BRADFORD CITY AFC

Wednesday 1 January 2014
Sky Bet League 1
Notts County 3 (Campbell-Ryce 32, McGregor 88, Grealish 90+1)
Bradford City 0
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at Meadow Lane

Attendance: 4,919 (1,050 visitors)
Pictures kindly provided by JMS Photography

The Bantams started 2014 in disappointing fashion with defeat at the hands of bottom side Notts County.

At a wet and windy Meadow Lane, Jamal Campbell Ryce's finish from the edge of the area gave County the interval advantage before goals from Callum McGregor and Jack Grealish late on - both times when City had men pushed forward - gave an unfair gloss on the scoreline.

The rainy and blustery weather affecting most of the country this New Year's Day left the pitch on County's home patch looking heavily scarred but, in truth, it didn't affect either side too greatly.

Both County and City played out a largely uneventful and evenly-matched opening period, with Campbell-Ryce's intervention just past the half hour mark proving key in giving Shaun Derry's the all-important opening goal of the game.

McGregor and Grealish's breakaway goals in the final minutes of the match came after City had enjoyed the better of the second half without ever really creating the chances their pressure perhaps should have warranted.

With the score at 1-0 to County going into the final quarter of the match, Kyel Reid and second half substitute Mark Yeates both saw shots beaten away by home shot-stopper Bartosz Bialkowski as Phil Parkinson's men pushed for an equaliser.

Parkinson elected to go to three at the back with four minutes of normal time remaining, handing young striker Lewis Clarkson his City debut in the process, but this unfortunately only allowed Notts County the opportunity to score two late goals.

McGregor's goal two minutes from the end, set-up thanks to a break forward by Grealish, effectively sealed the points for the struggling hosts before Grealish's own addition to the scoreline in injury time gave the final score a harsh look as far as the Bantams were concerned.

City's New Year's Day defeat was the first match they had lost this season in the league by more than a single goal margin.

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FT: Notts County 3 Bradford City 0
90+1min: GOAL - Notts County 3 Bradford City 0 -County now rub salt into the wounds with a third, again catching City when they have a number of men forward. Showunmi plays the ball into the path of the waiting unmarked Grealish, who uses the time allowed to calmly slot the ball past a helpless McLaughlin from just inside the area.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the game.
88min: GOAL - Notts County 2 Bradford City 0 -With City pushing men forward, they are caught on the break to leave the Bantams firmly up against it. Jack Grealish leads the break forward before feeding McGregor, who fires past McLaughlin from inside City's penalty area.
86min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Lewis Clarkson for Bates, meaning City will finish the game with three at the back.
84min: A Boucoud shot from outside the area takes a clear deflection off a City defender before spinning into the grasp of McLaughlin.
82min: Campbell-Ryce gets the better of Darby and then Yeates before firing in a low drive from inside the area that goes wide of McLaughlin's near post.
80min: YELLOW CARD - Ricky Ravenhill is cautioned after the award of a free-kick against City. The booking is presumably for something he said to referee Clark as it was Reid who was actually penalised for the foul just outside County's penalty area.
78min: McArdle makes a vital diving block to prevent a goalbound strike from Campbell-Ryce from well inside City's penalty area troubling McLaughlin.
76min: Reid surges past Dumbuya before fizzing in a fierce angled drive from just outside the area that Bialkowski palms thanks to a good reaction save.
74min: Yeates sees a shot from just outside the area pushed away by Bialkowski.
71min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Mark Yeates for Thompson.
70min: YELLOW CARD - Dean Leacock is booked for tugging back McBurnie as the young striker turned away from him midway into County's half of the pitch.
68min: Jones fizzes in the delivery from the resulting free-kick with some venom but Bialkowski punches away.
67min: YELLOW CARD - Andre Boucaud is booked for hauling down Reid right on the very edge of County's penalty area as the Bantams winger burst down City's left flank.
58min: YELLOW CARD - McGregor curls a strike from just inside the area a couple of yards wide of goal. As the ball goes out for a goal-kick, McArdle is booked for trying to bring down the attacker as he moved towards City's penalty area seconds earlier.
56min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Oliver McBurnie for Kennedy, meaning Thompson will now move onto the right wing for City after starting the game in attack.
55min: McArdle glances a header a good couple of yards wide of goal following Jones' delivery into the area from a wide free-kick.
50min: Meredith's hanging cross to the far post is headed back across goal by Thompson but Hanson, who is on the stretch, can only slide the ball wide while under pressure from a County defender.
46min: The Bantams restart the match.
HT: Notts County 1 Bradford City 0
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the half.
45min: YELLOW CARD - Mustapha Dumbuya is booked for bringing down Kyel Reid over by the near touchline as the City winger looked to surge down the Bantams' left flank.
37min: Matthew Bates has to slide in and put the ball behind for a corner to prevent a dangerous Showunmi cross from potentially falling into Callum McGregor's path over by the far post.
32min: GOAL - Notts County 1 Bradford City 0 - The hosts take the lead after a swift attack forward led by goalscorer Campbell-Ryce. The winger surges down County's left flank before cutting inside and drilling a low effort from the edge of the area past McLaughlin at his near post.
26min: Campbell-Ryce nearly enjoys a decent sight of McLaughlin's goal as he latches onto a loose clearance from Jones on the edge of City's penalty area. After the winger's initial touch had taken him into the box though, his second seems to bobble up off him and results in the ball bouncing through to the Bantams keeper.
23min: Rory McArdle stretches back to connect with a Gary Jones delivery from a wide free-kick but his header from inside the area is straight at Bialkowski.
16min: A short corner from County eventually sees the ball into the path of Mark Fotheringham but his shot from outside the area goes comfortably wide of its intended target.
15min: Enoch Showunmi takes aim from just outside the area but his shot sails a couple of yards over.
6min: James Meredith's searching cross eventually drops into the path of Jason Kennedy over by the far side of County's goal. The midfielder fires down into the ground with a half-volley but his connection isn't clean and the ball bobbles comfortably into Bialkowski's path.
4min: Jamal Campbell-Ryce moves into shooting space just outside City's penalty area but the winger's clip forwards sails harmlessly wide of Jon McLaughlin's goal.
2min: Bartosz Bialkowski comes to just inside his own area to narrowly beat Garry Thompson to a forward pass from James Hanson. The ball briefly runs free from Bialkowski's grasp as he slides out of the area but the Polish 'keeper is able to kick clear.
0min: Notts County kick off the match.

NOTTS COUNTY LINE UP
Bialkowski, Dumbuya, Smith, Leacock, Fox, Boucaud, Fotheringham, Campbell-Ryce, McGregor, Grealish, Showunmi

Subs: Pilkington, Haynes, Labadie, Murray, Thompson, Tempest, Hollis

Notts County cautions
Dumbuya (45), Boucaud (67), Leacock (70)



BRADFORD CITY LINE UP
McLaughlin, Darby, Meredith, McArdle, Bates, Kennedy, Jones, Ravenhill, Reid, Thompson, Hanson

Subs: Ripley, Yeates, McHugh, Connell, Clarkson, McBurnie, Stockdill

Bradford City changes:
McBurnie for Kennedy (56), Yeates for Thompson (71), Clarkson for Bates (86)

Bradford City cautions:
McArdle (58), Ravenhill (80)

MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: R Clark
Assistant Referee: C Kavanagh
Assistant Referee: A Tankard
Fourth Official: R Wootton