Bradford City got their first home win under Mark Hughes against an already-relegated Scunthorpe United. Looking to break their duck, the Bantams won 2-1 against the Iron.
With two games to go, it leaves the West Yorkshire side 16th in the League Two table.
Bradford City got off to a flying start as Jamie Walker (1′) put the home side 1-0 up. City fans had hardly enough time to gather their breath before Vernam (5′) turned from provider to scorer to put Hughes’ side 2-0 up.
The Bantams attacked at will in the rest of the first 45 minutes – having 16 shots at goal without reply from Scunthorpe United. However, Keith Hill’s side pulled one back (33′) when Rekeil Pike charged down Alex Bass’ intended clearance, the City stopper putting the ball in his own goal.
The second half was more of Bradford City taking it to Scunthorpe United. By the end of the second 45 minutes, City had accumulated 26 shots at goal – seven of these being on target. There were to be no further goals in what was a 2-1 victory for Hughes’ men.
Many Bradford City players stood out but one who more than played his part was loanee Dion Pereira.
The stats tell their own story…
Pereira joined Bradford City early in the January transfer window, arriving at the West Yorkshire club from Championship side Luton Town.
After struggling to make a breakthrough with the Bantams, Pereira has made eight starts in Bradford City’s last ten games. In those games, the on-loan Luton Town youngster has scored one goal.
As per WhoScored’s match data, Pereira stood out with his performance against a Scunthorpe United side who will play National League football next season.
His distribution (72%) was very accurate, with 28 passes completed from 39 attempts. Of these 28 completed passes, Pereira impressed with a game-high five key passes that created chances for teammates.
This attacking threat was also underlined with three completed dribbles, again this being a game-high number and two more than any other player on the pitch.
However, his display against Scunthorpe United wasn’t just about the threat he posed going forward. He also impressed in a more defensive role, making four tackles to break up attacks.
Next up for Bradford City and Pereira is an away trip to Sutton United.
