Saturday 3 May 2014
Sky Bet League 1
Tranmere Rovers 1 (Pennington 5)
Bradford City 2 (Stead 81, Mclean 86)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at Prenton Park
Attendance: 9,598
Pictures kindly provided by Gary Chadwick
City ensured they finished their first season back in Sky Bet League 1 with a top-half finish thanks to a final day come-from-behind win over ten-man Tranmere Rovers, who were relegated as a result of the day's results.
The Bantams were trailing after only five minutes when Jon McLaughlin let Matthew Pennington's cross-come-shot drop into his net but City, who were aided by Junior Brown's dismissal on the half hour mark for a tackle on Nathan Doyle, stuck twice in the last ten minutes to claim the win.
The victory was City's third in their last four matches and meant Phil Parkinson's men finished the campaign eleventh in the league standings.
Jon Stead's deflected drive from James Meredith's cross nine minutes from the end drew City level in front nearly 2,000 vocal Bradford supporters.
With only four minutes of normal time left, Aaron Mclean sent those travelling fans into raptures when he latched onto a pass from Kyle Bennett before drilling a fierce drive into the far bottom corner from just inside the area.
FT: Tranmere Rovers 1 Bradford City 2
90+4min: Pennington's shot from outside the box is tipped over by McLaughlin.
90+3min: Lowe's angled shot from around twelve yards out bounces a good yard or so wide of McLaughlin's far post.
90+1min: Akpa-Akpro's far post cross tries to find the lurking Goodison but Meredith makes a vital headed clearance from close range to put the ball out for a corner.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
89min: SUBS - Tranmere bring on James Rowe and Jake Kirby for Power and Ridehalgh.
89min: A Jones corner eventually falls into the path of Bennett, who volleys over from just inside the box.
88min: Yeates' clever little reverse ball plays Mclean in with a sight of goal deep inside Tranmere's area. The striker goes for goal from around eight yards out but his effort is blocked behind by Pennington.
86min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! Tranmere Rovers 1 Bradford City 2 - Mclean has City in front! A little pass into the path of Mclean by Bennett gives the City striker the time and space to take aim before he proceeds to drill a fierce drive from just inside the area into the far bottom corner. Great finish from Mclean!
86min: After a period of City possession, Jones fires a low drive from outside the area straight at Mooney.
84min: Another Koumas pass sees Akpa Akpro in behind City's defence with only McLaughlin to beat. The Tranmere attacker tries to lob the bouncing ball over McLaughlin but his connection is weak and the City shot-stopper is able to get back and pick up the ball with relative ease.
83min: A clever run and pass from Koumas finds Lowe in shooting space inside the Bantams box. Lowe pulls the trigger but Meredith is quickly across to block the effort with an important diving tackle.
81min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tranmere Rovers 1 Bradford City 1 - City equalise through Stead! Meredith's low cross into the box is knocked back into the path of Stead on the edge of the Tranmere box. Stead side-foots for goal and sees his shot take a deflection off a Tranmere defender to wrong-foot Mooney and find the bottom corner.
74min: Power slips Lowe into a dangerous pocket of space deep inside City's penalty area. As the Tranmere striker goes to pull the ball back across the six yard box, however, he is dispossessed by a forceful challenge from McArdle. The home fans shout for a penalty but referee Mr Scott deems that the defender had cleanly won the ball.
73min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Raffaele De Vita for Doyle.
73min: Yeates takes aim from outside the area but his shot drifts harmlessly over the bar.
71min: Stead does well to wriggle clear of Goodison's advances by the byline before pulling the ball back to the waiting Mclean. The Bantams forward strikes powerful for goal from around ten yards out but his effort is blocked by an important diving tackle from Ash Taylor.
65min: Bennett drives forward with the ball into the space before firing in a shot from just outside the area comfortably wide of Mooney's goal.
60min: Stead stretches up to reach a wide free-kick delivery into the box by Jones. The striker can only head the ball up into the air, however, and Yeates then volleys over the loose ball over the bar from around ten yards out.
59min: SUBS - The Bantams bring on Kyle Bennett and James Meredith for Thompson and Drury respectively.
54min: A hanging Darby cross into the box finds Drury lurking over on the far side but the defender's half-volley for goal from around ten yards out sails over.
47min: Mark Yeates plays Adam Drury into crossing space by the byline but the left back's lofted cross to the far post is volleyed over by Stead from around eight yards out.
46min: Tranmere restart the game.
HT: Tranmere Rovers 1 Bradford City 0
45+4min: Stephen Darby's clipped ball to the edge of the area picks out Stead but the striker's half-volley on the turn whistles a yard or so wide of Mooney's goal.
45min: There will be five minutes of time added on at the end of the first half. This is largely due to the fall-out from Lowe's incident with McArdle, Brown's red card and injury time-outs for Ridehalgh and Tranmere team-mate Ian Goodison.
30min: RED CARD - Drama at Prenton Park as Junior Brown is given a straight red card for a lunge on Doyle just inside City's half of the pitch.
24min: The Bantams bench are enraged when it appears as if Lowe has stood on McArdle's back as the attacker tries to step over the diving defender. Accidental or not, City's coaching staff explode with rage as tempers flare up on the touchline. Both benches get involved but the incident ends with a talking to for Lowe from referee Mr Scott. The match official also asks Phil Parkinson and Tranmere boss John McMahon to keep their own benches in check as well.
22min: Thompson gets a yard of space on Ridehalgh before whipping in a curling cross that whistles narrowly past Mooney's far post.
19min: Liam Ridehalgh sends in a deep first-time cross that Max Power power goalwards with a looping header from just inside the box. The ball looks like it could be dropping into the far corner until McLaughlin thrusts out a hand and tips the header around the post.
17min: Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro fires in a low drive from outside the area that narrowly goes past McLaughlin's far post.
15min: YELLOW CARD - Gary Jones is booked for tripping up Jason Koumas a few yards inside Tranmere's half of the pitch.
7min: City try to respond also straight away but Mclean's shot from inside the area is pushed away by Mooney.
5min: GOAL - Tranmere Rovers 1 Bradford City 0 - Tranmere take the lead early doors here at Prenton Park. After dispossessing Doyle of the ball a few yards outside the area, Matthew Pennington strives forward before looping in a cross-come-shot that Jon McLaughlin tries to tip over but he can only end knocking the ball down into his net.
2min: Nathan Doyle takes aim after a half-cleared Garry Thompson falls into his path but the midfielder's half-volley from just outside the box loops into the arms of Mooney.
1min: Aaron Mclean's in-swinging cross into the box tries to pick out the run of Jon Stead but it instead skips off the surface and Jason Mooney has to dive low to his left push the ball away for a corner.
0min: The Bantams kick off. They will defend the goal housing their own supporters.
TRANMERE ROVERS LINE UP:
Mooney, Pennington, Taylor, Goodison, Ridehalgh, Power, Jennings, Koumas, Brown, Akpa Akpro, Lowe
Subs: Ramsbottom, Holmes, Bell-Baggie, Rowe, Kirby, Stockton, Arthurworrey
Tranmere Rover changes:
Rowe for Power (89), Kirby for Ridehalgh (89)
Tranmere Rovers dismissals:
Brown (30)
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Davies, Drury, Thompson, Doyle, Jones, Yeates, Mclean, Stead
Subs: Jameson, Meredith, Dolan, McHugh, De Vita, McBurnie, Bennett
Bradford City cautions:
Bennett for Thompson (59), Meredith for Drury (59), De Vita for Doyle (73)
Bradford City cautions:
Jones (17)
Match Officials:
Referee: G Scott
Assistant Referee: P Hodskinson
Assistant Referee: O Yates
Fourth Official: G Sutton