Match Report: Bradford (Park Avenue) 1-1 Redcar Athletic

An early Steelmen goal is a tale that has spanned this entire campaign, and it is what happened once again at the Horsfall Stadium

Permutations are becoming clearer and clearer, with the only thing separating us from the title being just 3 points.

You can always look at past matches and ask what could have been, but the only important thing is now, Wednesday night, when we host Matlock Town.

For now, though, it is a recap of Saturday.

Stunning weather saw us head to Bradford to take on a side who, at the Holou, we hammered 4-1

But, with team selections having drastically changed, and circumstances becoming more potent, the recent result was a lot closer.

A decent side from both sides, though neither of us could get a shot on target in the first five minutes

But in the 6th, that changed, as Mark Anderson lofted a spectacular ball over the top of Bradford’s defence that Bosh met, controlled and placed past the keeper to give us that early lead

We began peppering their defence with more chances, winning a decent free kick as Brad Fewster was fouled, and then having one of the best chances this campaign as Adam Boyes punced on a loose pass back, he went wround the keeper and squared it along the face of goal, but his pass narrowly evaded a charging Brad Fewster, meaning the ball came out the other side with Bradford dealing with it.

We had another chance after that, with Bosh nearly reaching a lofted ball into the box that Bradford’s keeper reached first.

Another free kick was won by Fewster, this one lofted into the area, but again, Bradford’s defence dealt with it.

JJ Bartliff then halted a Bradford PA counter as he sprinted across the pitch to put in a brilliant tackle and clearance

Bradford began to enter the game after the half-hour mark, as Mazfari pulled out a superb stop to keep them at bay, as a strike was hit on the half volley across goal, that Josh stuck a hand out to, pushing it away from the goal.

That save was the last bit of action, as the game started to dull down, and the last chance came as a passing move for the Steelmen was intercepted just before it entered the box.

That saw the break come, with us narrowly beating the hosts.

The next 45′ saw Bradford show why they are challenging for the play-offs, as they began to create many more chances.

Somewhat frustratingly, though, their players began to start pining for anything, with every challenge being screamed about, and every ball out of play being begged for

We were still holding our own, though, with Bryan Taylor whipping a dangerous ball into the box that Bradford just about dealt with

At the back, Dan Rowe made a pair of quality tackles, allowing us to counter, which resulted in a wide free kick after substitute Curtis Round was fouled.

We passed the hour mark, but our lead was dismantled soon after that, as in the 66th minute, they put a ball into the box that we couldn’t deal with. They shot, Mazfari saved, but on the rebound, we couldn’t clear again, and Bradford bundled the ball into the net.

That goal did kickstart Bradford, as Mazfari was called into more action, making some solid stops.

We hadn’t given up, though, with Owen Burns, brought on for Mark Anderson, having some great chances, with the best seeing him receive the ball on the right before working his way into the area, where his strike narrowly went wide.

The final ten minutes saw us have more chances, though John Howard, Curtis Round and Mark Anderson all saw their attempts go wide, high, or into the keeper’s gloves, and it meant that when the full-time whistle went, we had to settle for a point each.

In the scale of the season, there can be no complaints about that point, and with only three needed at any stage between now and the end of the season, it really does seem like it is “when” not “if” we win the title

Up next is the aforementioned Matlock match, and what a match it looks to be. There are a whole host of facts and figures to go with it, but that will be saved for the match preview

If you’re going to get to one match this week, then let it be that one. See you there, and up the Steelmen!