BRADFORD CITY AFC

Saturday 25 October 2014
Sky Bet League 1
Oldham Athletic 2 (Forte 7, Jones 24)
Bradford City 1 (Halliday 45+1)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at SportsDirect.com Park

Attendance: 5,832 (1,510 visitors)

City were unable to prevent Oldham Athletic from extending their impressive recent unbeaten run this Saturday, as Phil Parkinson's men came up short at the SportsDirect.com Park.

After a slow start to the contest, City deservedly found themselves two goals down with less than half an hour gone following a close range effort from Jonathan Forte and a deflected drive from outside the box by Mike Jones.

Oldham, who have now gone thirteen games in all competitions without defeat, were seemingly first to every ball at this stage and looking set to give the Bantams a very difficult afternoon indeed.

Parkinson made a tactical change six minutes before the interval, bringing on James Meredith for Christopher Routis, who had endured a difficult afternoon up until that point, and the alteration seemed to work as Andy Halliday pulled a goal back for City right on the stroke of half time.

Latching onto a James Hanson knockdown, Halliday registered his first goal for the club with a neat first time finish past Oldham 'keeper Paul Rachubka from just inside the box.

Buoyed by Halliday's goal, City improved after the break from their lacklustre first half, enjoying more than one promising moment as they looked to force an equaliser.

Their efforts were not helped, however, by a late red card for Rory McArdle, who was given his marching orders in injury time for a second bookable offence.

City 'keeper Jordan Pickford went up for two late corners deep in stoppage time but the Bantams' ten men couldn't stop Oldham from securing all three points from the Sky Bet League 1 fixture.

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FT: Oldham Athletic 2 Bradford City 1
90+4min: Pickford is up for a couple of late City corners but the pressure on Oldham's goal is eventually ended when Liddle fires wide with a low strike from outside the box.
90+3min: YELLOW CARD - Sheehan is booked for dragging back Jones as Oldham looked to spring forward on the attack just inside their own half.
90+1min: YELLOW CARD = RED CARD - McArdle is given his second yellow of the game and an early bath after bringing down Ibehre again as the ball was played into space down City's right flank.
90+1min: Yeates moves into a shooting chance inside the box but his low drive is held with relative ease by Rachubka.
90min: Knott's low cross finds Clarke unmarked on the edge of Oldham's area but the attacker's first time effort is scuffed and easily held by Rachubka.
89min: Jones' hanging cross from the resulting corner which is worked short is headed into the side-netting by Pickford's far post by a header from Ibehre.
88min: Dayton's low drive from outside the box is deflected comfortably wide of goal off a City player for an Oldham corner.
87min: Meredith's long ball over the top is flicked on by Hanson into the path of the lurking Clarke inside the box. The attacker tries to dink the ball over Rachubka's head with a delicate left-footed effort but the flicked shot lands on the roof of the net.
81min: Clarke's cross into the area is headed down by Hanson into the path of the unmarked Liddle. The midfielder could shoot for goal perhaps but his tries to find Stead with a pass cross the area and the ball is blocked out for a corner.
79min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Billy Clarke for Halliday.
78min: Dieng heads over from a Jones corner.
76min: SUB - Oldham bring on Dominic Poleon for Forte.
76min: YELLOW CARD - McArdle is booked for bringing down Ibehre as the striker had threatened to gallop clear into open space inside City's half.
75min: City work a short corner that allows Sheehan to get a fierce angled drive in from outside the box that Rachubka has to push away.
73min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Billy Knott for Kennedy.
73min: SUB - Oldham bring on James Dayton for Winchester.
72min: Forte is denied his second of the game by Pickford as the 'keeper makes a brilliant reaction save with his legs after the striker had connected with Jones' cross deep into City's area.
66min: Philliskirk finds the ball at his feet in a pocket of space deep inside City's penalty area but the attacker's side-footed effort is weak and straight at Pickford.
64min: Stead's driven ball across the box is a testing one but Halliday is unable to get on the end of it as he tumbles to the ground. Halliday appeals for a penalty, suggesting he had been bundled into from behind, but nothing is given.
61min: Darby's cross is met by Stead but the striker is leaning back and his weak header on the stretch is comfortable for Rachubka to gather up.
61min: A Meredith cross into the area causes panic in the home defence for a few seconds. With Halliday seeing an effort blocked as the ball pings around the box, City appeal for a handball during the pressure inside Oldham's area but play continues.
57min: Philliskirk's fierce drive from just outside the area is held by Pickford at the second attempt.
50min: Jones' teasing cross into the area is headed away by Sheehan only as far as the lurking Philliskirk on the edge of City's penalty area. With Pickford out of position slightly having come to try and claim Jones' cross himself, Philliskirk tries a first time strike from just inside the box but the effort sails over.
49min: Mills' driven run down City's right wing eventually sees the left back fizz over a testing cross that is headed wide by the far post by Forte.
48min: Stead does brilliantly to keep the ball in play over by the far byline but his hooked ball across the six yard box narrowly misses the lurking Yeates in the middle.
48min: Ibehre turns away from McArdle inside the area but his low strike on the spin is scuffed comfortably wide of Pickford's far post.
46min: Oldham restart the game.
HT: Oldham Athletic 2 Bradford City 1
45+3min: Stead's flick on from a Yeates corner late in the first half causes problems in Oldham's defence but the hosts just about clear their lines with the ball bobbling round only a couple of yards from their own goal-line.
45+1min: GOAL - Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 0 - Andy Halliday has City back in the contest right on the stroke with a fine finish from just inside the box. Hanson heads a Yeates cross into the box back into the path of Halliday and the winger fires neatly past Rachubka with a driven left-footed first time effort.
45min: There will be three minutes of time added on at the end of the first half.
42min: Meredith drives forward into space down City's left flank before fizzing in a cross that is met by Hanson over by the far post but the striker's header is straight into the chest of Rachubka.
39min: SUB - The Bantams bring on James Meredith for Routis. The Frenchman doesn't appear to be injured, his substitution seems to be simply more about the defender's slow start to the game. Meredith's introduction means Sheehan will move across to centre back.
39min: Philliskirk turns into shooting space just outside the box but his rising drive goes over the bar.
36min: Liam Kelly tries his luck from outside the area and his rising drive has to be palmed over the bar by the hands of Pickford.
36min: Forte's low cross finds Ibehre lurking the middle barely yards out, seemingly giving the striker a great opportunity to increase Oldham's lead. Ibehre pokes for goal from close range but Sheehan gets a vital touch on the effort to deflect it behind for a corner.
30min: A penalty shout for City is turned down when Stead appears to be bundled over from behind by Timothee Dieng. After a think about the incident though, referee Mr David Coote waves away City's protests and allows play to continue.
28min: Yeates wriggles clear into crossing space down City's left flank but his teasing centre whistles across Oldham's six yard box without a Bantams touch in the middle.
28min: Alan Sheehan and Routis struggle to clear a Mills cross into the box, allowing Forte to sneak in and prod for goal. Luckily for City though, the effort lacks real power and Pickford can gather up the ball.
26min: Forte nearly sneaks in with a sight of goal as Routis tries to shepherd the ball back to Pickford. With Forte snapping at the Frenchman's heels though, Pickford is on hand to pick up the ball.
24min: GOAL - Oldham Athletic 2 Bradford City 0 - Jones doubles Oldham's advantage to leave City with a mountain climb already in the fixture. The midfielder strikes for goal from around 20 yards out and the low drive beats Pickford's dive before nestling in the bottom corner by the 'keeper's near post.
22min: Philliskirk lays the ball back to Carl Winchester for a strike on goal but the midfielder's rising effort from outside the box sails well over Pickford's crossbar.
20min: Stead fires for goal from just outside the area with a fierce drive but Rachubka dives across to his left to cling onto the effort.
20min: Danny Philliskirk's low centre across the six yard tries to pick out the lurking Ibehre for a tap-in but Pickford dives on the ball to cut out the danger.
13min: Yeates cut inside onto his favoured right foot before firing in a low drive from just outside the box that is straight at Oldham 'keeper Paul Rachubka.
10min: Pickford's goal-kick forward is headed on by James Hanson into the path of Jon Stead, who volleys over the bar from just outside the box.
7min: GOAL - Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 0 - The hosts take an early lead through Forte. Joseph Mills' searching cross into the box is headed into the path of Forte by Ibehre and the striker completes the move by turning away from McArdle and prodding a close range half-volley into the top corner.
6min: Mark Yeates' teasing delivery into the area from a wide free-kick is headed over by McArdle.
2min: Forte turns away from McArdle just inside the area but his shot on the spin sails over Jordan Pickford's bar.
2min: Jones whips in a cross that is met in the middle by an unmarked Jabo Ibehre but the big striker's header glances across the area and not towards goal.
1min: Jonathan Forte wriggles free from Christopher Routis after being played into space by Mike Jones but the striker's attempted cut-back from close range near the by-line is crucially cut out by Rory McArdle.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match.


OLDHAM ATHLETIC LINE UP:
Rachubka, Kusunga, Dieng, J. Wilson, Mills, Kelly, Winchester, Jones, Philliskirk, Ibehre, Forte

Subs: Turner, Brown, Dayton, Poleon, Mellor, B. Wilson, Tyson

Oldham Athletic changes:
Dayton for Winchester (73), Poleon for Forte (76)



BRADFORD CITY LINE UP
Pickford, Darby, McArdle, Routis, Sheehan, Halliday, Kennedy, Liddle, Yeates, Stead, Hanson

Subs: Williams, Meredith, Dolan, Mclean, Clarke, Knott, Morais

Bradford City cautions:
McArdle (76), McArdle (90+1), Sheehan (90+3)

Bradford City dismissals:
McArdle (90+1)*

*As a result of two cautions

Bradford City changes:
Meredith for Routis (39), Knott for Kennedy (73), Clarke for Halliday (79)


MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: D Coote
Assistant Referee: D Gratton
Assistant Referee: A Greenwood
Fourth Official: D Street