Match Report 2001-2002

Saturday 11 August, 2001, Division One

Barnsley At Valley Parade

The ubiquitous Mr. Ward

Bradford City 4
Ward 1-0p 3-0
Jess 2-0
Carbone 4-0
Barnsley 0

During the hard weeks of army training Jim Jefferies claimed he was priming his City team to peak at 3:00 on the first day of the season. That was when it mattered, so the Scot said.

We can forgive 15 minutes either way.

For 15 minutes City looked reticent, putting out feelers into a territory that should have been second nature but strangely, and thankfully, was uncommon and unfamiliar.

Barnsley attacked with the same sort of gusto that the City team that won promotion to the Premiership three years ago had and had chances to take a lead, but the chasm between Premiership and Nationwide league Division One was never better illustrated than when Barnsley centreback Chris Morgan flashed a free header wide of the back post. It was the sort of error that had been punished mercilessly over the last two years.

So that scare and one or two others seemed to settle City, provided a road map to the league that prises eagerness and work rate, so when the Tykes played with the ball at the back it seemed natural for Stuart McCall to harry and win. Then lob over to Ashley Ward who was tugged back and fell for a penalty that he converted.

Ward had struggled to be fit for the game, Jefferies not wanting to risk either his front man or bench sitter David Wetehrall unless 100%. With Ward it is not hard to see why. For all the criticism levelled at him over the past year no one ever questioned his work rate, which today was in abundance. A long chip forward saw Ward typically scurrying after the ball to rise and head back into the path of Eoin Jess twenty five yards out but with a gap in the Barnsley defence to drive a bus through. He chipped the on rushing Kevin Miller to make the game 2-0. All to easy.

Typically back came Barnsley who would have counted themselves unlucky between the two strikes when a shot was deftly cleared from the line by Gareth Whalley. Whalley, along with Andy Myers both put in excellent displays suggesting that the BfB granted aim for Jim Jefferies, to get the squad men playing like stars, may be working out.

Tykes resistance ended two minutes before half time when Mitch Ward, booked for a swipe at Carbone, saw red for a lunge at Gareth Whalley. Their ten men started the second half well but City made the extra man, often an overlapping Gunnar Halle, count and when the Norwegian trolled into the area followed by Barnsley front man Bruce Dyer who took a tug at him the resulting penalty, converted once more by Ward, settled the contest once and for all.

Then City were all flicks, all touches. Benito Carbone seemed to be attempting to run the ball through Barnsley men and succeed frequently. David Wetherall was never stretched after coming on at half time. The match crowned when Wayne Jacobs put over a deep cross headed back by the ubiquitous Ward to Carbone who overhead kicked home from six yards. Carbone wheeled away and took the applause, but seemed to hold onto his strike partner Ward longest of all the players who had patted the Italian on the back, Beni big enough to sharing his spotlight with the guy who had made two and scored two against his former club.

City could have had more, Stuart McCall buzzed around the back line effectively showing all that if the clock is ticking on his career then he intended to be involved in every single second, but saved goals for another day.

Two hours previous the division had been level in every respect, now it seemed an ocean was spread out between the Bantams and the Tykes. This was more than finding a level, this was finding out your a level above. Perhaps after promotion when City were labelled doers and grafters and dismissed as players and craftsmen the confidence to play, to flow left the Bantams. That confidence, it would seem, has returned.

Man of the Match

Ashley Ward

Hard working display, confident penalty taking and unlucky not to get at least a hat trick against his former club.

City Team:

Walsh
Halle Molenaar Myers Jacobs
Locke McCall Whalley
Jess
Ward Carbone

Subs: Wetherall, Blake, Sharpe.