Match Report 2002-2003
Wednesday 04 March, 2003, Division One
Leicester City At Valley Parade
Bantams battle a draw with Foxes
The question before us is this: How good is Danny Forrest?
How good is Lewis Emanuel? How good is Simon Francis now? How good will Tom Keanrey be when he comes back to fitness?
Bradford City faced Leicester City, a club that is not staying in the Nationwide League any longer than the one season, looking for an perhaps scared off the answer to those questions.
This season has been about City's resurrection from being within minutes of having no club to support and from the game at Hull where the Bantams did not have more than half a dozen senior professionals. Thirty nine points at this stage and although Nicky Law's men might not reach the fifty five mark that Jim Jefferies set us up for last season, there will have been progress and that progress will be measured in stability off the field and promise on it.
Promise being next season's theme. Can the promising youngsters make a team? Next season will be the year that the likes of Peter Atherton and Jamie Lawrence, tonight being as effective a pair of war dogs as could be seen, will be history and their roles taken by young men like Kearney, like Emanuel.
So a preview then: if our kids can take the assault that the Premiership bound foxes will throw at them then come August 2003 might we start the season with baited breath?
Perhaps.
Tonight the kids were superb. City had the blend. The younger players feeding off the senior pros, the pros adapting to the roles of seniority well and none more so that Peter Atherton who after piling through the visitors combative Jordon Steward got a lashed kick for his trouble. It was amazing that the Referee did not send Stewart off but more amazing was the fact for that the next hour and five not once did Peter Atherton attempt to get revenge. It was the dynamic we are after at the club.
Atherton was not the only Bantam bullied by a Leicester City who's physicality was more than an accident. They attempted to intimidate and stayed on the cusp on breaking the roles, straying over for the likes of Stewart and Matt Elliot who was not even booked for shoving Claus Jorgensen in the face, knocking the Dane to the floor.
The Dane was getting used to the floor by that point. He had been barged off the ball in the box with a very curious challenge by Andy Impey and some shouted for penalty. Later he combined with Danny Forrest to get into the box only to be upended. Elliot clearly thought Jorgi had dived, the referee obviously not or why no yellow card for what, that that stage, would have been in his eyes a persistent offender? Jorgensen showed his feelings at the final whistle. Shake one linesman's hand, shake the other linesman's hand. Walk away.
Not that this was a game of dodgy refereeing. The man in the middle erred on the side of play on too often but perhaps he just showed a common sense that allowed the game to flow, something that has been missing most of the season. It was a humdinger of a match. Leicester will look at a couple of saves by Aidan Davison and a curled shot by Paul Dickov that went a foot wide and wonder about points gone by. City will point at an early shot by Danny Forrest that was an meter left of the far post and a stubbed attempt by David Wetherall that showed the finishing of a central defender.
Leicester had the first half, City ran the second and on that one could say that zero zero was a fair result but it was the Bantams feeling most aggrieved when Gus Uhlenbeek got being a defender only to be uprooted in the box. This was a stone wall penalty but nothing was given to the surprise on very few. The whistle went soon after and the Foxes knew they had, at least, been in a game.
So how good are the young Bantams? Hard to say. They got over the over respect of the foxes, who did include the odd World Cup semi-finalist in the midfield in the form of Muzzie Izzet, and could have got the win towards the end. The back four, which stood up to a pummelling in the first half included Mark Bower, Lewis Emanuel and Simon Francis alongside David Wetherall.
Francis, Bower, Emanuel, Forrest, Keanrey. Add to that Jorgensen, Michael Standing and bench man Daniel Ekoku and I'm not sure that it would be too much of a stretch to say that this was the best bunch of kids at the club since Graeme Tomlinson, Des Hamilton, Scott Jackson et al got to the Youth Cup semi finals but that would be damning with slight praise, youth football success being miles away from even standing up in the First Division.
The current crop look more natural than most. The aforementioned Tomlinson was as gifted a prospect as I have seen, he moved seamlessly into the first team, but at times when Simon Francis strides forward or Danny Forrest cuts inside you look at the future with an optimism that I have never felt at City. I cannot be alone in this. There is anticipation at Valley Parade that last night manifested itself in the best atmosphere at the ground for a good few years.
Who would have thought that after 100 years it would come to this? Having something to look forward to?
Man of the Match
You
If you went and shouted well done. Best atmosphere at Valley Parade for ages.