The only saving grace was that it wasn’t the first team out there as there were no saving graces, nor places to hide for the Bradford City side playing Harrogate Town today.
In the blazing sun of North Yorkshire, a young Bradford City side were humbled by their National League hosts 7-2. The first half was more akin to Custer’s annihilation at the Battle of Little Big Horn than anything resembling a 45-minute spell of football.
Pitched into battle, the young Bantams were seriously overmatched by their opponents and the opening goal by Dom Knowles (5′) was just the beginning of a Harrogate Town onslaught that saw them notch up a further FIVE goals in the following 32 minutes.
First Jack Emmett (17′) doubled the lead before he added his second (22′) to put a 3-0 gloss on the scoreline. Town continued to rampage into the City ranks, Jack Muldoon (30′) making it four before Knowles (33′) hit his second of the half to make it a 5-0 game.
There was enough time left for Aaron Williams (37′) to make it six of the best for Harrogate, a goal that led the club’s Twitter guy to say “This is getting silly now!”
There was no way that the young Bantams were going to pull this one back, but they did at least try when it was likely easier to fold like a house of cards. Tom Clare (59′) pulled one back before getting on the scoresheet a second time (66′) to at least give the game a modicum of respectability.
With the game entering its swansong moments, there was still enough time for Aaron Williams (75′) to make it 7-2 to Harrogate and compound Bradford City’s misery. A crowd of 1,082 watched the humbling of the young Bantams who really were put to the sword.
Here’s what some Bradford City fans have been saying about the game on Twitter.
Well at least we now know the youth team are not guna push for a start anytime soon!
— Stuart Clayburn (@stuart_clayburn) July 21, 2018
Scrap the development squad. Clearly not good enough bar one or two players that could make it.
— Muzaffar Ibrahim (@Bcfc_1903) July 21, 2018
Let’s not forget, these young players are the ones that Collins was employed to coach last year. God help us if that’s the standard he sets for his players #bcafc
— Jack Rekesius (@JackRekesius) July 21, 2018
Harrogate Town 7 Bradford City 2 #bcafc pic.twitter.com/OksPCdWrGy
— Gareth Sugden (@gasugden1) July 21, 2018
Pre season or not… Reserves/kids or not… that’s diabolical. @officialbantams should be refunding every fan that turned up to watch. I feel sorry for all of them. It’s going to be a long season ahead #bcafc
— Jack Rekesius (@JackRekesius) July 21, 2018
Can’t ever remember leaving a #bcafc game early but at 7-2 down, today is the day!
Can’t see a single positive!
Roll on the season 🙏🏼— BantamPete (@BantamPeete) July 21, 2018
Our first team still haven’t played a game today but we arse around playing the youths against a non league team two weeks before the season. Nice one. #bcafc
— Mark Young (@markyoung1990) July 21, 2018
