Bradford City 3-0 Crewe Alexandra - Npower League Two
Monday 26th December 2011 - The Coral Stadium - Attendance: 11,060 (355 Visitors)
I hope all my blog readers had a very merry Christmas! But for the first time since 2007, there was boxing day football a foot as we entertained mid table Crewe Alexandra.
After our pre match routine of visiting the players bar, where Carribob nearly caused injury to a St Johns Ambulance woman after the 1911 club very kindly let us use the toilet facilities after the upstairs of the shop was closed, we headed into the ground for the game.
Before getting our Burns Unit Santa Hats, Ben took part in some banter with the Crewe Alexandra keeper Steve Phillips. Quote of the match at the bottom of the page is the place to go to see what was said! From there we returned to our seats, had our Santa Hat photo & the teams came out & the game got under way.
It didn't take long for a goal though, 68 seconds to be exact! Jon McLaughlin took a goal kick out of his hands & the ball travelled the full length of pitch to which then to our joy & yet at the same time amusement when Crewe captain David Artell headed the ball into Nahki Wells & the ball bounced over Crewe's keeper into the goal to give City an early lead.
Crewe tried to hit back quickly but couldn't get past Andrew Davies who found himself in the wars throughout the game with three head injuries & a changed shirt due to blood. The Crewe defence then went through a spell of blockages & clearances as Fagan, Reid, Hanson & Wells who forced a great save out of the keeper Phillips from close range sent ball after ball at the Crewe box & goal.
After some more clearances from Davies, the first half seemed to slow & dragged on until the referee Paul Tierney blew for half time & was seen off the pitch to a barrage of boo's & abuse.
The highlight of the half time break has to be Jonny's mix up which ended up in him re-christening our manager Peter Parkinson as he was not happy with Phil following Peter Turnip & Peter Jackson reigns plus Ellis disappeared to Dogbotherer's country to the step grandmothers. The teams re-emerged for the second half & the game resumed.
However after five minutes of the second half Kyel Reid collapsed in complete agony while chasing the ball. After three minutes of treatment, Reid was stretchered off & taken to the first aid room. It looked like a torn hamstring & judging by him after the game it might well be. He was replaced by Jack Compton.
Shortly after the incident Nick Powell skipped past Simon Ramsden ran a further three yards before throwing himself to the ground into Morten Gamst Pedersen style but unlike Morten managed to con the referee out of a penalty after the linesman who had to look through a packed penalty area flagged for the penalty. Lee Bell the stepped up & smashed the ball against the crossbar, the ball then bounced behind the line & out of the goal to be punched away by Jon McLaughlin. Justice was done.
After Nick Powell then received some rough justice from players & fans alike, the ball then bounced around the area to James Hanson who volleyed home past Crewe goalie Steve Phillips to double the Bantams lead & make Christmas even more merry!
Then a bit of karma reached the Crewe fans when Craig Fagan dived & after being accused & admitting to the dive then turned to the Crewe fans & shrugged his shoulders to suggest I have dived & so what? You got a penalty from one!
After Mark Stewart came on to replace Nahki Wells the game seemed to be ending in the same vain as the second half of the first half until the 83rd minute. Mark Stewart fouled his own team mate in Ricky Ravenhill. Jack Compton then crossed the ball following the free kick where the ball bounced to James Hanson who slotted into the bottom right corner for his second of the game & to put City 3-0 up & wrap up the boxing day three points after a header down by Luke Oliver.
Lee Bell then had his shot saved by Jon McLaughlin before the long awaited return David Syers. The entire stadium rose to its feet as he replaced Ritchie Jones to make his return. In which he didn't touch the ball but nether the less it was great to see the reigning POTY back on the pitch in a City shirt. Jon McLaughlin then made a save from Jamie Lowry before the game was brought to an end by the official.
After the game Me, Robbo & Carribob headed to the players bar as we had some time to wait for my Grandad. Where after congratulating the team on a fantastic finish & where Jack Compton gave me his match worn boots & helped make my Christmas the even more better.
Oh & get well soon Michael Flynn! Hope you're off the drip & back with us soon!
So, here are the player ratings:
Jon McLaughlin - 7 - Super Jon made saves & stopped shots (same thing I know but still!) when required & made some fantastic stops from the fantastic free kicks by Nick Powell.
Simon Ramsden - 6 - A fantastic block & clearances but apart from that had a quiet game.
Andrew Davies - 7 - Got into the wars & needed a new shirt after one hit too many to the head but made block after block to prevent Crewe Alexandra scoring with the game still at 1-0.
Luke Oliver - 8 - Current front runner for the Player of the Year award & made some fantastic efforts at the back & up front in attack from set pieces as well. Another great performance from the big man.
Marcel Seip - 7 - Great storming run up the pitch in the second half & some good efforts down the left hand side from the ex-Plymouth man. Might only be shifted from the defence through injury.
Craig Fagan - 6 - Did of lot of running & moaning with the odd delivery. Basic Fagan performance.
Ritchie Jones - 7 - Another solid performance from Ritchie. Ran the ball & got stuck in.
Ricky Ravenhill - 7 - A very solid midfielder. Runs the ball very well & isn't afraid to get stuck in, PP needs to sign him up permanently.
Kyel Reid - 6 - Crosses are either too soft or too hard with the odd gem in but get well soon Kyel, injury looks & seems pretty serious.
James Hanson - 9 - MOTM - Fantastic passes, running & headers & topped it all off with two fantastic finishes to give City the victory. Great performance, he's growing on me you know!
Nahki Wells - 8 - Great goal, sorry jammy goal but had some great chances & tested the keeper on a many occasion. Well played Nahki.
SUBS:
Jack Compton - 6 - Came on for Reid & had a great shift putting some great balls in & getting an assist.
Mark Stewart - 6 - With the exception of his yellow card did the same if not more than Craig Fagan but less than Nahki Wells who he replaced.
David Syers - N/A - Not enough time or possesion for the rating but never the less it's bloody fantastic to have David back in the team from injury!
And to finish of the blog, Chapman's XI:
Was it worth the money? It was worth all the Christmas money we could get! City were fantastic throughout & made it worth the money!
City MOTM - James Hanson - Fantastic passes, running & headers & topped it all off with two fantastic finishes to give City the victory. Great performance, he's growing on me you know!
Crewe MOTM - Byron Moore - The only player to stand out from a very poor team, he ran his socks off & tried to create some rare chances for the visitors.
Quote of the Match - Ben: "When's your DVD out keeper? I want to pick up some tips!" Steve Phillips: "I don't have a DVD out pal because your banters shit!"
Goal of the Match - James Hanson first wins it for me, got the ball into the back of the net with a first time volley after a scramble in the goalmouth.
Moment of the Match - Getting Compton's boots after the game! Made my day!
Fan of the Match - The Santa's at the back of the Kop win it for me! Great effort lads!
Chant of the Match - "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to see City win away! Hey!" - We use the festive spirit to celebrate our success!
FB Status of the Match - Ben: Oi Keeper, when's your DVD out, I want some tips. Keeper: When's your DVD out? Because your banters shit!... Aah Banter! - I reflect on the banter between Ben & the Crewe keeper.
Tweet of the Match - @ParkeronBantams @garethjones25 @bantamsbanter @tannerman774 The Midland Road Stand is 15 years old today! #bcafc - Happy Birthday to the Midland Road Stand!
Referee Watch - Paul Tierney - Man was an absolute muppet & on another day would have cost us the game & much needed points in our fight with relegation.
FATWATCH - Either the Crewe fan in last seasons away shirt in the stand or the lad at the front of the team coach!
Monday 26th December 2011 - The Coral Stadium - Attendance: 11,060 (355 Visitors)
I hope all my blog readers had a very merry Christmas! But for the first time since 2007, there was boxing day football a foot as we entertained mid table Crewe Alexandra.
After our pre match routine of visiting the players bar, where Carribob nearly caused injury to a St Johns Ambulance woman after the 1911 club very kindly let us use the toilet facilities after the upstairs of the shop was closed, we headed into the ground for the game.
Before getting our Burns Unit Santa Hats, Ben took part in some banter with the Crewe Alexandra keeper Steve Phillips. Quote of the match at the bottom of the page is the place to go to see what was said! From there we returned to our seats, had our Santa Hat photo & the teams came out & the game got under way.
It didn't take long for a goal though, 68 seconds to be exact! Jon McLaughlin took a goal kick out of his hands & the ball travelled the full length of pitch to which then to our joy & yet at the same time amusement when Crewe captain David Artell headed the ball into Nahki Wells & the ball bounced over Crewe's keeper into the goal to give City an early lead.
Crewe tried to hit back quickly but couldn't get past Andrew Davies who found himself in the wars throughout the game with three head injuries & a changed shirt due to blood. The Crewe defence then went through a spell of blockages & clearances as Fagan, Reid, Hanson & Wells who forced a great save out of the keeper Phillips from close range sent ball after ball at the Crewe box & goal.
After some more clearances from Davies, the first half seemed to slow & dragged on until the referee Paul Tierney blew for half time & was seen off the pitch to a barrage of boo's & abuse.
The highlight of the half time break has to be Jonny's mix up which ended up in him re-christening our manager Peter Parkinson as he was not happy with Phil following Peter Turnip & Peter Jackson reigns plus Ellis disappeared to Dogbotherer's country to the step grandmothers. The teams re-emerged for the second half & the game resumed.
However after five minutes of the second half Kyel Reid collapsed in complete agony while chasing the ball. After three minutes of treatment, Reid was stretchered off & taken to the first aid room. It looked like a torn hamstring & judging by him after the game it might well be. He was replaced by Jack Compton.
Shortly after the incident Nick Powell skipped past Simon Ramsden ran a further three yards before throwing himself to the ground into Morten Gamst Pedersen style but unlike Morten managed to con the referee out of a penalty after the linesman who had to look through a packed penalty area flagged for the penalty. Lee Bell the stepped up & smashed the ball against the crossbar, the ball then bounced behind the line & out of the goal to be punched away by Jon McLaughlin. Justice was done.
After Nick Powell then received some rough justice from players & fans alike, the ball then bounced around the area to James Hanson who volleyed home past Crewe goalie Steve Phillips to double the Bantams lead & make Christmas even more merry!
Then a bit of karma reached the Crewe fans when Craig Fagan dived & after being accused & admitting to the dive then turned to the Crewe fans & shrugged his shoulders to suggest I have dived & so what? You got a penalty from one!
After Mark Stewart came on to replace Nahki Wells the game seemed to be ending in the same vain as the second half of the first half until the 83rd minute. Mark Stewart fouled his own team mate in Ricky Ravenhill. Jack Compton then crossed the ball following the free kick where the ball bounced to James Hanson who slotted into the bottom right corner for his second of the game & to put City 3-0 up & wrap up the boxing day three points after a header down by Luke Oliver.
Lee Bell then had his shot saved by Jon McLaughlin before the long awaited return David Syers. The entire stadium rose to its feet as he replaced Ritchie Jones to make his return. In which he didn't touch the ball but nether the less it was great to see the reigning POTY back on the pitch in a City shirt. Jon McLaughlin then made a save from Jamie Lowry before the game was brought to an end by the official.
After the game Me, Robbo & Carribob headed to the players bar as we had some time to wait for my Grandad. Where after congratulating the team on a fantastic finish & where Jack Compton gave me his match worn boots & helped make my Christmas the even more better.
Oh & get well soon Michael Flynn! Hope you're off the drip & back with us soon!
So, here are the player ratings:
Jon McLaughlin - 7 - Super Jon made saves & stopped shots (same thing I know but still!) when required & made some fantastic stops from the fantastic free kicks by Nick Powell.
Simon Ramsden - 6 - A fantastic block & clearances but apart from that had a quiet game.
Andrew Davies - 7 - Got into the wars & needed a new shirt after one hit too many to the head but made block after block to prevent Crewe Alexandra scoring with the game still at 1-0.
Luke Oliver - 8 - Current front runner for the Player of the Year award & made some fantastic efforts at the back & up front in attack from set pieces as well. Another great performance from the big man.
Marcel Seip - 7 - Great storming run up the pitch in the second half & some good efforts down the left hand side from the ex-Plymouth man. Might only be shifted from the defence through injury.
Craig Fagan - 6 - Did of lot of running & moaning with the odd delivery. Basic Fagan performance.
Ritchie Jones - 7 - Another solid performance from Ritchie. Ran the ball & got stuck in.
Ricky Ravenhill - 7 - A very solid midfielder. Runs the ball very well & isn't afraid to get stuck in, PP needs to sign him up permanently.
Kyel Reid - 6 - Crosses are either too soft or too hard with the odd gem in but get well soon Kyel, injury looks & seems pretty serious.
James Hanson - 9 - MOTM - Fantastic passes, running & headers & topped it all off with two fantastic finishes to give City the victory. Great performance, he's growing on me you know!
Nahki Wells - 8 - Great goal, sorry jammy goal but had some great chances & tested the keeper on a many occasion. Well played Nahki.
SUBS:
Jack Compton - 6 - Came on for Reid & had a great shift putting some great balls in & getting an assist.
Mark Stewart - 6 - With the exception of his yellow card did the same if not more than Craig Fagan but less than Nahki Wells who he replaced.
David Syers - N/A - Not enough time or possesion for the rating but never the less it's bloody fantastic to have David back in the team from injury!
And to finish of the blog, Chapman's XI:
Was it worth the money? It was worth all the Christmas money we could get! City were fantastic throughout & made it worth the money!
City MOTM - James Hanson - Fantastic passes, running & headers & topped it all off with two fantastic finishes to give City the victory. Great performance, he's growing on me you know!
Crewe MOTM - Byron Moore - The only player to stand out from a very poor team, he ran his socks off & tried to create some rare chances for the visitors.
Quote of the Match - Ben: "When's your DVD out keeper? I want to pick up some tips!" Steve Phillips: "I don't have a DVD out pal because your banters shit!"
Goal of the Match - James Hanson first wins it for me, got the ball into the back of the net with a first time volley after a scramble in the goalmouth.
Moment of the Match - Getting Compton's boots after the game! Made my day!
Fan of the Match - The Santa's at the back of the Kop win it for me! Great effort lads!
Chant of the Match - "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to see City win away! Hey!" - We use the festive spirit to celebrate our success!
FB Status of the Match - Ben: Oi Keeper, when's your DVD out, I want some tips. Keeper: When's your DVD out? Because your banters shit!... Aah Banter! - I reflect on the banter between Ben & the Crewe keeper.
Tweet of the Match - @ParkeronBantams @garethjones25 @bantamsbanter @tannerman774 The Midland Road Stand is 15 years old today! #bcafc - Happy Birthday to the Midland Road Stand!
Referee Watch - Paul Tierney - Man was an absolute muppet & on another day would have cost us the game & much needed points in our fight with relegation.
FATWATCH - Either the Crewe fan in last seasons away shirt in the stand or the lad at the front of the team coach!