Match Report 2002-2003
Tuesday 29 April, 2003, Division One
Sheffield United Away
This could be the last time
Ndlovu 2-0
We saw Stuart McCall start the Sheffield United lap of honour, but few City fans were in the ground when he finished it. Next week away, then play offs. Resting and squads as they are this could be the last time the best Bradford City player ever takes the field, even if it was in the red and white of Sheffield United. One rumour at Christmas had it that McCall would return as number two to Nicky Law next season. To be honest I doubt that veracity of that story but not the sense of change that is afoot at Valley Parade.
This could be the last time that we see Robert Molenaar and Andy Myers, players signed for the Premiership who are indistinguishable from the dross at the foot of Nationwide Division One. Between the pair of them you can celebrate the header against Forest and a player of a bad season award between them. They will probably get to fade away against Portsmouth on Saturday but the non-committal way that both have put in the last three displays has been appalling.
Aidan Davison, who for me is a decent keeper who makes too many mistakes, will probably be missed by some after a season of earnest displays in which Boaz Myhill proved that at least it could get worse. Claus Jorgensen's autopilot since the Watford game suggests that their is a retained list and he is not on it. That is a shame.
Gus Uhlenbeek might stay but the Barcelona kit got it's last outing today which was a fitting tribute to that fact tat at the end of next week we will never set eyes on Juanjo again.
We have our new generation to think about. We know the names and add to them weekly. Today Kevin Sanasy burst from the bench to lash shots at goal from thirty five yards, confident little guy. Tom Penford came off the bench to show a few moves too. One wonders if the big for both was the chance to say that they were on the same field as the Bantam Legend in the United number eight shirt. Like McCall both were born in Leeds.
Danny Forrest, who had a chance in the first minute that could have turned this game on it's head, seems more of a Dean Windass man. Windass performed well for United and rattled the bar at one point but that belied the first half display of City where the Bantams bossed the game but once again could not turn that pressure into goals. Is it really the lack of Ashley Ward? Probably. What Ward has over Forrest is a good twelve years of experience and at times Fozzie's lack of games shows. The fact that both man and boy are on three for the season is writ large though.
For the record Michael Brown, who is the very type of player that Manchester City throw away only to come back and bite them on the backside, scored twice the second being from a mysterious penalty that managed a late entry for worst decision of the season. Peter Ndlovu got the middle goal and in the end 3-0 flattered the hosts who should go on to better things next season. Good luck to them. They are two or three years down the road of local youngsters that City are following.
As for the Bantams it is Portsmouth then the new broom.