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Wolves 3 Bradford 1 16/02/2002 |
| Bradford (Home)Match Report | |||||||||||||||||||
| Report by Fat Stat
The last time Bradford played Wolves at Molineux it was a good-tempered affair which Bradford won to take them automatically into the Premiership. I remember the friendly banter and the nervous Bradford fans when Simpson struck the post to nearly make it a draw. But my main memory is of a aggressive fat Bradford fan trying to cause trouble on Wolvo station after the match. Subsequently Bradford are not my favourite team and - as they are struggling at the moment - I was hoping for a big win. It was obvious early on that Bradford had done their homework and were defending deep. They were closing us down quickly and although we were passing it around, we weren't really going anywhere. The first real chance of the match came when Kennedy and Camara linked well on the left wing and sent in a cross, which - when headed away - nearly fell to Sturridge. There was an early scare for Wolves when a Bradford cross from the left wing found nobody in the box. From the counter attack Kennedy won a free kick which was converted into a corner and then another. From the second corner a Cameron cross was just nodded away. Wolves weren't creating any clear chances. Andrews had a shot blocked after a free kick was cleared and Kennedy, in space, sent a cross straight at the Bradford defence. Our forwards seemed keen on dummying on the end of the box but Bradford always had defenders in the way. Bradford looked like a one-trick team. The long ball up to their left winger seemed all they could offer. Were they really in the Premier League last season? Or at least that was what I was thinking until the half hour mark when a right wing cross saw Bradford take the lead. The cross looked like a nothing ball until Lescott miss controlled it and Ashley Ward picked the ball up, skipped through the defence and sent the ball into the net. Oh no, they'll definately shut up shop now, I thought. We were still piling on the pressure but now with more urgency. A better cross from Kennedy did cause problems but the ball just didn't seem to be falling for us. A brilliant turn and shot from Blake on the edge of the box bought a fantastic save from their goalie. Another Kennedy cross fell for Sturridge, whose shot bought another excellent save by Coombes. Then Camara and (Ashley) Ward got into a tussle, Camara elbowing Ward, Ward grabbing him around the throat and both facing each other off. They were both booked but could easily have been sent off. Newton nearly put Sturridge through, but a Bradford defender got back and managed to take the ball off Sturridge's foot. The resulting corner saw a Blake header saved on the line. The half ended with a Newton header on the far post bringing yet another fabulous save from Coombes. Half time: 0-1 At the start of the second half we looked like we were playing with a bit more passion and determination. A corner was knocked back to Kennedy, whose cross fell to Lescott who - in space - hit the ball straight at a defender on the line. Bradford were obviously trying to hit us on the break. A long ball to their right winger Grant saw him skin Butler and send in a good cross which saw an important interception from Camara. We were dominating the game but it looked like one of those days when the ball just wouldn't find the back of the net. A good set of passes in the middle of the field saw Cameron fall over the ball when nearly clean through; a good interchange of passes between Blake and Cameron on the edge of the box brought another good save from their goalie; then from a corner the ball was headed back to Butler who looped a header to his centre back partner Lescott which he headed over the bar. Then Newton stepped over the ball only to see Muscat not run for it. It was now getting very frustrating and Wolves started making some sloppy passes winding the crowd up even more. But the last quarter of an hour was going to prove that Wolves have spirit and self-belief even if the crowd don't. Kennedy robbed one of their midfielders and was then given the ball back by Cameron and went charging down he left wing. Kennedy was in plenty of space and he crossed to Newton who headed it to Sturridge who - also in plenty of space - sent a shot into the bottom right hand corner. 1-1 and game on. We were now looking for the win, with what appeared to be just enough time to get it. A corner fell to Newton who, after a bit of jinky footwork, sent a cross in to Miller who just couldn't put his header away from close range. Muscat gave away a free kick midway in our half, which was quickly taken and wasted but the ball in saw Ward get tackled and -to stop us counter attacking - he went down pretending to have a head injury. Then an excellent Kennedy cross field ball found Newton in space and he came inside his man and created the space for a brilliant shot which went into the net off the inside of the post. 2-1 and game over. Kennedy was then clean through, but appeared scared to shoot and passed to Newton and the opportunity went. At the other end a Juanjo free kick was hit straight at the wall. In time added on Muscat (who earlier had appeared disinterested in the game) made two brilliant challenges just inside our half to break down a rare Bradford attack. He sent the ball through to Cameron whose long ball over the top found Sturridge with one man to beat. Sturridge cut inside, beat the last man who chopped him down in the area. Penalty - yes!! (although hadn't we missed all our penalties up to this point?). Who else stepped up to take the penalty but Sturridge (Blake had been subbed anyway just before our first goal). Selling the goalie a cheeky dummy, Sturridge waited for Coombes to dive before sending the ball into the opposite corner. 3-1 - game set and match. Another important win on a weekend where our closest rivals are playing in the cup. It's made us level on points with Man City, but perhaps more importantly it sees us take full advantage of our game in hand and puts us four points clear of W*** Brom. Job done, even if they left it a little late for my poor heartsies. Full Time 3-1
Attendance: 21,935
Goals:
Wolves: Sturridge (76 mins), Newton (83 mins) Sturridge (90 mins)(pen)
Best Player : Sturridge (5 votes) Newton (2 votes) Camara (1 vote)
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| Average player ratings are taken from a number of newspapers, magazines and web-sites ...more.... |
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