Saturday 19 August 2017
Sky Bet League One
Bradford City 0
Blackburn Rovers 1 (Samuel 47)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
at the Northern Commercials Stadium
Attendance: 21,403 (1,965 visitors)
City's proud unbeaten home record came to an end this Saturday after an improving Blackburn Rovers ground out a narrow victory at the Northern Commercials Stadium.
Dominic Samuel's goal two minutes into the second period proved enough to secure Blackburn's maiden win of the campaign in Sky Bet League One, handing City their first league defeat of the season as a result.
After going the whole campaign unbeaten at Valley Parade last season, the defeat was City's first home league loss since March 2016.
Samuel's match-winner - a header from Craig Conway's testing cross - seemed to take a decisive touch off Tom Field on its way past a rooted Colin Doyle.
Stuart McCall looked to his bench later in the half as City searched for a way back into the match, with the Bantams boss making a triple substitution which included the welcome return of Charlie Wyke from injury.
Wyke's presence up top certainly seemed to give the Bantams more of a focal point in attack, but McCall's men still struggled to create clear-cut chances against a disciplined Blackburn outfit.
Alex Jones and Paul Taylor fired wide with chances, while Blackburn were perhaps fortunate to get away with two penalty shouts for hand-ball, in particular from an incident involving Corry Evans fifteen minutes from the end.
In front of a crowd of nearly 21,500, Blackburn edged a fairly even opening period, with the dangerous Bradley Dack going close on more than one occasion.
FT: Bradford City 0 Blackburn Rovers 1
90+5min: Doyle comes up for a late free-kick but Reeves' clipped ball into the box is held by Raya.
90+4min: YELLOW CARD - Kilgallon believes the block was hand-ball and he is booked for his protests.
90+3min: McMahon's deep cross into the box is fired goalwards by Kilgallon but the effort is blocked by Whittingham, Taylor then lashes over with the rebound.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
90min: Doyle's free-kick from deep into the box is contested by Wyke, the ball drops down to Kilgallon around the edge of the box but his volley sails over.
80min: Jones latches onto a loose header from Elliott Ward but the striker's low drive just outside the area is dragged wide of Raya's near post.
78min: SUBS - Blackburn bring on Peter Whittingham and Marcus Antonsson for Conway and Samuel.
76min: Law curls for goal but the effort from just outside the box is held by Raya.
76min: Seemingly a good shout for a penalty for City turned down. McMahon's cross into the box is knocked down by Wyke but Evans is on hand to knock the ball away in front of a lurking Law. Evans seemed to have possibly controlled the ball with his arm before kicking clear but
70min: McMahon curls an effort past the post with a wide free-kick from just outside the box.
69min: SUBS - Triple sub for the Bantams. Paul Taylor, Charlie Wyke and Alex Jones replace Poleon, McCartan and Patrick.
68min: Evans' cross is met by Gladwin but the attacker's looping header is gathered up easily enough by Doyle.
67min: YELLOW CARD - McMahon is booked for bringing down Conway after the Blackburn winger had turned away from him down the visitors' left flank.
63min: SUB - Blackburn bring on Ben Gladwin for Dack.
60min: YELLOW CARD - Richie Smallwood is booked for bringing down Poleon as the striker looked to surge forward deep into Blackburn territory.
56min: Derrick Williams moves forward towards City's penalty area before firing in a drive that deflects off Kilgallon and out for a corner.
52min: Bennett's cross into the box has a number of his team-mates interested but Conway, Samuel and Dack seem to actually get in each other's way and the ball bounces out off one of them for a goal-kick.
47min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Blackburn Rovers 1 - The visitors take the lead early into the second period. Conway's testing cross into the box is met by Samuel and the striker's stooping header, which seems to take a significant touch off Tom Field, finds the bottom corner past a rooted Doyle.
46min: The Bantams restart the match.
HT: Bradford City 0 Blackburn Rovers 0
45+1min: YELLOW CARD - Samuel is booked for a late tackle on Matthew Kilgallon midway into City's half of the pitch.
45min: There will be two minutes of time added on at the end of the first half.
45min: Decent chance for Blackburn. Bennett stretches to keep the ball in play over by the far byline following Mulgrew's flighted free-kick into the box from deep. Bennett's cut-back finds Dack in space in the middle but the attacker's header is weak and it flashes wide of goal.
43min: Paul Caddis plays the ball into the feet of Dack inside the box. The attacker turns for goal and shoot but the effort deflects into the gloves of Doyle.
41min: Dominic Poleon tries to find McCartan by the edge of the box, the attempted pass is blocked and spins up towards Dieng but the Frenchman's volley for goal isn't cleanly struck and loops up to Raya.
37min: YELLOW CARD - Shay McCartan is booked for supposedly diving after he had danced his way into the box and then gone down under Mulgrew's challenge.
36min: Samuel reaches back to head forwards Craig Conway's corner delivery but the striker's header on the stretch bounces wide of goal.
32min: McMahon's teasing delivery into the box from wide causes some concern in the Blackburn defence, as Knight-Percival and Patrick both look to get their head on the ball. The ball eventually drops at the feet of Patrick but the striker's scuffed shot rolls through to Blackburn shot-stopper David Raya.23min: YELLOW CARD - Dieng is booked for a late challenge on Bennett just inside City's half of the pitch. With Bennett looking to burst forward, Dieng caught the Blackburn winger as he stretched to nip in and try and win the ball.
20min: Charlie Mulgrew's fizzing delivery into the box from wide flashes across goal but is held by Doyle.
10min: Tony McMahon's delivery into the box from a wide free-kick deflects down at the feet of Omari Patrick. The striker shoots for goal but it deflects out of play for goal-kick off an offside Timothee Dieng.
5min: Bradley Dack turns away from Knight-Percival just outside the area before driving into the space behind him and into the box. Dack tries to pick out Samuel in a dangerous position deep inside the area but an alert Jake Reeves is on hand to make the sliding interception and put the ball out for a corner.
1min: From Elliott Bennett's cross, an unmarked Dominic Samuel sees a shot blocked inside the area by Nathaniel Knight-Percival. The ball breaks out to Corry Evans just outside the area but his effort bounces wide of Colin Doyle's far post.
0min:Blackburn Rovers kick off the match. The Bantams will attack towards the T L Dallas Stand end in the first period.
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
Doyle, McMahon, Knight-Percival, Kilgallon, Field, Dieng, Reeves, Law, McCartan, Patrick, Poleon
Subs: Sattelmaier, Wyke, Taylor, Gilliead, Jones, Devine, Barr
Bradford City substitutions:
Taylor for Poleon (69), Wyke for McCartan (69), Jones for Patrick (69)
Bradford City cautions:
Dieng (23), McCartan (37), McMahon (67), Kilgallon (90+4)
BLACKBURN ROVERS LINE UP:
Raya, Caddis, Ward, Mulgrew, Williams, Smallwood, Evans, Conway, Dack, Bennett, Samuel
Subs: Leutwiler, Chapman, Graham, Whittingham, Antonsson, Gladwin, Wharton
Blackburn Rovers substitutions:
Gladwin for Dack (63), Whittingham for Conway (78), Antonsson for Samuel (78)
Blackburn Rovers cautions:
Samuel (45+1), Smallwood (60)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referee: Shaun Hudson (Red/Yellow)
Assistant Referee: Mark Russell (Yellow)
Fourth Official: Paul Hodskinson