Saturday 3 November 2012
F.A Cup with Budweiser First Round
Northampton Town 1 (Moult 61)
Bradford City 1 (Atkinson 32)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at Sixfields Stadium
Attendance: 2,512 (281 visitors)
Pictures kindly provided by Pete Norton
City will be included in the hat for the F.A Cup with Budweiser Second Round draw after their first round tie with Northampton Town at Sixfields Stadium ended all-square.
Will Atkinson gave Phil Parkinson's men the lead in the first half with his maiden strike of the season, but a leveller from former Bantams loanee Louis Moult just past the hour mark earned the Cobblers their reply.
With City lining up using a diamond formation in midfield that included goalscorer Atkinson, the Jones's of Ritchie and Gary, plus apprentice Scott Brown, Phil Parkinson's men created a number of bright moments in the opening period.
The movement of Alan Connell and Garry Thompson also played their part in City's fluid attacking play, and it was Connell who was on hand to tee up Atkinson to stroke home from the edge of the area just past the half hour mark.
In the only disappointing period of the game for the Bantams, Parkinson's side initially couldn't quite reach the heights of their first half efforts after the restart and this enabled the hosts to equalise.
From a Danny East cross, Moult manages to beat Carl McHugh to the ball and send a header past a helpless Matt Duke at his near post.
In an attempt to win the tie for the Bantams, Parkinson brought on Nahki Wells and James Hanson with tie running out, and it was Wells who was at the heart of a late moment of hope for City when the Bermudian appeared to be fouled from behind by East.
Much to the amazement of Parkinson and the City bench though, nothing was given to leave both sides having to prepare for a reply in roughly ten days time.
MATCH UPDATES
FT: Northampton Town 1 Bradford City 1
90min: There will be three minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
87min: Wells sees a drive from just outside the area take a slight deflection before whistling over the bar.
86min: City have a seemingly big appeal for a penalty turned down when East appears to go through Wells inside the area to dispossess the Bermudian off the ball as he looks to strike for goal. Much to City boss Phil Parkinson's amazement, no penalty is given though.
82min: With Platt lurking, Duke clings onto an Akinfenwa header back into the mix from over by the far post.
81min: SUB - Rory McArdle is brought on for Gary Jones. Doyle will take over the captain's armband and move into midfield as a result.
80min: SUB - Clive Platt is brought on for Moult.
79min: Hanson plays Wells into space but the Bermudian's effort from inside the area is comfortable enough for Higgs at his near post.
76min: SUB - City bring on Nahki Wells and James Hanson for Connell and Thompson respectively.
75min: Ritchie Jones drags an effort from outside the area comfortably wide of Higgs' far post.
74min: Duke makes a brave block at his near post after Akinfenwa had turned into space and stabbed an effort goalwards from close range.
73min: Higgs is sharp off his line to just beat Thompson to a threatening forward pass from Connell.
72min: SUB - Northampton bring on David Moyo for Charles.
69min: City are inches away from retaking the lead when Connell's drive from outside the area deflects off Langmead, completing wrong-footing Higgs at the same time. With the 'keeper going away in the other direction, Connell's drive looks for a second like it could be finding the far corner but eventually bounces just wide of the far post.
65min: Johnson makes a vital block at his near post to cut out a testing Thompson cross by the byline, preventing Atkinson from a potential tap-in behind him at the same time.
64min: Another City counter-attack ends with Thompson dragging a shot wide of Higgs' near post from just outside the area.
63min: City spring forward on a counter-attack led by Connell. After picking the ball up in home territory and surging into open space, the striker takes on Johnson from a wide position inside Northampton's penalty area but his eventual strike on goal is gathered quite comfortably by Higgs at his near post.
61min: GOAL - Northampton Town 1 Bradford City 1 - Northampton have their equaliser when Moult climbs above Carl McHugh at the near post to head home East's cross.
56min: A section of Northampton fans begin to celebrate for a moment when they think that the ball has gone in from a home corner. The ball instead has actually found the side-netting though after an attempted punch clear from Duke deflects back off Gary Jones and a Cobblers player.
55min: Hackett's looping header back into the mix after City had half-cleared a long throw-in into the area from Ben Tozer is gathered by Duke.
51min: Akinfenwa curls an effort well over the bar from the edge of City's penalty area.
50min: Duke is out quickly from his goal to prevent Moult getting on the end of an Akinfenwa through-ball.
50min: Duke produces a superb tip-over to keep out a top corner-bound header from Moult. Not that the 'keeper knew at the time, but the effort wouldn't have counted even if it had of gone in though because the striker was flagged for offside.
49min: Hacket drives forward menacingly for goal with ball but his eventual low drive from around 25 yards out is comfortable enough for Duke, who bends down to gather with relative ease.
46min: Moult seems to have a real sight of goal for a second when the ball drops to him around six yards out but the striker fluffs his attempted blast for goal and Darby can see the ball through to Duke.
46min: The Bantams restart the match.
HT: Northampton Town 0 Bradford City 1
45+2min: City somehow scramble behind a late Northampton free-kick into the area from Hackett when it seemed likely that Akinfenwa was in line to head home at the near post from close range.
45min: There will be two minutes of time added on at the end of the first period.
44min: Emyr Huws curls the resulting free-kick into the area but it narrowly misses everyone before bouncing out of play by Duke's far post.
43min: YELLOW CARD - James Meredith is booked for bringing down Hackett in a wide position around 20 yards out as Northampton tried to burst forward on the attack.
38min: Gary Jones fires over with a looping half-volley from around 20 yards out.
32min: GOAL!!!!!!!! Northampton Town 0 Bradford City 1 - Will Atkinson scores his first goal of the season to fire the Bantams into the lead. The midfielder is in the right place to stroke the ball home in the corner from the edge of Northampton's area after being teed up from a wide position by Connell.
31min: With no clear options inside Northampton's area, Thompson decides not to cross after a bright City counter-attack, electing to shoot instead. His effort is full of pace but can only find the side-netting at Higgs' near post.
28min: YELLOW CARD - Ben Tozer is booked for bringing down Darby as the City defender looked to bring the ball out of his own half.
26min: Stephen Darby just does enough to stop Charles from getting a clear strike in on goal after the right back's attempted headed interception had given the Northampton make a sniff. Darby's initial header to try and cut out an Akinfenwa pass gave Charles the sight of goal, but the right back gets back quick to put a recovery tackle in and the ball bounces through to Duke.
25min: Duke makes another important stop - this time pushing away a fierce drive from Chris Hackett at his near post.
24min: Duke makes a great reaction save to his left to push away a Moult header from around six yards out following Danny East's cross into the area.
23min: A short corner routine eventually see the ball fall into Nathan Doyle's path. The central defender for the day can't quite bring the ball down despite a few attempts and Northampton can clear.
22min: Kelvin Langmead makes a vital tackle to deny Thompson by the byline just as the attacker had looked to square the ball across the six yard box for a potential tap-in for Ritchie Jones.
21min: Connell fires over the bar with a first time strike from around twelve yards out after Garry Thompson had cushioned a long pass forward from Scott Brown back into the striker's path.
18min: YELLOW CARD - After earlier escaping without a booking for a deliberate foul on Connell in the build up to the Gary Jones' free-kick mentioned below, Anthony Charles is eventually cautioned for catching Connell again - this time around the halfway line over on the far touchline.
16min: A Gary Jones free-kick from just outside the area has all the sting taken out of it by the Northampton wall, allowing Louis Moult to blast clear the loose ball.
12min: A fierce goal-bound drive from Gary Jones from just outside the area is blocked away by John Johnson before it can trouble Higgs.
8min: Matt Duke comfortably saves down low to left after Adebayo Akinfenwa had headed for goal following a Joe Widdowson cross into the area.
7min: First attempt on goal of the afternoon comes from Alan Connell. The striker picks up a knock forward from Gary Jones but his angled drive from just inside the area is easily held by Shane Higgs at his near post.
0min: Northampton kick off the tie.
3:00pm: A minute's silence is observed inside the Sixfields Stadium ahead of Remembrance Sunday next weekend.
NORTHAMPTON LINE UP
Higgs, Johnson, East, Widdowson, Langmead, Charles, Akinfenwa, Hackett, Tozer, Moult, Huws
Subs: Snedker, Demontagnac, Platt, Mukendi, Wilson, Hornby, Moyo
Northampton changes:
Moyo for Charles (72), Platt for Moult (80)
Northampton cautions:
Charles (18), Tozer (28)
Northampton dismissals:
BRADFORD LINE UP
Duke, Darby, Meredith, Doyle, McHugh, R Jones, G Jones, Atkinson, Brown, Connell, Thompson
Subs: McLaughlin, Hanson, Baker, Hines, Wells, McArdle, Bass
Bradford changes:
Wells for Connell (76), Hanson for Thompson (76), McArdle for G Jones (81)
Bradford cautions:
Meredith (43)
Bradford dismissals:
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Assistant Referee: Steven Meredith
Assistant Referee: David Margetts
Fourth Official: Craig Hicks