For much of the first half our performance was sadly on a par with recent home games. Browning was embarrassingly off the pace, Purches and Spicer were unable to compensate for the absence of O’Connor on the left, and Elliott, despite seeing plenty of the ball, seemed low in confidence and posed little threat. Bradford, with nothing to play for, seemed to be the more motivated side, and it required a good tip-over by Moss from a deflected shot to prevent them taking an early lead. With 15 minutes gone we produced our only noteworthy effort of the half, Ricketts producing a fine reaction save to deny Browning after Fletcher’s knock down.
Minutes later Windass gave Bradford the lead, when he was quickest to a waist high cross and volleyed past Moss from 10 yards out. Just before half time a combination of idiotic play from Stock and great technique from Schumacher saw Bradford double their lead. Stock’s attempt to deal with an awkwardly dropping ball with a “clever” flick teed the ball up perfectly for the Bradford midfielder to strike an unstoppable dipping volley beyond Moss from 20 yards out.
Browning summed up his contribution to the proceedings with a pathetic attempt at a dive that fooled no one, least of all the referee who quite correctly produced the yellow card.
HT: 2-0
We started the second half with a little more purpose, but it required an athletic tip-over from Moss to keep any semblance of hope alive. We needed a little luck to change the pattern of the game, and got it when Hayter ran on to a long clearance from Moss and got his heels clipped by a defender, giving us a free kick just outside the box on the Bournemouth right. Stock curled the ball in low and, much as Windass had done for the Bradford opener, Hayter was quickest to react and fired the ball first time past Ricketts from close range.
Remarkably, within a couple of minutes we were level, and even more surprisingly it came from a well taken corner, Stock picking out Mills with a low driven ball which the big man side footed calmly inside the post via a slight deflection. Having seen their team under little pressure for an hour, the Bradford fans must have been a little stunned to find themselves back on level terms in such a short space of time.
Suddenly we remembered that we’re actually quite good when we play to our strengths and attack teams, and Bradford were forced onto the back foot as Spicer, Purches and Elliott took the chance to run at opponents whose confidence was clearly shaken by their sudden reversal of fortunes. Stock dragged a left-foot shot just past the far post after some good approach play from Spicer and Purches, and minutes later it seemed that Spicer had completed the turn-around, side footing in Elliott’s low cross from close range.
Behind the goal isn’t the best position to judge such things, but it seemed that Spicer was behind Elliott when the ball was crossed and the offside flag came as a surprise, not least to the three Bournemouth players who were still celebrating the “goal” well after Bradford had taken their free kick and were mounting an attack. Windass got the ball on the edge of the box and beat Moss with a well-placed shot inside the post. It was a fateful couple of minutes that may yet prove crucial in deciding the outcome of our season.
Bournemouth kept up the attacking pressure in what was now a much more entertaining game. An overhead kick from a narrow angle by Hayter was fumbled by Ricketts, but Fletcher failed to react quickly enough to scramble the ball in. Minutes later Hayter was frustratingly close to working another opening but had his shot blocked.
With 11 minutes left Connell replaced Fletcher, but the move seemed to cause the team to lose momentum and we seldom threatened in the closing minutes. To add to the frustration Bradford broke away at the end and added a fourth, Windass completing his hat trick with a header that Moss parried only for it to drop behind him and roll into the net, to huge excitement from the home fans who deemed it worthy of a pitch invasion, causing some of us to suggest that the referee should abandon the game!
At the end the blow was softened a little by the news that Brentford and Hartlepool had both lost. Does anybody actually want to get into the play-offs?
John Spicer for taking the lead in driving the team forward in the second half.AFCB: Moss, Simek, Howe, Mills, Purches, Spicer, Stock, Browning, Stock, Elliott, Hayter, Fletcher
Subs: Stewart, Maher, Rodrigues, Young (for Stock, 89), Connell (for Fletcher, 90)
Richard Barker, Leyton