Geoff Bradford City Match Thread

Yes. Fitness is key.

But it's more than that.
There's a spirit, an endeavour at the moment. Walsall and Bradford away created a similar feeling of confidence coming from behind we haven't felt since GC era (and the passing back and sideways is similar too!).

Put simply, we would've lost this sort of match last season as it felt conceding the first goal usually meant a loss.

That credit has to go to JAB and his management team. 2 wins and 1 draw/4 I would take and be happy with...

That's very encouraging to read indeed.

Pitman's header was absolutely magnificent.

To track the ball from a high, deep cross... with a defender in just front in close attendance... and having to stoop slightly at the last second... knowing the exact amount of angle, force, loop, and direction to place on the ball to put it just out of the 'keepers reach... takes some experience and expert knowledge.

I just hope those dodgy knees are okay, after his celebration!

http://instagr.am/p/CVH9-8KASpW

I've watched Bradford's second goal several times on the iFollow extended highlights. They show the importance of the action preceding the move for the goal.

Bradford worked the ball to their left, where their winger ran with the ball. Alfie Kilgour held him up and Luke Thomas tracked back, partly to cover a potential overlap from another Bradford player, but he took the chance to put a foot in. Despite their efforts, the winger went outside Alfie and got a low cross into the box, which Connor Taylor cleared, for a Bradford throw-in, half way inside Rovers' half, still on Bradford's left side. The throw went back to Bradford defenders who swept the ball forward.

Freeze the action at that point. Alfie is marking the striker who has received the ball. But the winger, nonchalantly returning from the cross he'd put in 20 seconds earlier, had remained wide. That gave Bradford the opportunity for an overload.

The wide man duly received the ball and had plenty of time to put in another low cross. Whether by luck or judgement, the ball played was out of the reach of Greg Whelan, and also of Connor Taylor. Nick Anderton was marking another Bradford opponent, but made a desperate attempt to get to the ball before Bradford forward Cook, to no avail.

For me, there were two ways in which Rovers could have prevented the goal. First, our shape after Connor Taylor cleared the ball for a throw-in was sloppy. Whelan and Coutts should have picked up the retreating central Bradford players, allowing Alfie to focus on the man out wide. (He didn't have to go and stand by him, just note that the wide-man was his responsibility, as Coutts and/or Whelan would be covering the more central threats). Second, once the threat had materialised, if Connor Taylor has been touch-tight to the eventual scorer - the most advanced Bradford player - he could have got to the cross before him and prevented what ultimately turned out to be a tap-in.

When I saw the goals I posted this on gas chat last night:

“Have just seen the goals. That was a seriously good header from Pitman. No luck and a great finish. Had that been on MOTD Shearer and Wright would have been drooling over it. He knew it was coming and got his body in the perfect position to put the ball into the one place the keeper couldn’t get it. Brilliant! Without thinking too much I’d say that’s one of the top 20/30 goals I’ve seen for us. It probably won’t be remembered but it was a typical striker goal. Well done Brett.”

I watched them a couple more times and each time Pitman’s header gets better. Great cross and assist coming form a very important player for us currently, Evans.
UTG!

Yep, he's made us orrible. A bit like the Coughlan team

Blimey!
Sounds harsh and drastic Mango.

Is he out for much longer?

Value is,imo at least,he's our number 1.