Two of the better passing sides in League 1 met in this fixture, which shaped it up to be a display of good flowing football. Bradford were looking to bounce back from their previous defeat at home to Yeovil and Swindon were looking to build on a good draw at home to Coventry.
Within the first two minutes of the game, Bradford were awarded a penalty after Wes Foderingham brought down Billy Clarke in the 18 yard box. The Swindon goalkeeper rectified his mistake by saving Alan Sheehan’s penalty. Both sides were playing great football as expected. And in the 10th minute, Bradford took the lead through an own goal. Great link up play on the left hand side from Bradford, Billy Clarke slotted a perfectly weighted through ball to Mark Yeates. His cross came to Louis Thompson who turned the ball into his own net.
Swindon responded well with Massimo Luongo being the vital player and causing havoc in the midfield. In the 17th minute, Swindon were almost rewarded for their efforts when Yaser Kasim’s great free kick was tipped over the bar well by Bradford goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. Swindon kept up the pressure on Bradford and a fast flowing counter attack finished with Massimo Luongo’s shot cleared brilliantly off the line by Billy Knott. Swindon grabbed a well deserved equaliser when the resulting corner was put in deep at the back post, Swindon’s Michael Smith headed it back into the mix and the ball came to Jonathan Obika who headed in from close range.
In Bradford’s attempt to regain control of the game, Stephen Darby’s cross was met by James Hanson, who’s effort lacked power. Bradford’s spell on top was short and two minutes before half time Swindon took the lead. The Bradford defence failed to clear Nathan Byrne’s corner and the ball broke loose to Jonathan Obika, who fired the ball into the back of the net for his second of the game.
The game was end to end with both teams attacking for the majority of the second half. Bradford threw bodies forward in the final minutes in hope of an equaliser but only ended up seeing Alan Sheehan sent off for what looked to be a punch in the stomach on Swindon’s Raphael Branco. In the end, Swindon held on well for their third win of the season and Bradford’s third consecutive home defeat.
Bradford City
| Jordan Pickford Couldn’t do much about the two goals however he didn’t organise or command his defence from set pieces. | 6.0 |
| Stephen Darby Struggled a bit with Swindon’s pace on the counter but did head the ball and tackle well. However he didn’t command his defence well enough. | 6.5 |
| Rory McArdle One of Bradford’s better players. He made some very crucial tackles and clearances. | 7.0 |
| Alan Sheehan A game to forget for him. He missed a penalty in the opening minutes of the game and looked quite shaky. He was sent off late on after an altercation with Swindon’s Raphael Branco, which will keep him out of Bradford’s plans for the next three matches. | 5.0 |
| James Meredith Decent defending but nothing special at all. He was poor on the attacking front. | 6.0 |
| Gary Liddle Overlapped and put crosses in, was also strong in the tackle. A decent performance but not a brilliant performance by a long shot. | 6.5 |
| Jason Kennedy A decent performance, unquestionable work rate but didn’t bring much to the table for Bradford. | 6.5 |
| Billy Knott The stand out player in a somewhat poor Bradford performance, got back and won countless tackles. Got hold of the ball and wanted to be positive. Bradford MOTM. | 7.5 |
| Mark Yeates Created chances and linked up well with the Bradford players around him. Got the assist for Bradford’s only goal of the game. | 7.0 |
| James Hanson Won lots of headers and flick on’s but overall wasn’t good enough. An OK performance. | 6.0 |
| Billy Clarke Passed the ball and linked up well in Bradford’s better spells of play however the rest of the team didn’t help him out. | 6.5 |
Substitutions
| Filipe Morais Added energy to the Bradford midfield as both teams began to tire. He made surging runs forward in Bradford’s bid for an equaliser but was unsuccessful. | 7.5 |
| Aaron McLean Was a nuisance and caused problems when he came on but he didn’t do enough to turn the game around in Bradford’s favour. | 6.5 |
| Mason Bennett Didn’t do much at all when he came on, probably needed more time to get into the game. | 5.5 |
Swindon Town
| Wes Foderingham Gave away a penalty in the opening minutes but redeemed himself by saving it. He made some spectacular saves in the final minutes which kept Swindon in the lead. | 7.0 |
| Nathan Byrne Made some great tackles but his attacking display was the highlight of his performance. He overlapped brilliantly with pace and trickery down the wing. | 8.0 |
| Raphael Branco Solid defensive performance and was consistent throughout the game. | 7.0 |
| Nathan Thompson Worked very hard but it wasn’t a spectacular performance at all. | 6.5 |
| Jordan Turnbull Made some very good clearances and worked well with the rest of the Swindon defence. A good defensive display to stop Bradford creating chances. | 7.5 |
| Brad Smith Bombed forward down the wing with pace a lot like Nathan Byrne. Was very positive everytime he got onto the ball and created chances. | 7.5 |
| Yaser Kasim He saw a fantastic free kick saved in the first half by the Bradford goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. Passed and moved the ball well when Swindon were attacking. | 7.0 |
| Massimo Luongo Put his stamp on the game from the off and sprayed the ball around excellently. He showed real class and was by far the most instrumental player in the Swindon midfield. | 9.0 |
| Louis Thompson Did well in the midfield and stopped Bradford from playing flowing football. However he scored an own goal which put Bradford into the lead. | 6.5 |
| Jonathan Obika His two goals on the scoresheet say it all. He was brilliant all game and a poacher in the box. | 8.5 |
| Michael Smith Won most of his aerial battles and held the ball up well to bring other players into play. Also linked up well with his strike partner, Jonathan Obika. | 7.5 |
Substitutions
| Andy Williams Looked sharp up front. Had he had more chances, he probably would have scored. | 7.0 |
| Jake Reeves Got stuck in when he came on but he didn’t make a massive impact. | 6.5 |
| Josh Lelan Came on very late in the game, too late to judge his performance. | N/A |
Man of the Match
| Massimo Luongo A terrific performance from the Australian. He passed the ball about with precision and pulled the strings in the middle of the park. He was key in Swindon’s counter attacks. He showed he is a real talent and arguably one of the best midfielders in League 1. | 9.0 |
