Saturday 5 April 2014
Sky Bet League 1
Bradford City 2 (Reach 35, Jones 90+4)
Oldham Athletic 3 (Wesolowski 23, Clarke-Harris 45, 58)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at the Coral Windows Stadium
Attendance: 14,920 (1,322 visitors)
Pictures kindly provided by Thomas Gadd
The Bantams sadly couldn't build on their recent away day success after suffering a comprehensive defeat to Oldham Athletic at the Coral Windows Stadium this Saturday.
City had gone into the contest looking to break the magical fifty-point barrier and move themselves one step closer to League 1 safety.
Unfortunately, however, the Bantams never truly looked in control of the game at any point and were left still looking over their shoulder at the teams below following their second home defeat on the trot.
James Wesolowski's opener, coupled with a double from Jonson Clarke-Harris, gave Lee Johnson's Latics a deserved win over a disappointing Bantams side.
City did have some hope when Adam Reach briefly level things up in the first half but the game was already virtually up by the time Gary Jones pulled one back for Phil Parkinson's side in the last seconds of injury time.
FT: Bradford City 2 Oldham Athletic 3
City have a goal back in the very last seconds of the game through the skipper Gary Jones. Yeates' drive from an angle smashes against Rachubka's near post before the ball bounces out to the lurking Jones on the edge of the area. Jones takes a touch before drilling the ball into the bottom corner.90+4min: GOAL!!! Bradford City 2 Oldham Athletic 3 -
90+1min: Harkins' low cross into the area deflects off the outstretched leg of Stephen Darby towards goal but McLaughlin just about manages to keep the ball out and Darby can then clear his lines.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
90min: SUB - Oldham bring on James Dayton for Worrall.
- YELLOW CARD85min: Yeates is booked for tugging back Harkins just inside City's own half of the pitch.
- YELLOW CARD84min: Brown is booked for clipping Reach from behind just by the halfway line in front of the dug-outs.
83min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Mark Yeates for Mclean.
76min: Lockwood reaches Harkins' clipped free-kick delivery towards the far post but his header on the stretch goes wide of the target.
- YELLOW CARD75min: McArdle is booked for tripping Wesolowski as the midfielder tried to latch onto a pass forward.
- YELLOW CARD73min: Grounds is booked for knocking the ball away following the award of a Bradford free-kick.
- YELLOW CARD71min: Adam Lockwood is booked for a forceful challenge on McBurnie midway into Oldham's half.
70min: Worrall turns inside from his right wing position to fire in a left-footed strike from outside the area that McLaughlin clings onto.
64min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Garry Thompson and Oliver McBurnie for Bennett and Stead respectively.
60min: Philliskirk latches onto a long kick forward from Rachuka and sees his shot from the edge of the area flash narrowly wide of McLaughlin's goal.
59min: Bennett fires for goal from Drury's cross but the effort from the edge of the area bounces comfortably wide of Rachubka's goal.
Oldham further increase their lead just before the hour mark through Clarke-Harris. Grounds intercepts a pass in his own half before playing Clarke-Harris into space and with a chance to run for City's goal. Davies dives in to try and make the block as Clarke-Harris takes aim inside the area but the striker's shot still manages to find the far bottom corner.58min: GOAL - Bradford City 1 Oldham Athletic 3 -
54min: David Worrall's teasing ball into the box during an Oldham counter-attack has to be put behind by Rory McArdle to prevent Clarke-Harris from latching onto it in the middle.
50min: Jonathan Grounds' low cross into the area takes a flick goalwards off Danny Philliskirk but the ball spins into McLaughlin's grasp.
46min: Oldham restart the game. City look to have reverted to their original 4-4-2 formation for the start of the second period.
HT: Bradford City 1 Oldham Athletic 2
45min: There will be a minute of time added on at the end of the match.
45min: GOAL - Bradford City 1 Oldham Athletic 2 - Oldham retake the lead on the stroke of half time. Gary Harkins drifts in-field with the ball from his left wing position before playing it into the unmarked Clarke-Harris, who is positioned only a few yards out right in front of goal. Most in the ground feel Clarke-Harris must be in an offside position given the amount of space he's in so close to goal but the flag stays down and the striker proceeds to smash the ball past a helpless McLaughlin.
35min: GOAL!!!!!! Bradford City 1 Oldham Athletic 1 - Adam Reach levels it up for City! A superb pass from distance by Matthew Dolan picks out the run of Reach, who turns inside an Oldham defender before calmly slotting home from around ten yards out with his right foot.
34min: City seem to have made a slight tactical change in the game. Mclean has been moved to the right wing and Bennett seems to be supporting Jon Stead in an attacking midfield role in a sort of 4-2-3-1 formation.
30min: Andrew Davies goes forward on a surging run that takes him from deep past three Oldham players and towards the edge of their penalty area before he runs into the path of James Wilson. City appeal for a foul on the grounds that Davies was blocked off but nothing is given.
23min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Oldham Athletic 1 - The visitors take the lead through James Wesolowski. Connor Brown's clipped ball into the area is headed down by Jonson Clarke-Harris into the path of the on-rushing Wesolowski, who rifles past Jon McLaughlin from around eight yards out.
10min: Bennett picks up the ball in the middle of Oldham's half before trying his luck from distance. Bennett's shot is well-struck but it still sails some distance over Rachubka's bar.
3min: Kyle Bennett's cross finds Jon Stead inside the area but the striker's header goes wide of Paul Rachubka's far post.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match. They will attack towards the T.L Dallas Stand end in the first half.
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP
McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Davies, Drury, Bennett, Dolan, Jones, Reach, Mclean, Stead
Subs: Barker, Thompson, Yeates, McHugh, Bates, McBurnie, Stockdill
Bradford City changes:
Thompson for Bennett (64), McBurnie for Stead (64), Yeates for Mclean (83)
Bradford City cautions:
McArdle (75), Yeates (85)
OLDHAM ATHLETIC LINE UP
Rachubka, Brown, Lockwood, Wilson, Grounds, Smith, Worrall, Wesolowski, Philliskirk, Harkins, Clarke-Harris
Subs: Coleman, Gafaiti, Dunfield, MacDonald, Winchester, Dayton, Millar
Oldham Athletic changes:
Dayton for Worrall (90)
Oldham Athletic cautions:
Lockwood (71), Grounds (73), Brown (84)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: K Hill
Assistant Referee: D Benton
Assistant Referee: P Thompson
Fourth Official: I Siddall