Bradford City faced Liverpool Feds in Bradford’s official Rainbow Lace fixture at the weekend and it was also new manager Chris Hames first game in the dugout. This is a game I was really looking forward to as it really gave us the first sense of what Chris would be capable of with this team, could he be the one to make the difference that was needed to turn results around and get City back to winning ways?
It made a nice change too as for the previous few games we have been left soaked from the rain and had games cancelled due to waterlogged pitches however, this weekend from the stands you couldn’t see due to the sun, so a nice change there.
With Liverpool Fed’s being 5th in the table before kick off and City propping up the bottom of the table in 12th place it was always going to be and interesting game, with plenty of goals scored against City would Chris have had enough time to work on defence? It looks like he definitely did have time to work with the team as it was looking like a whole new side.
Aimee once again pulled off a lot of brilliant saves once again to keep the score line down and again some of those saves even the likes of Richard O’Donnell would be proud of. The only goal of the game came just before half time with a bit of a mix up in defending proving Liverpool with a goal to give them a 1-0 lead.
Other than a few wayward touches and a few hit & hopes from City they looked like a much improved side. City had more chances than I have seen in recent games with Sumaili getting into some great positions and having a few shots which were unfortunately saved. It was nice to see City challenging in that final 3rd and actually taking some chances for a change, maybe next game we can get a goal.
Even though both sides had plenty of chances (Liverpool still looked a bit more threatening on the attack than City) through the game the game ended 1-0 which I think just shows how City are already starting to improve under Chris. It was definitely not the one sided game I have been used to seeing. The team just seemed to gel better with some great link up plays all over the field as well as a lot more communication on the pitch.
Another area they seemed to have improved on is closing down and winning the ball back there were plenty of times during the game where Liverpool could have made progression up the pitch but City chased down and put them under pressure it lead to either throw-in’s or just simply getting possession back. Even when they lost the ball players seemed to be tracking back a lot better and putting the pressure on the opposition. The City team have definitely improved and look a lot more threatening let’s just hope they can keep this up and really build on the positives from yesterday. They may have been defeated but with it finishing 1-0 to a 5th place side and the positives shown in the game it didn’t feel as bad as previous defeats.
I really think Hames’ appointment could be beneficial for this team.