Bradford City 3-1 AFC Wimbledon
The FA Cup Second Round Proper in Association with Budweiser
Saturday 3rd December 2011 - The Coral Stadium - 3432 (479 Visitors)
So after Nakhi's screamer v Rochdale, we were back for the second round of the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser with a home tie against a team we all know I have a soft spot for.. AFC Wimbledon.
After my now usual pre match routine & some friendly chatter & banter with the visitors I headed into the ground to take my spot in the Upper Kop, which I must admit I thoroughly enjoy & may even consider a season ticket move up there for next season & got ready for the game.
Before the game begun however, there was a minutes applause for Gary Speed. Gary, who tragically took his own life last Sunday played for Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers & Sheffield United in which time he became the first player to reach 500 Premier League appearances before going on to manage Sheffield United & finally his beloved home nation of Wales.
After a slow opening few minutes in which the only moment of note was Reid's blazed shot over the crossbar, something strange began to happen & I mean strange! This strange occurrence was City dominating a game at Valley Parade!
After some wonderful build up play in the 90 seconds before hand with Hanson showing some tekkers, we took a 9th minute lead when Fagan delivered the ball into the area & the ball fell to the feet of a onside Ross Hannah who tapped past Seb Brown to break the deadlock & give the Bantams an early lead.
Then in the 14th minute, it got stranger when we went 2-0 up! A wonderful move by Ricky Ravenhill finished with him attempt a shot or a square pass (you decide) & AFC Wimbledon defender Chris Bush show some unbelievable tekkers with a cheeky back heel flick into his own net to double our lead & send us into dreamland!
City continued their dominance of the game after some attempted build up play by the travelling Wombles which was easily dealt with by Oliver & Rambo. Reid, in quite possibly his best shift since joining the club caused problems for Dons captain Sam Hatton with one of these allowing Marcel Seip to have a shot on target which was well held by Seb Brown.
The first half then pattered out with James Mulley (who for those not on twitter has been very sporting contrary to his booking yesterday & wished us the best of look in the next round) booked for un-sporting behaviour & Christian Jolley proving to be not so Jolly after being caught offside. But during these boring last few minutes, Robbo came under some shall we say 'banter' about his relationship which led to laughter & stitches galore between the lads.
A quite dull half time with nothing to report except scaring the seven shades out of the chino brigade in front, so let's go to the second half.
Just five minutes into the second half, City's lead was halved after some poor defence which allowed Jack Midson to smash the ball past Jonny Mac & make it 2-1. City then had to weather a 3-4 minute storm from the Wombles before a wonderful touch by Hannah saw him force Seb Brown into a wonderful save, however injuring himself in the process & forcing him off to be replaced by Nakhi Wells.
The Wombles following this made City weather yet another storm with Christian Jolley & highly rated Sammy Moore forcing the defence into hard work before City hit on a counter attack & visiting captain Jamie Stuart hauled Nakhi Wells to the ground & gave City a penalty to restore there two goal lead.
So with Flynn stepping back & allowing Fagan to take the penalty there we were, Fagan vs Seb Brown, who I must say is bloody fantastic with penalty saving & the whistle went. Fagan slotted home just over Brown's left hand to make it 3-1 & wrap up the game & secure City's passage into the third round, in which we will make our first appearance since the 2003/04 season.
The section of the kop I was located in went wild, in which there is a video on Facebook & Youtube. But then, after some end to end football & substitutions from both sides, the game pattered out & the referee blew the whistle to end the game & confirm our place in the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser Third Round Proper.
The draw was made early Sunday afternoon & the Bantams will travel to Npower Championship side Watford. The tie will take place at Vicarage Road on Saturday 7th/Sunday 8th January.
PLAYER RATINGS:
Jon McLaughlin - 7 - Some good saves when needed, defence looks far more assured with him in goal instead of Duke.
Simon Ramsden - 7 - Some good runs down the right as well as clearances at the back.
Luke Oliver - 8 - This man just gets better & better, some fantastic clearances & last ditch challenges to help out City.
Andrew Davies - 8 - Good to have him back from suspension, defence has seemed far more solid with him today & at Gillingham last week. Made some good clearances.
Marcel Seip - 7 - Good effort in first half & had a decent shift in defence as well as helping out attacking wise as well.
Craig Fagan - 6 - Looks poor out wide for me personally. Just seems lost & is far better & more useful up front.
Michael Flynn - 7 - A debate of was he deliberately booked so he could be rested for Oldham without a fans backlash is ongoing, however looked as solid as ever in midfield.
Ricky Ravenhill - 8 - MOTM - The lad on loan from Notts County, practically ran a tight midfield which was effective in defence as it was attack & also his shot/square tricked Chris Bush into a OG for the Bantams second.
Kyel Reid - 7 - In my opinion his best performance to date in the City shirt, ran Sam Hatton ragged & was very effective. However, I still have a problem with him in getting back to help out the defence like Jack Compton.
James Hanson - 7 - One of his better shifts, won the header for Hannah's goal & showed some unbelievable tekkers in the first half.
Ross Hannah - 7 - Some beautiful touches as well as the opener before sadly going off injured. Good shift by the lad.
SUBS:
Nakhi Wells - 7 - Came on for Ross & caused a lot of problems as well as winning the penalty for 3-1 to wrap up the game & the place in third round.
Jack Compton - 6 - Took Reid's roll of causing problems for Hatton in the latter stages of the game. Looked good getting back as well.
Luke Dean - 5 - Only came on in injury time but looks like one for the future.
And to finish, the now re-named & improved Starting XI:
Was it worth the money? To watch City put in a fantastic shift & book a third round trip to Watford? Yes!
City MOTM - Ricky Ravenhill - The lad on loan from Notts County, practically ran a tight midfield which was effective in defence as it was attack & also his shot/square tricked Chris Bush into a OG for the Bantams second.
AFC Wimbledon MOTM - Seb Brown - Made some fantastic saves throughout & saved the Wombles from an embarrassment at VP.
Quote of the Match - "Did it wink when you touched it?" - Remark towards Robbo about his sex life, needs no further comment.
Goal of the Match - City's second goal despite it being an OG due to the fact we had some unbelievable tekkers in the finish by AFC Wimbledon defender Chris Bush.
Moment of the Match - The celebration & aftermath of Craig Fagan's penalty. Absolutely wonderful to enjoy & be a part of.
Fan of the Match - The drunk lad in front of me, provided a lot of entertainment & laughter throughout the game.
Chant of the Match - The balls up of the first attempt of Bradford Ranger sticks to mind!
FB Status of the Match - third round, here we come! - Jonny Stott
Tweet of the Match - Watford v Bradford city! Really disappointed it's not us! All the Best to Bradford City FC - AFC Wimbledon midfield James Mulley offers us his wishes of support despite being on the losing side at VP.
Referee Watch - Nigel Miller - One of the better referring appointments of the season. Flynn's yellow card is the only moment of debate caused by him.
FATWATCH - There isn't one this week I'm afraid!
The FA Cup Second Round Proper in Association with Budweiser
Saturday 3rd December 2011 - The Coral Stadium - 3432 (479 Visitors)
So after Nakhi's screamer v Rochdale, we were back for the second round of the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser with a home tie against a team we all know I have a soft spot for.. AFC Wimbledon.
After my now usual pre match routine & some friendly chatter & banter with the visitors I headed into the ground to take my spot in the Upper Kop, which I must admit I thoroughly enjoy & may even consider a season ticket move up there for next season & got ready for the game.
Before the game begun however, there was a minutes applause for Gary Speed. Gary, who tragically took his own life last Sunday played for Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers & Sheffield United in which time he became the first player to reach 500 Premier League appearances before going on to manage Sheffield United & finally his beloved home nation of Wales.
After a slow opening few minutes in which the only moment of note was Reid's blazed shot over the crossbar, something strange began to happen & I mean strange! This strange occurrence was City dominating a game at Valley Parade!
After some wonderful build up play in the 90 seconds before hand with Hanson showing some tekkers, we took a 9th minute lead when Fagan delivered the ball into the area & the ball fell to the feet of a onside Ross Hannah who tapped past Seb Brown to break the deadlock & give the Bantams an early lead.
Then in the 14th minute, it got stranger when we went 2-0 up! A wonderful move by Ricky Ravenhill finished with him attempt a shot or a square pass (you decide) & AFC Wimbledon defender Chris Bush show some unbelievable tekkers with a cheeky back heel flick into his own net to double our lead & send us into dreamland!
City continued their dominance of the game after some attempted build up play by the travelling Wombles which was easily dealt with by Oliver & Rambo. Reid, in quite possibly his best shift since joining the club caused problems for Dons captain Sam Hatton with one of these allowing Marcel Seip to have a shot on target which was well held by Seb Brown.
The first half then pattered out with James Mulley (who for those not on twitter has been very sporting contrary to his booking yesterday & wished us the best of look in the next round) booked for un-sporting behaviour & Christian Jolley proving to be not so Jolly after being caught offside. But during these boring last few minutes, Robbo came under some shall we say 'banter' about his relationship which led to laughter & stitches galore between the lads.
A quite dull half time with nothing to report except scaring the seven shades out of the chino brigade in front, so let's go to the second half.
Just five minutes into the second half, City's lead was halved after some poor defence which allowed Jack Midson to smash the ball past Jonny Mac & make it 2-1. City then had to weather a 3-4 minute storm from the Wombles before a wonderful touch by Hannah saw him force Seb Brown into a wonderful save, however injuring himself in the process & forcing him off to be replaced by Nakhi Wells.
The Wombles following this made City weather yet another storm with Christian Jolley & highly rated Sammy Moore forcing the defence into hard work before City hit on a counter attack & visiting captain Jamie Stuart hauled Nakhi Wells to the ground & gave City a penalty to restore there two goal lead.
So with Flynn stepping back & allowing Fagan to take the penalty there we were, Fagan vs Seb Brown, who I must say is bloody fantastic with penalty saving & the whistle went. Fagan slotted home just over Brown's left hand to make it 3-1 & wrap up the game & secure City's passage into the third round, in which we will make our first appearance since the 2003/04 season.
The section of the kop I was located in went wild, in which there is a video on Facebook & Youtube. But then, after some end to end football & substitutions from both sides, the game pattered out & the referee blew the whistle to end the game & confirm our place in the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser Third Round Proper.
The draw was made early Sunday afternoon & the Bantams will travel to Npower Championship side Watford. The tie will take place at Vicarage Road on Saturday 7th/Sunday 8th January.
PLAYER RATINGS:
Jon McLaughlin - 7 - Some good saves when needed, defence looks far more assured with him in goal instead of Duke.
Simon Ramsden - 7 - Some good runs down the right as well as clearances at the back.
Luke Oliver - 8 - This man just gets better & better, some fantastic clearances & last ditch challenges to help out City.
Andrew Davies - 8 - Good to have him back from suspension, defence has seemed far more solid with him today & at Gillingham last week. Made some good clearances.
Marcel Seip - 7 - Good effort in first half & had a decent shift in defence as well as helping out attacking wise as well.
Craig Fagan - 6 - Looks poor out wide for me personally. Just seems lost & is far better & more useful up front.
Michael Flynn - 7 - A debate of was he deliberately booked so he could be rested for Oldham without a fans backlash is ongoing, however looked as solid as ever in midfield.
Ricky Ravenhill - 8 - MOTM - The lad on loan from Notts County, practically ran a tight midfield which was effective in defence as it was attack & also his shot/square tricked Chris Bush into a OG for the Bantams second.
Kyel Reid - 7 - In my opinion his best performance to date in the City shirt, ran Sam Hatton ragged & was very effective. However, I still have a problem with him in getting back to help out the defence like Jack Compton.
James Hanson - 7 - One of his better shifts, won the header for Hannah's goal & showed some unbelievable tekkers in the first half.
Ross Hannah - 7 - Some beautiful touches as well as the opener before sadly going off injured. Good shift by the lad.
SUBS:
Nakhi Wells - 7 - Came on for Ross & caused a lot of problems as well as winning the penalty for 3-1 to wrap up the game & the place in third round.
Jack Compton - 6 - Took Reid's roll of causing problems for Hatton in the latter stages of the game. Looked good getting back as well.
Luke Dean - 5 - Only came on in injury time but looks like one for the future.
And to finish, the now re-named & improved Starting XI:
Was it worth the money? To watch City put in a fantastic shift & book a third round trip to Watford? Yes!
City MOTM - Ricky Ravenhill - The lad on loan from Notts County, practically ran a tight midfield which was effective in defence as it was attack & also his shot/square tricked Chris Bush into a OG for the Bantams second.
AFC Wimbledon MOTM - Seb Brown - Made some fantastic saves throughout & saved the Wombles from an embarrassment at VP.
Quote of the Match - "Did it wink when you touched it?" - Remark towards Robbo about his sex life, needs no further comment.
Goal of the Match - City's second goal despite it being an OG due to the fact we had some unbelievable tekkers in the finish by AFC Wimbledon defender Chris Bush.
Moment of the Match - The celebration & aftermath of Craig Fagan's penalty. Absolutely wonderful to enjoy & be a part of.
Fan of the Match - The drunk lad in front of me, provided a lot of entertainment & laughter throughout the game.
Chant of the Match - The balls up of the first attempt of Bradford Ranger sticks to mind!
FB Status of the Match - third round, here we come! - Jonny Stott
Tweet of the Match - Watford v Bradford city! Really disappointed it's not us! All the Best to Bradford City FC - AFC Wimbledon midfield James Mulley offers us his wishes of support despite being on the losing side at VP.
Referee Watch - Nigel Miller - One of the better referring appointments of the season. Flynn's yellow card is the only moment of debate caused by him.
FATWATCH - There isn't one this week I'm afraid!