Bradford 1 – 1 Swindon Town
The game saw Bradford take an early lead after dominating the play courtesy of a Gary Jones corner which was headed in by Rory McArdle from the underside of the bar. The game then was heavily dominated by Swindon for large spells, this also was with Pritchard’s free kick narrowly missing the goal from a good position.
The second half saw Pritchard arguably the best player on the pitch score a fantastic goal, picking up the ball before driving at the Bradford defence. He slipped in and out of several players before finally lashing a shot into the bottom corner past a helpless McLaughlin.
The introduction of young McBurnie for Bradford was an exciting one, and within minutes he made an immediate impact. He whipped in a teasing cross for James Hanson to narrowly miss out on retaking the lead for the Bantams. This was Bradford’s best opportunity all game and it was squandered. Nathan Doyle saw his snapshot tipped around the post from Wes Foderingham as the Swindon keeper tipped Doyle’s volley around the post impressively.
Towards the end of the game it opened up and Swindon almost stole 3 points but for Jon McLaughlin making a fine late save tipping an effort around the post however the game resulted in a point for each side with both teams left to rue missed chances. The result saw Bradford move up a place to 10th with Swindon dropping one place to 8th.
Bradford
| McLaughlin Made saves at vital times which enabled Bradford to stay in contention for a point. Pulled of a fantastic save at the end to deny Swindon 3 points. | 7.0 |
| Darby Played a fantastic game from the back and was strong. Attacked with real intent and looked to get the ball into the box and attempted to link well up with Thompson. | 8.0 |
| McHugh The teenager looked confident and calm at the back and showed he is a real asset towards the side as a young player. One of the more impressive players in the side. | 7.5 |
| McArdle Showed real leadership qualities and commanded the back line, made a few mistakes however and almost let Swindon score from an underhit backpass. His goal was a fantastic header off the underside of the bar. | 6.5 |
| Meredith Was very good attacking and linked up well with Reid down the left. Defensively struggled to track back and let Pritchard slip away for the Swindon equaliser. | 6.0 |
| Thompson Got crosses into the box and linked up with Darby effectively. Struggled to win headers in the air though and ended up losing his place to McBurnie. | 6.0 |
| Jones Energetic performance but sloppy passes gifted Swindon attacks. Defended well and also got forward to attack however lacked creativity at some points. | 6.0 |
| Ravenhill The most impressive Bradford player.Won many battles across the pitch. A vigorous display where he defended expertly as well as attacking creatively was merited by Phil Parkinson post-match. This performance the Midfielders first game on his return from Northampton as a loanee. Bradford’s MOTM. | 8.5 |
| Reid An energetic display in the first half caused Swindon a few problems at the back and exploited gaps in their defence. Dangerous crosses of his were cleared for corners but this contrasted to his quiet second half performance. | 7.0 |
| Hanson The return for the big target-man saw him play impressively and lay off Wells, McBurnie and Yeates throughout the course of the game. An intelligent performance was almost finished with a goal however he couldn’t get the all important touch on McBurnie’s cross. | 7.0 |
| Wells A bright first 20 minutes were then cut short by what looked to be a tight hamstring,limiting him to only 5 more minutes of game time. | 6.0 |
Substitutions
| Yeates (Replaced Wells 25th Minute) One of Bradford’s more creative player’s. Looked out of place and struggled in the role of Wells but when Thompson came off he slotted into his more favorable wing position providing some brilliant crossing and some sharp skill to dance past the Swindon defence. | 7.0 |
| Doyle (Replaced Ravenhill 71st Minute) A confident display as he sat in front of the back four and did Ravenhill’s job effectively. Almost won the game with a volley towards the end tipped around the post by Foderingham. | 7.0 |
| McBurnie (Replaced Thompson 71st Minute) Another bright performance from the youngster as his energetic display was pivotal in providing attacking options for Bradford towards the end. Almost got his first assist but saw his cross cleared before Hanson could finish. | 8.0 |
Swindon
| Foderingham Pulled off some great saves to deny Bradford from winning the game and none better than his tip round the post from Nathan Doyle. | 8.0 |
| N Thompson Managed to keep Reid quiet second half as well as Meredith. Got forward rarely. | 6.5 |
| Ward Kept Yeates quiet up front but struggled with the aerial battles marking Hanson. Came out the best of the two centre backs. | 7.5 |
| Hall Struggled massively coping with Hanson and often panicked with the ball. Not as defensively strong as Ward. | 6.0 |
| McEveley Kept Thompson quiet first half until he picked up an injury having to leave at half time. | 7.0 |
| Byrne Strong performance but came out second best due to Ravenhill’s physicality and strength. Saw a late shot go inches wide of the post. | 7.0 |
| Kasim Attacked well and raced forward at several opportunities, attempted to score but couldn’t break past defence often enough. | 6.5 |
| Loungo A fast paced performance didn’t result in a goal for Loungo but he helped and contributed well towards his team’s point. | 7.0 |
| L Thompson Played well and attacked with intent as well as defending impressively. Showed good signs of passing creativity. | 7.0 |
| Pritchard The best player on the entire pitch. Skipped through the Bradford defence with ease and claimed a fantastic goal. | 9.0 |
| Ajose A real attacking livewire and threat to Bradford. Almost beat McLaughlin to a through ball and converted his chance. | 8.0 |
Substitutions
| Branco(Replaced Hall 52nd Minute) Played averagely and didn’t make a massive impact, saw a few attacks break down of his. | 6.0 |
| Gladwin(Replaced Kasim 71st Minute) Saw nothing come of his appearance however got involved in a few attacks for Swindon. | 7.0 |
| Storey(Replaced McEveley 45th Minute) Slotted in comfortably at left back for McEveley and made life difficult for Yeates second half towards the end. | 7.0 |
Man of the Match
| Alex Pritchard had a fantastic game as the loanee from spurs saw a goal of his as well as several free kicks narrowly miss the target. He could have had a few goals and ran Bradford’s defence ragged. Took on at least 3 players for his goal and earned plaudits from Bradford fans for his fantastic performance. Looked very skillful and created many chances for Swindon. | 9.0 |
