Bradford City 2-2 Bristol Rovers - Npower League Two
Saturday 10th September 2011 - The Coral Stadium - Attendance: 10,023 (358 Visitors)
So, for the second week in a row, Bradford snatched a point in injury time!
After arriving at the ground, I headed to the players bar where after enjoying Branston writing Brano's bitch across the forehead of Liam Chew's James Hanson mask I made a tit of myself falling over a traffic cone to be laughed at by young Jamaican striker Darren Stephenson. I then headed into the ground, where I ended up on the receiving end of an hour & 15 lecture of the last 15-16 years of Bradford City's history by a steward... Yawn!
So, the first half got under way & the opening 5-10 minutes showed what a feisty affair it would turn out to be! Guy Branston caused some early controversy & fierceness between him & Prince Harry... Oh sorry Matt Harrold, by punching the lanky ginger forward in the face & leaving him on his backside moments after a collision between the two further up the pitch!
Cue the next 10-15 minutes which were just as fierce with fouls & dives galore which resulted in the free kick count rising & rising until Michael Flynn's shot which nearly ended up in Bristol it was that wide broke the chain of play & allowed heads to be cooled. Liam Moore was booked for refusing to give the ball back for a throwing & was previously warned for a ridiculous decision. If a player falling over you while your rolling on the floor is a foul & a booking then I for one am baffled! Also, Ritchie Jones was denied a goal by a world class save by Scott Bevan from the midfielder's header.
But after Reid & Devitt's chances both fell wide, Bristol Rovers took the lead in the 40th minute with a header by Harrold. Oliver allowed his man to lose him & the ginger striker was then played on by a lazy error by Scouse to score for the visitors. Cue quite possibly the funniest half time in VP's history!
During the half time interval, the local Zumba group came onto the pitch to show us some moves, hilariously Bristol Rovers fans decided to show us there's after a rendition of 'who's the fat bitch at the back!' Whatever the Zumba dancers did on the pitch, the Bristol Rovers fans decided to replicate in the stand. One Bristol Rovers fan took to the stairs & got a tad carried away allowing entertainment & laughter for both sets of supporters! Towards the end of the performance, Bristol Rovers fans switched to the Inbetweeners dance as a small majority of the TL Dallas faithful decided to join him! Hilarious & genius as that was, there was still 45 minutes left to play at VP.
Not much to report in the early stages of the second half apart from a James Hanson header being cleared off the line until Jamie Devitt was booked for a nothing trip on Eliot Richards. Bradford were then awarded a free kick but strangely decided to take Chris Mitchell of to bring Ross Hannah on before rather than after the free kick to the dismay of Michael Flynn. Devitt took the free kick & Rovers centre back Bolger headed it over the TL Dallas.
From the resulting corner City were awarded a penalty after Devitt was pulled down by ex-Rovers manager & current Rovers captain Stuart Campbell. Flynn stepped up & cooly & calmly smashed the ball past Bevan from 13 yards to bring the Bantams level. Game On! Two minutes after the penalty City were denied the chance to go 2-1 up after another class save by Bevan denied usual super sub Ross Hannah. Bradford City should have had another penalty after Matt Harrold brought James Hanson crashing down in the box following a tug of the shirt.
Following this, the game went quiet until Eliot Richards received the ball outside the box after losing his marker before using his right foot to take it across his body to smash from distance with his left to restore the Rovers lead. Yet, there was some added time controversy to come at VP! A was it or wasn't it penalty decision following an apparent foul on Jamie Devitt by Lee Brown but after much appeal by the travelling side the penalty was given & once again Flynn stood up after taking the ball of Compton. He began his run up with hearts in mouths & smashed in to bring City level & save us a point! Guy Branston had a chance to win the game but cleared the bar with a header & the game finished 2-2 with spoils shared.
I would before the end of my blog wish to offer an apology to the young lad on the train who was hit by Carribob's failed paper aeroplane attempt.
So, the players ratings for the afternoon:
Matt Duke - 6 - Rarely challenged but when challenged was put on his toes & stayed solid.
Liam Moore - 6 - Looked excitable & wasn't afraid to push up & put pressure on the Bristol Rovers left back. Didn't deserve to be subbed.
Guy Branston - 5 - Looked slow at times but gave Harrold a game the front man won't forget for a while!
Luke Oliver - 5 - At fault for the first goal with Scouse. But remained solid after but had a quiet game by his standards this season!
Robbie Threlfall - 4 - Sloppy error after Harrold lost Oliver played the ginger man on side & allowed him to score. He also developed a habit of crossing the ball straight at Bevan between the Rovers sticks.
Chris Mitchell - 5 - Set pieces & crossing perfect as usual. One of his quieter games at VP.
Michael Flynn - 6 - Even though he had a poor first half. Can't fault the man's second half performance & his two penalties saved the day for City!
Ritchie Jones - 5 - Unlucky not to score in first half but disappeared after that.
Kyel Reid - 6 - Looked far better than Morecambe & can tell he is nearing full match fitness. Sad to see him go to changing rooms after being subbed off, hope it's not a bad injury!
Jamie Devitt - 8 - MOTM, Can not fault the young Irish man this afternoon! Caused the away side problems all game & without him we wouldn't have got our penalties.
James Hanson - 5 - The lad won his fair share of headers put looked very poor when we tried to play it on the floor but a stint on the bench or being used as a sub impact player will do the lad a world of good!
SUBS:
Ross Hannah - 5 - Had a quality chance for 2-1 denied by Scott Bevan. Can't fault the lad's enthusiasm & effort.
Jack Compton - 6 - Won the free kick in the build up towards the second penalty & his breath of fresh air continued the problems that Reid caused for Rovers right back.
Mark Stewart - 4 - Came on & didn't deliver anything to the game in his short time on the pitch.
Ten Categories chosen by Chapalar!
Was it worth the money? To see Bristol Rovers Zumba & the second half... Yes it was!
City MOTM - Jamie Devitt, Can not fault the young Irish man this afternoon! Caused the away side problems all game & without him we wouldn't have got our penalties.
Bristol Rovers MOTM - Scott Bevan, his world class saves throughout the game kept Bristol Rovers alive & left City wondering how we didn't score more.
Quote of the Match - 'Have you seen Kitchen's new girlfriend?' Ellis Taylor romancing the fat one from Zumba for Kitchen!
Goal of the Match - Bristol Rovers second of the game. Well taken & well struck by Eliot Richards.
Moment of the Match - Half time's Zumba lesson with the ladies on the pitch & the Bristol Rovers fans in the stand.
Fan of the Match - Not so much Fan but Fans! The Bristol Rovers Zumba group at half time was another class! Absolute genius by the lads & lasses from Somerset!
Chant of the Match - In your best high pitched voices now lads! 'Jonny will tear Vicky apart again!'
FB Status of the Match - 'to quite the iron sheik, FACKIN BULLSHIT!!!!!' - Matthew Carrington
Referee Watch - Nigel Miller, if there ever was a referee who made Stuart Atwell look good at his job, then that referee is you sir! Poor game & Bradford's first penalty was only decision he got right all afternoon!
FATWATCH - 'Who's the fat bitch at the back?' Well Bristol Rovers fans, I don't know but what I do know is she's won the match's fat watch!
Saturday 10th September 2011 - The Coral Stadium - Attendance: 10,023 (358 Visitors)
So, for the second week in a row, Bradford snatched a point in injury time!
After arriving at the ground, I headed to the players bar where after enjoying Branston writing Brano's bitch across the forehead of Liam Chew's James Hanson mask I made a tit of myself falling over a traffic cone to be laughed at by young Jamaican striker Darren Stephenson. I then headed into the ground, where I ended up on the receiving end of an hour & 15 lecture of the last 15-16 years of Bradford City's history by a steward... Yawn!
So, the first half got under way & the opening 5-10 minutes showed what a feisty affair it would turn out to be! Guy Branston caused some early controversy & fierceness between him & Prince Harry... Oh sorry Matt Harrold, by punching the lanky ginger forward in the face & leaving him on his backside moments after a collision between the two further up the pitch!
Cue the next 10-15 minutes which were just as fierce with fouls & dives galore which resulted in the free kick count rising & rising until Michael Flynn's shot which nearly ended up in Bristol it was that wide broke the chain of play & allowed heads to be cooled. Liam Moore was booked for refusing to give the ball back for a throwing & was previously warned for a ridiculous decision. If a player falling over you while your rolling on the floor is a foul & a booking then I for one am baffled! Also, Ritchie Jones was denied a goal by a world class save by Scott Bevan from the midfielder's header.
But after Reid & Devitt's chances both fell wide, Bristol Rovers took the lead in the 40th minute with a header by Harrold. Oliver allowed his man to lose him & the ginger striker was then played on by a lazy error by Scouse to score for the visitors. Cue quite possibly the funniest half time in VP's history!
During the half time interval, the local Zumba group came onto the pitch to show us some moves, hilariously Bristol Rovers fans decided to show us there's after a rendition of 'who's the fat bitch at the back!' Whatever the Zumba dancers did on the pitch, the Bristol Rovers fans decided to replicate in the stand. One Bristol Rovers fan took to the stairs & got a tad carried away allowing entertainment & laughter for both sets of supporters! Towards the end of the performance, Bristol Rovers fans switched to the Inbetweeners dance as a small majority of the TL Dallas faithful decided to join him! Hilarious & genius as that was, there was still 45 minutes left to play at VP.
Not much to report in the early stages of the second half apart from a James Hanson header being cleared off the line until Jamie Devitt was booked for a nothing trip on Eliot Richards. Bradford were then awarded a free kick but strangely decided to take Chris Mitchell of to bring Ross Hannah on before rather than after the free kick to the dismay of Michael Flynn. Devitt took the free kick & Rovers centre back Bolger headed it over the TL Dallas.
From the resulting corner City were awarded a penalty after Devitt was pulled down by ex-Rovers manager & current Rovers captain Stuart Campbell. Flynn stepped up & cooly & calmly smashed the ball past Bevan from 13 yards to bring the Bantams level. Game On! Two minutes after the penalty City were denied the chance to go 2-1 up after another class save by Bevan denied usual super sub Ross Hannah. Bradford City should have had another penalty after Matt Harrold brought James Hanson crashing down in the box following a tug of the shirt.
Following this, the game went quiet until Eliot Richards received the ball outside the box after losing his marker before using his right foot to take it across his body to smash from distance with his left to restore the Rovers lead. Yet, there was some added time controversy to come at VP! A was it or wasn't it penalty decision following an apparent foul on Jamie Devitt by Lee Brown but after much appeal by the travelling side the penalty was given & once again Flynn stood up after taking the ball of Compton. He began his run up with hearts in mouths & smashed in to bring City level & save us a point! Guy Branston had a chance to win the game but cleared the bar with a header & the game finished 2-2 with spoils shared.
I would before the end of my blog wish to offer an apology to the young lad on the train who was hit by Carribob's failed paper aeroplane attempt.
So, the players ratings for the afternoon:
Matt Duke - 6 - Rarely challenged but when challenged was put on his toes & stayed solid.
Liam Moore - 6 - Looked excitable & wasn't afraid to push up & put pressure on the Bristol Rovers left back. Didn't deserve to be subbed.
Guy Branston - 5 - Looked slow at times but gave Harrold a game the front man won't forget for a while!
Luke Oliver - 5 - At fault for the first goal with Scouse. But remained solid after but had a quiet game by his standards this season!
Robbie Threlfall - 4 - Sloppy error after Harrold lost Oliver played the ginger man on side & allowed him to score. He also developed a habit of crossing the ball straight at Bevan between the Rovers sticks.
Chris Mitchell - 5 - Set pieces & crossing perfect as usual. One of his quieter games at VP.
Michael Flynn - 6 - Even though he had a poor first half. Can't fault the man's second half performance & his two penalties saved the day for City!
Ritchie Jones - 5 - Unlucky not to score in first half but disappeared after that.
Kyel Reid - 6 - Looked far better than Morecambe & can tell he is nearing full match fitness. Sad to see him go to changing rooms after being subbed off, hope it's not a bad injury!
Jamie Devitt - 8 - MOTM, Can not fault the young Irish man this afternoon! Caused the away side problems all game & without him we wouldn't have got our penalties.
James Hanson - 5 - The lad won his fair share of headers put looked very poor when we tried to play it on the floor but a stint on the bench or being used as a sub impact player will do the lad a world of good!
SUBS:
Ross Hannah - 5 - Had a quality chance for 2-1 denied by Scott Bevan. Can't fault the lad's enthusiasm & effort.
Jack Compton - 6 - Won the free kick in the build up towards the second penalty & his breath of fresh air continued the problems that Reid caused for Rovers right back.
Mark Stewart - 4 - Came on & didn't deliver anything to the game in his short time on the pitch.
Ten Categories chosen by Chapalar!
Was it worth the money? To see Bristol Rovers Zumba & the second half... Yes it was!
City MOTM - Jamie Devitt, Can not fault the young Irish man this afternoon! Caused the away side problems all game & without him we wouldn't have got our penalties.
Bristol Rovers MOTM - Scott Bevan, his world class saves throughout the game kept Bristol Rovers alive & left City wondering how we didn't score more.
Quote of the Match - 'Have you seen Kitchen's new girlfriend?' Ellis Taylor romancing the fat one from Zumba for Kitchen!
Goal of the Match - Bristol Rovers second of the game. Well taken & well struck by Eliot Richards.
Moment of the Match - Half time's Zumba lesson with the ladies on the pitch & the Bristol Rovers fans in the stand.
Fan of the Match - Not so much Fan but Fans! The Bristol Rovers Zumba group at half time was another class! Absolute genius by the lads & lasses from Somerset!
Chant of the Match - In your best high pitched voices now lads! 'Jonny will tear Vicky apart again!'
FB Status of the Match - 'to quite the iron sheik, FACKIN BULLSHIT!!!!!' - Matthew Carrington
Referee Watch - Nigel Miller, if there ever was a referee who made Stuart Atwell look good at his job, then that referee is you sir! Poor game & Bradford's first penalty was only decision he got right all afternoon!
FATWATCH - 'Who's the fat bitch at the back?' Well Bristol Rovers fans, I don't know but what I do know is she's won the match's fat watch!