Tuesday 20th July 2010
Pre-season fixture
Stambridge United 0
Bradford City 4 (Osborne 7, Neilson 32, Daley 83, J O'Brien 87)
Kick Off: 7.00pm
at the Stambridge Memorial Ground
The Bantams eased themselves into their tour of Essex and Middlesex with a comfortable victory over Southend Borough Combination Premier Division side Stambridge United.
In truth this fixture was about making friends than scoring goals, but City managed to do both in front of a small, but appreciative crowd.
Two goals in each half were enough to secure Bradford's third pre-season victory on the trot from a match that they dominated from almost start to finish .
Leon Osborne and Scott Neilson struck in the first period to place the Bantams in a strong half time position, before Omar Daley and James O'Brien added some glosh to the scoreline with late goals.
While the vast gulf in league standing between the two sides made the fixture a bit of a mis-match, the match itself acted as another good another workout for Peter Taylor's men.
For the third pre-season match running, Taylor chose to play two entirely different sides for each half.
With Steve Williams hotel bound due to illness, this mean a second half cameo appearance for First Team Coach Junior Lewis at centre half.
The Bantams boss also fielded trialist Lewis Hunt for the first half of the fixture. The right back, who is without a club after leaving Wycombe Wanderers in the summer, joined the squad at their Essex training base this morning.
Fellow trialist Chris Simm joined Hunt in City's first half line up, while City's other trialist on show, David Syers, was given the whole of the second period.
Following his early release from prison, Jake Speight completed a pleasing night for the Bantams by making his City debut in the second half.
Within the first few minutes of the match, Osborne had already gone close moments earlier following good play from James Hanson before he struck City's first goal of the match.
Osborne pounced on a slack clearance from Stambridge keeper Paul Horwood as he picked up the ball just outside the area.
He made Horwood pay for his mistake as he moved away from the advances of an oncoming defender before slotting past the home stopper.
Neilson and Simm went close only minutes after Osborne's opener as City understandably began to dominate against their non-league opponents.
Chances continued to be created by the trio of Simm, Osborne and Neilson with Horwood certainly far busier than his counterpart Lloyd Saxton at the other end as the half progresses.
Just after home striker Ryan Saggers had nearly caught out Saxton with an attempted lob during a rare Stambridge attack, City doubled their lead.
A cross from James Hanson found its way all the way through to Neilson, who was waiting at the far post. The Bantams winger cut inside before beating Horwood with a low stinging shot into the bottom corner.
City may have started the second period with a whole different eleven on hand, but the flow of the match continued to follow the same trend.
The Bantams first chance of the half came through Gareth Evans, who was denied by Horwood as the home shot stopper crawled away the City striker's top corner bound effort.
Just past the hour mark, James O'Brien created the next real threat on Horwood's goal when the Irishman crashed a fierce drive against the keeper's crossbar.
The Bantams continued to press and probe at the Stambridge defence until they managed to add further late goals to the scoreline.
Daley was on hand to smash home past Horwood from within the area after good build up play from Speight.
With time running out on the fixture, there was still time for James O'Brien to grab the goal he may have felt he should have had earlier.
O'Brien's half volley appeared to be heading straight to the home stopper, but the ball seemed to slip under his body and into the net.
Bradford City first half line up
13. Lloyd Saxton
2. Lewis Hunt
3. Robbie Threlfall
4. Louis Horne
5. Zesh Rehman
6. Luke Oliver
7. Scott Neilson
8. Tom Adeyemi
9. James Hanson
10 Chris Simm
11 Leon Osborne
Bradford City second half line up.
1. Jon McLaughlin
14. Simon Ramsden
15. Luke O'Brien
16. Junior Lewis
17. Shane Duff
18. Lee Bullock
19. James O'Brien
20. David Syers
21. Omar Daley
22. Gareth Evans
50. Jake Speight
