Match Report 2001-2002

Friday 29 March, 2002, Division One

Watford Away

Breaking rocks in the hot sun...

You should never trust these sun kissed afternoons at Vicarage Road.

I seem to remember coming out of the home of Watford, a home than never really sits well alongside the idea of the chairman ambling up that dirt road along the allotments and the rare of houses in his platform shoes, thinking that Isaiah Rankin would be a great forward after his impressive league debut. It seemed that after the 1-0 defeat just North of London in the first season of the Premiership that they would be the one's celebrating 16th in May, not us.

So after watching City looking solid in a game where most people would forgive a much less stern display and seeing Tom Kearney make a debut that impressed at least as much as Issy's did, I will not be putting out the bunting just yet.

Nevertheless Kearney was impressive and City do look a different team to the one that never got a kick here in the league cup. The Bantams also look vastly different from the Jim Jefferies side that beat the Hornets 4-3 at Valley Parade earlier in the season. Much tighter at the back that that side that looked very much like it would lose a 4-1 lead, less up front but attacks less scatter gun, more prised out.

City's front line of Ashley Ward and Danny Cadamarteri will probably be broken up in the summer with Ward trying to find a home for his £18,000. This is probably for the best. Ward and Cadamarteri are deceptive. It looks like they are playing well together, and they both run and charge after things in the right way, but both needs a different sort of partner. Ward needs a man who will weigh in with the hold up play. Cadamarteri needs a fox in the box to get on the end of the trouble he makes. Cadamarteri had a poor game, yet City's best chance, a shot from Tom Kearney that clattered the post beating Alec Chamberlain all ends up, came from his former Everton Reserves team mate's run.

Cadamarteri needs a man to get in front of his defender, Ward hangs behind too much, a failing that he shares with Steve Torpey, which is never a good thing.

Nevertheless City's front two did well enough. The back four, without Gunnar Halle for what seems the first time in a long time, looked solid. Wetherall and Bower are the best partnership that City have found this season. There was talk of a "dream pairing" of Wetherall and Andy Myers for next season, but having seen the pair try pair up in the past I would suggest that that dream would quickly turn to nightmare. One man must lead in a central pairing and one must follow. Wetherall is a better player than Myers so he gets to play with the best partner he can find and if that is Mark Bower, and if Mark Bower can play as he has in the last four games, then I would have no fear about starting with Wetherall/Bower next season.

Claus Jorgensen at right back I do not like. He had trouble all afternoon with the speedy Watford winger and never got to show his play making abilities as he does in the midfield. Stuart McCall and debut boy Tom Kearney took the midfield. Again I would have no problems with that pairing continuing into next season.

Eoin Jess looks increasingly like a square peg looking for a round hole. He rattled the post at one point and is still City's top scorer, yet you cannot see him staying in claret and amber next term. Jamie Lawrence and Wayne Jacobs will continue next season as they have this, and more power to them.

City look like a basis for next season and the way that he has made a centreback out of the end of a contract that was Mark Bower suggest that Nicky Law might be at least a half decent boss. One doubts that Law will get Gareth Grant to prove he is worth a new deal, which is a shame because if City have ever had a player with potential then it was the 17 year old Grant, but he tried the youngster for 25 minutes today to little effect. Credit him though for trying.

Nicky Law would like City to remain unbeaten until the end of the season. It is possible but then again on these sunkissed Watford afternoons everything is possible.

Man of the Match

[NAME]

City Team:

Subs: