Saturday 21 August 2010
npower League 2
Torquay United 2 (Stevens 2, Zebroski 66)
Bradford City 0
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at Plainmoor

Attendance: 2941

The Bantams endured a fruitless afternoon on the South Coast as they fell to their second defeat of the season.

City failed to recover from a nightmare start which placed them firmly in trouble within the first quarter of the game.

Barely 90 seconds were on the clock when Danny Stevens drove unchallenged at the Bantams defence before beating a rooted Jon McLaughlin with a low drive from the edge of the area.

Worst was to follow less than ten minutes later when the home side were awarded a penalty after Robbie Threlfall was penalised for handball.

Threlfall was sent off for the offence, but McLaughlin managed to keep City in the fixture with a smart penalty save.

The Bantams keeper was caught out in the second period though when his attempted clearance looped up into the net after being blocked by Chris Zebroski.

90+3min: Evans well struck effort from long range is well held by Bevan.

90+3min: McLaughlin keeps out Zebroski's angled drive from inside the area.

90+2min: SUB - the Gulls make their final sub of the match by bringing on Eunan O'Kane for Stevens.

90min: 4 minutes to added on at the end of the match.

89min: SUB - Torquay substitute Benyon for fellow striker Martin Gritton.

87min: Hanson is somehow denied once again as his close range header from O'Brien's corner is scrambled away off the line by Bevan.

80min: YELLOW CARD - Mansell is booked for tugging at Syers.

77min: SUB - Taylor makes his third and final change of the match as David Syers is brought on for Hunt.

74min: YELLOW CARD - Wroe is booked for a foul on Adeyemi.

73min: Hanson is denied by a superb one hander save from Bevan after the giant City striker rose highest to head O'Brien's free kick goalwards.

72min: YELLOW CARD - Guy Branston is booked for tumbling into the back of Hanson.

71min: Mark Ellis heads narrowly over from Nicholson's corner.

66min: GOAL - Torquay United 2 Bradford City 0 - City's task to grab something from the match is made even harder as Torquay score a lucky second goal. Both McLaughlin and Zebroksi race for an attempted through ball from Lee Mansell inside City's penalty area. The Bantams keeper gets to the ball first, but his attempted clearance bounces back off Zebroski and flies into the net.

60min: Nicholson wriggles free into space by the byline before squaring for Benyon, who's close range effort is kept out by McLaughlin.

56min: SUB - Kee is replaced for the home side by Wayne Carlisle.

54min: Kevin Nicholson's curling free kick from around 20 yards out is tipped over the bar by McLaughlin

53min: Evans shot from the edge of the area is easily held by Bevan.

52min: A slack touch from Oliver allows Torquay to race clear with City having committed men forward. The ball eventually finds it's way to Benyon, but the recovering Oliver does enough to force the Torquay striker to fire wide.

The Bantams appear to be starting the second period in a 3-4-2 formation, with O'Brien and Hunt as City's wing backs.

46min: Luke O'Brien appears for the second period in place of Doherty as the Bantams kick off the second period.

HT: Torquay United 1 Bradford City 0 - The Bantams have a big task on their hands in the second period if they plan to get anything from the match. City's nightmare start has put them on the back foot. While they still trail by only one goal, however,  there is still hope for Peter Taylor's men.

45min: 2 minutes will be added onto the end of the first period.

42min: YELLOW CARD - Doherty is booked for a late tackle on Stevens.

41min: City register their first attempt of the match when Evans wriggles into the Torquay area. Evans fires goalwards from a tight angle, but Scott Bevan manages to shovel the effort away.

38min: Billy Kee fires over the bar with an angled strike from just inside the area.

City are having to sit in deep and defend now for long periods as the home side pass the ball about in front of them.

27min: Stevens fizzing low shot is smothered by McLaughlin.

26min: McLaughlin tips Lee Mansell's stinging 20 yard drive onto the crossbar.

25min: Elliott Benyon heads over at the far post

City are having to dig deep at present at they look to find a way back into this match despite their numercial disadvantage.

17min: With Rehman now at left back, James Hanson has been asked to work up front on his own in front of a midfield four of Doherty, Bullock, Tom Adeyemi and Gareth Evans.

16min: Peter Taylor looks to regroup his defence after Threlfall's dismissal by bringing on Zesh Rehman for the unlucky Louis Moult.

12min: Lee Bullock moves to left back.

11min: PENALTY... SAVED! McLaughlin keeps City alive in this match and proves to be a penalty king once again. The keeper guesses right and pushes Nicky Wroe's penalty away.

10min: PENALTY TO TORQUAY. City's nightmare start to the match continues. Chris Zebroski beats City's offside trap to race clear with only Jon McLaughlin to beat. McLaughlin saves Zebroski's initial effort, but the recovering Robbie Threlfall appears to handle the rebound. As Zebroski fires another attempt against the post. Referee Mr Tanner points to the spot and sends off Threlfall for the handball.

City have yet to really get going so far. Torquay's early goal has stunned the Bantams as they look to regroup.

2min: GOAL - Torquay United 1 Bradford City 0 - The Bantams get off to the worse possible start as Torquay take the lead. The diminutive figure of Danny Stevens beats Tommy Doherty to a loose ball just inside the Bantams half and strides forward. He continues forward unchallenged before planting the ball into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area.

0min: Torquay kick off the match.

TORQUAY UNITED	BRADFORD CITY
1. Scott Bevan	1. Jon McLaughlin
3. Kevin Nicholson	6. Luke Oliver
4. Mark Ellis	8. Tommy Doherty
5. Chris Robertson	9. Gareth Evans
7. Lee Mansell	15. Lewis Hunt
8. Billy Kee	16. Shane Duff (c)
9. Elliott Benyon	17. James Hanson
11. Nicky Wroe (c)	19. Louis Moult
19. Danny Stevens	20. Tom Adeyemi
23. Guy Branston	22. Lee Bullock
26. Chris Zebroski	28. Robbie Threlfall
Substitutes:	Substitutes:
16. Danny Potter (GK)	13. Lloyd Saxton (GK)
2. Lathaniel Rowe-Turner	3. Luke O'Brien for 8 (46)
6. Kieran Charnock	5. Zesh Rehman for 19 (16)
10. Eunan O'Kane for 19 (90)	7. Omar Daley
14. Lloyd Macklin	12. Steve Williams
15. Wayne Carlisle for 8 (56)	23. David Syers for 15 (77)
20. Martin Gritton for 9 (89)	25. Chib Chilaka
Match Kit:	Match Kit:
Starting formation: 4-4-2	Starting formation: 4-3-3

GOALSCORERS:
TORQUAY UNITED	BRADFORD CITY
Stevens (2)
Zebroski (66)

DISCIPLINARY:
TORQUAY UNITED	BRADFORD CITY
Wroe (72)	Threlfall (10)
Branston (74)	Doherty (43)
Mansell (80)

OFFICIALS:
Referee:	S J Tanner
Assistant Referee:	R J Corp
Assistant Referee:	M Russell
Fourth Official:	A A Laver