Match Report 2002-2003
Saturday 5 April, 2003, Division One
Millwall at Valley Parade
City in danger of making it interesting
City are safe, well, City should be safe, but Nicky Law's men are determined to make hard work of the last mile.
The Bantams have been stuck on the 49 point mark for two weeks. We should have burst through it today against Millwall but a non-committal performance prevented us from getting the win and in typical Millwall style, we got sucker punched.
Neil Harris got the goal that gave the Lions the win. I find it hard to say a hard word against Harris, a player who's career I have followed from City's interest in him in 1999 through cancer and back into the game. He is admirable for that recovery and spirit at least and while I'd rather he had not rose in the left centre of the box to head home with 90 minutes on the clock I'm glad it was him of all the men in blue.
The fact that City were in such a position as to lose was down to a performance that seemed to lack the courage of it's convictions. The Bantams eased forward all game and by the time Harris got his goal City had had the vast majority of the attacking play.
Claus Jorgensen saw a header bounce wide, Danny Forrest showed the skills of Rooney but found Tony Warner standing tall in the Millwall goal yet City never seemed committed to getting the goal and had a fear of losing that caught up at the end.
Not that one could fault individual Bantams, although Aidan Davison bizarrely got man of the match despite the fact that in the opinion of this humble reporter he is lacking at this level, but rather the attitude, which became a balmy summers day but not a First Division football game.
After Millwall had scored Andy Gray had City's best chance saved by Warner impressively as the Bantams had to get a goal, which never came. Apply that energy to the first minute and you have a win, apply that energy in the first minute and you have Manchester United.
So City will get the win or draws that assure First Division status some other time but with a home game against Portsmouth and three on the road including Sheffield United it's hard to see Law's side breaking 60 points to show real on-the-field progress on last year's 55 which is a shame because the spirit shown this season deserves such recognition.
Spirit though, takes you only so far and for the rest you need inspiration and commitment and although one would not accuse the Bantams of lacking that, we lacked that little extra today.
Man of the Match
Paul Reid
I'm warming to the Aussie. Technically he is excellent and even though the pace of the game is beyond him at times his head never drops and he always makes himself available for his team mates.