BRADFORD CITY AFC

Saturday 9 August 2014
Sky Bet League 1
Bradford City 3 (Hanson 27, 90, Sheehan pen 49)
Coventry City 2 (Johnson 41, 89)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at the Coral Windows Stadium

Attendance: 14,621 (1,406 visitors)

The Bantams secured an entertaining victory on the opening day of the new season in the most dramatic fashion thanks to James Hanson's 90th minute winner.

After Hanson's opener had been levelled up by Reda Johnson late in the first half, Alan Sheehan's penalty on debut early into the second period looked to have won it for Phil Parkinson's men until Johnson swooped again for Coventry in 89th minute.

Barely sixty seconds after the heart-break of conceding Johnson's second equaliser though, City picked themselves off the floor to snatch all three points when Hanson headed home Jason Kennedy's cross, sending the Coral Windows Stadium into raptures as a result.

Incredibly, Hanson's match-winner actually came less than twelve seconds after City had restarted the game following Johnson's second equaliser.

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FT: Bradford City 3 Coventry City 2
90+4min: YELLOW CARD - Fleck is booked for going down too easily as McArdle comes across to close him down inside the area.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
90min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bradford City 3 Coventry City 2 - Such drama! Hanson has City back in the lead again! Brilliant work from Kennedy down City's right flank sees the midfielder cross for Hanson to power home a header into the corner only twelve seconds after Johnson's equaliser!
89min: GOAL - Bradford City 2 Coventry City 2 - The Bantams are pegged back again through Johnson in heart-breaking fashion. Pugh's cross into the box with only two minutes left is headed for goal by Tudgay. Pickford produces a great reflex save to repel the effort but Johnson is on hand to smash home the rebound from close range.
88min: Fleck lets fly from distance and Pickford has to punch away the swerving shot.
86min: SUB - Aaron Mclean comes on for Clarke for the Bantams.
78min: SUB - Coventry bring on striker Shaun Miller for Clarke.
77min: Clarke tees up Dolan, who strikes a low drive from around 20 yards out narrowly wide of Allsop's far post.
74min: City have to scramble the ball from virtually off their own goal-line after Pickford fails to punch clear from a Swanson corner and the ball falls dangerously in the heart of the Bantams' box.
72min: Hanson jumps highest to beat Allsop to Darby's high and hanging ball into the area but the ball bounces off the striker's head and into the Kop stand behind the goal.
71min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Matthew Dolan for Knott.
70min: YELLOW CARD - Tudgay is booked for a late tackle on Liddle just inside Coventry's own half of the pitch.
67min: McQuoid plays a neat one-two with Tudgay around the edge of City's penalty area. As McQuoid arrives on the ball once again though, he is denied a shot on goal by a superb last-ditch tackle from the recovering Davies.
67min: SUB - Coventry bring on John Fleck for fellow midfielder Conor Thomas.
59min: Hanson sneaks in behind Coventry's defences after latching onto Yeates' pass but, situated at a tight angle to goal, the striker can only see his left-foot shot smothered by Allsop.
58min: City have to deal with a scramble inside their area as Marcus Tudgay, Jim O'Brien and McQuoid all try to keep the ball alive. Following interventions from Davies, McArdle and Darby, however, Liddle is eventually able to kick clear.
56min: Swanson runs at City's defence with some menace but his shot for goal from just outside the area is blocked by a diving header from Stephen Darby.
53min: Some good City pressure sees Coventry struggling to clear their lines but the danger is eventually over for the visitors when Knott scuffs a strike into the ground and then wide from around the edge of the penalty box.
50min: Pugh's flighted free-kick into the area from around 25 yards sails into the arms of Pickford.
49min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bradford City 2 Coventry City 1 - Sheehan coolly sends Allsop the wrong way to restore City's lead!
48min: YELLOW CARD - Johnson is booked for his foul on Hanson.
48min: PENALTY TO THE BANTAMS! City have spot-kick at the start of the second period when Johnson is penalised for holding onto Hanson as the pair contest Sheehan's corner delivery into the area.
46min: Coventry restart the match.
HT: Bradford City 1 Coventry City 1
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
41min: GOAL - Bradford City 1 Coventry City 1 - The visitors equalise from the resulting corner as Reda Johnson beats Pickford in the air to Pugh's delivery to head into the bottom corner.
40min: Swanson's flighted free-kick delivery to the far post from the set-piece that follows sees Webster head narrowly wide. The ball seems to have taken a flick off Davies, however, so a Coventry corner has been given.
39min: YELLOW CARD - Kennedy is booked for a late lunge on Pugh over by Coventry's left flank deep in City's territory.
37min: McQuoid heads comfortably over Pickford's bar after out-jumping Davies to reach Pugh's cross into the penalty area.
34min: YELLOW CARD - Knott picks up City's first booking of the season after a late tackle on Webster as he tries to close down the Coventry central defender.
32min: Clarke cuts inside onto his favoured left foot and takes aim from around 25 yards out but his effort sails high and wide into the T.L Dallas Stand.
31min: Mark Yeates is the next to trouble Allsop when he turns inside Webster in the area before seeing his left-footed curling effort from around fourteen yards out pushed away by the visiting 'keeper.
27min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bradford City 1 Coventry City 0 - Hanson heads City into the lead! Billy Knott plays the ball wide into the path of Clarke, who in turn crosses for Hanson to head into the far corner past the dive of Allsop.
24min: City threaten again when Clarke is released into space after latching onto a long ball forward. Clarke's low centre across the box finds the lurking Jason Kennedy but the midfielder's little back-flick for goal lacks the power to trouble Allsop and Coventry can clear their lines.
22min: Oh so close! City look certain to score when Billy Clarke heads Gary Liddle's cross down into the path of the unmarked James Hanson. City's number 9 seems set to smash home but his strike hits Webster, taking the power off the shot in the process, and Ryan Allsop can dive onto the ball before it can roll over the line.
20min: City see mild shouts for a penalty turned down after Andrew Davies appears to get a nudge in the back as he contests the ball in the air inside Coventry's box. Alan Sheehan's deep free-kick is headed across the box by Rory McArdle but Davies, who looks in a decent position to head for goal, can't connect after seemingly receiving a slight knock in the back from Andrew Webster. The Bantams bench jump to their feet in protest but referee Mike Dean allows play to continue.
15min: Danny Pugh's long ball over the top sees the on-rushing Jim O'Brien in behind City's back-line. As Pickford comes out to close down the angle, O'Brien's touch takes him away from goal and the midfielder can only drag a low angled drive across goal and wide of the far post.
1min: Coventry nearly sneak an earlier lead when Josh McQuoid's cross into the area causes some problems. Alan Sheehan doesn't see the approaching Jordan Clarke over his shoulder, allowing the right wing-back to nip in and take possession of the ball. Clarke stretches to poke for goal but his looping effort drops over Jordan Pickford's crossbar.
0min: The Bantams kick off the new campaign. They will attack towards the T.L Dallas Stand end in the first half.

BRADFORD CITY LINE UP
Pickford, Darby, Davies, McArdle, Sheehan, Liddle, Kennedy, Knott, Yeates, Hanson, Clarke

Subs: Urwin, Meredith, Dolan, Mclean, Shariff, Morais, Heaton

Bradford City cautions:
Knott (34), Kennedy (39)

Bradford City changes:
Dolan for Knott (71), Mclean for Clarke (86)

COVENTRY CITY LINE UP
Allsop, Willis, Clarke, Webster, Johnson, Pugh, Thomas, O'Brien, Swanson, McQuoid, Tudgay

Subs: Burge, Fleck, Miller, Daniels, Phillips, Haynes, Maddison

Coventry City cautions:
Johnson (48), Tudgay (70), Fleck (90+4)

Coventry City changes:
Fleck for Thomas (67), Miller for Clarke (78)



MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: M Dean
Assistant Referee: R Atkin
Assistant Referee: M Duncan
Fourth Official: M Corlett