser tournament would be advised to come along to the next round and see the entertainment it can provide.

To do well in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy can spur a club on to better things. Doncaster Rovers, for example, won the competition when it was known as the LDV Vans Trophy, and then went on to get promotion to the Championship. I was talking to a Southend United fan the other day who was convinced that when they won the trophy, that was the catalyst for two promotions in the next few years, thanks to a combination of the momentum it created and the revenue it raised. Dare we dream of our own day out at Wembley in March?

It was nice to see on Tuesday that our goalkeeper Simon Eastwood was again the star of the show. Simon has been coming in for some unnecessary stick from some sections of our supporters recently which I find difficult to understand. Please support the players as shouting abuse at them when they are trying to perform their duties will only make things worse. Simon is a highly-rated player who has earned international recognition with England and, just because he has made one or two mistakes, this does not make him a bad goalkeeper. We hope to be able to help him to progress during his time at Bradford City and that will only benefit us.

Back to today's game and it is always nice to take on those teams at the top of the table. It is, however, important that we look to win this fixture if we are serious about keeping in touch with the promotion contenders. I believe that Bournemouth were the only club to do the double over us last season, so it would be nice to avenge that today.

Enjoy the game

Julian Rhodes
Joint Chairman