Saturday 12th September, 2009last year, mid-September
The little things
Bradford City 1 Burton Albion 1 At Valley Parade in League Two, 2009/2010
It is the smallest of particulars which offer the strongest arguments for Bradford City’s early season promise growing into more.
As visitors Burton Albion attacked, the work rate exhibited by the Bantams in winning the ball back ran through all10 outfield players. Following a period of heavy pressure, witness Michael Flynn and Lee Bullock – two of a young squad’s elder statesmen – speaking to each of their team mates to offer encouragement and pointers on organisation. When an attacking move was seemingly ended by an over-hit cross, notice Scott Neilsen charging across to try and keep in a ball that would, in the recent past, have been allowed to roll out. Watch not just who has the ball, or who is nearest to winning back the ball. Watch around the pitch at all the little things going on, they’re adding up.
Whatever this team might be lacking, endeavour isn’t in short supply. City were not at their best against a very impressive Burton side, with the draw that Brewers full back Paul Boertien’s 74th minute effort confirmed the fairest outcome. The guile and smoothness of the previous four-game winning run was absent at times, but for determination and effort it was hard to fault any player. For the moment at least, the spirit and the heart is there and the early indications are it can lift this team a long way.
But it is also the smaller elements of the home side’s actions which undermine objectives. Despite taking a first half lead when Gareth Evans capitalised on a defensive mix up to slot the ball into an empty net, City struggled to grasp control of the game. Burton too were full of endeavour and neglected to allow City any more time on the ball than they were consented.
With Burton growing particularly strong towards the end of the first half, uncertainty in a defence which has now been breached 16 times was clear. Individually each member of the back four seems to be performing reasonably competently, but unlike other areas of the team isn’t as cohesively together. The ball was often cleared in panicky fashion, with a lack of direction occasionally resulting in it coming straight back after bouncing off players close by. Brewers’ midfielder John McGrath almost took advantage after ghosting unchecked into the penalty area, only to force a brilliant save from Simon Eastwood. Minutes later Eastwood made another smart stop and Bullock was on hand to make a superb last ditch tackle to prevent the rebound being tapped home, crashing into a post for his troubles.
Burton’s improvement continued into the second half, with another of those little things manager Stuart McCall will be coaching his players to improve upon keeping them in the game. City had chances to go 2-0 up, but bad decision making prevented them from being taken. Evans had the best opportunity when a break away left numerical advantage in the final third, but elected to shoot from an ambitious way out with Neilsen, free from a marker and to make a clear run on goal, over to his right. Flynn might also have scored from distance when a chipped effort flew just over, after the far-from-convincing Burton keeper Artur Krysiak had struggled to throw the ball to a team mate. Another Krysiak spill almost allowed Evans in again, but the Polish keeper recovered enough to deflect the ball behind for a corner.
On other occasions City attacked well and knocked the ball around in a variety of ways, only for the wrong option to be taken at a critical moment. Stronger fluency will surely be obtained in time, though it was a surprise the more direct route of knocking balls to the hard working Evans and James Hanson wasn’t more regularly attempted after the interval.
For possession began to be too cheaply surrendered and the pressure from Burton grew. Just as it seemed a storm had been weathered, Boertien was to strike. The goal owed much to substitute Richard Walker, who held off Zesh Rehman in the penalty area and fashioned space for Boertien to run onto. There was a hint of a deflection in his shot as it flew past Eastwood’s outstretched arm. The fact Neilsen had failed to spot Boertien’s late run into the box will not have gone unnoticed by Stuart, either.
Manager Stuart McCall reacted by throwing on Michael Boulding and switching to a more gung ho 4-3-3 formation. Leon Osborne had already come on for Chris Brandon and the 19-year-old, who’s 17 minutes of action was one minute more than his total first team football on the Valley Parade pitch to date, was encouraged to carry the ball forward from out wide. Despite plenty of pressure, Krysiak was barely tested.
In an end-to-end final quarter, Burton came closest to scoring with the more open approach from City resulting in gaps at the back; which might have been punished but for one chance being wastefully fired over and a teasing low cross proving inches too far in front of a queue of yellow shirts. This particular chance had been engineered despite visiting defender Guy Branston lying injured in his own penalty area, but when City won back the ball and began to charge forward on the break, the referee farcically stopped the game so he could receive treatment.
City’s players complained to the referee in the manner they had largely presented themselves in all afternoon – as a team. It’s more than just an obvious spirit to put bodies on the line for the cause, when City have to defend everybody, from Hanson and Evans charging back to exhibit pressure, takes responsibility for gaining the ball back. When on the attack Neilsen and Brandon are adopting less traditional winger roles, tucking inside more and getting involved in the centre of the park. This is helping City to keep the ball in numbers, with short, quick and incisive passing. It also affords Simon Ramsden and Luke O’Brien the freedom to get forward down the flanks and, though both full backs’ final ball wasn’t good enough on the day, such a style of team attacking will continue to cause uncertainty for opposition defences typically set up to mark certain players.
These small weapons in City’s armoury weren’t clinical enough to earn the three points on the day, but if small improvements can be implemented into the way this team performs, the prospects for big celebrations next May will continue to grow.
It’s good that more supporters are starting to realise that the squad that McCall is assembling has plenty of determination. This was shown in abundance and no more so than when Bullock clattered in to a post following a goal line clearance.
Eastwood showed the home supporters, like the away supporters at Shrewsbury, that he’s getting better with each match and made a wonderful save in the first half.
When we drew with Port Vale, the mutterings were along the longs of “phew, a point in the bag” but after yesterday’s game the mutterings were along the lines of “we’re disappointed with a draw but Burton deserved a point”.
A personal disappointment for me was seeing Jamie O’Brien dropped to the bench following his good display at Shrewsbury. But in Stuart I trust.
Eastwood made 2 brilliant saves and Bullock’s brave block on the line was an outstanding example of hard work and ethic City showed all match.
It was a fair result all in all. Disappointed we didnt get the win but we could have easily lost that game.
Still not sure on Rehman – Williams bailed him out on at least 4 occassions. Also his lack of concentration on occassions beggars belief from someone who is supposed to be a Championship standard defender.
Id make a call for Clarke to return alongside Williams, much to the anger of many City fans no doubt. I doubt Stuart will change a team doing so well though.
A very fair report on an entertaining afternoon. I thought the way Zesh Rehman had a word for all his players on the way to the centre circle before the kick off showed what a mature captain he has become, surely Thorne must stand aside should he ever become available. The introduction of a miss firing Boulding brought back memories of another team in another season at the same ground, we have moved on.
In response to Steve’s comment about the defence I agree that the jury is still out on Rehman. I’m very impressed with Williams but i think he could do without the added responsibility of sweeping up after his captain.
Having said that I’d be inclined to stick with Rehman and hope that he improves by playing with Williams regularly rather than re-introducing Matthew Clarke.
All in all though I think things are as they were; lots of promise in an exciting squad and a mainly positive bunch of fans looking forward to the rest of the season.
Agree Chris. Does anyone else find it mildy amusing that a non-league barber is our best centre back? Williams teaching Rehman? There is something wrong there – Rehman the international, ex premier league player who must have been coached by some top coaches needing pointers from Williams?
What worries me about Rehman is he goes up for headers and doesnt win enough, and he gets dragged out of position quite a lot.
I was taught as a young footballer if you cant win the ball, make sure you are in a position that makes it difficult for the attacker to do anything that might result in a goal. In some cases, Rehman does neither. Dont get me wrong, he made some important challenges and headers on Sat, but better teams would punish the errors he does make, with all due respect to Burton.
I have to disagree strongly with Steve and Chris here. What we have got is two defenders who know what their jobs are and do them. Rehman knows he can commit himself to a challenge because Williams will be sweeping up behind him. It’s a properly functioning defensive partnership, the likes of which we’ve not seen at Valley Parade since Moore and O’Brien, usually we just see two stoppers and no cover at all when one makes a mistake. Williams is not “teaching Rehman” any more than Lawrenson was teaching Hansen in ’86 or Johnsen and Berg were teaching Stam in ’99. The management team have recognised that League Two players are not perfect and there’s more to building a defence than putting together the two best stoppers. Steve Williams is probably the third strongest central defender in the squad and the third best header of the ball – which would probably have seen him benched by many former City managers – but he’s the best covering defender we’ve seen in at least ten years so let’s celebrate that rather being needlessly negative and trying to fix something that’s simply not broken. Clarke could probably be switched into this set up for Rehman and, like Rehman, he would commit himself and let the ball past (he often has in the past) and, like Rehman, he would have Steve Williams behind him to sweep up. All it would do is create unnecessary upheaval in a team that’s playing reasonably well.