Crawley Town vs Bradford City proved to be a dismal affair for the 509 City fans that made the trip south. The Bantams collapse was foreseen, as the team have struggled to imprint any dominance in recent games.
Crawley Town vs Bradford City Has Pushed the Bantams Further Back in Their Pursuit of Promotion
Despite having the majority of the possession, the lack of creativity was once again obvious. Taking nothing away from Crawley, the Bradford side made it easy for the home team. The City team, lacking in every department, could not seem to stop Crawley from carving through the timid defence.
Bradford City Were Plodding Along but This Defeat Is a Direct Wake-Up Call for Gary Bowyer
In the previous season, former managers would point out the number of points left to play for. However, eventually, the games ran out relegating Bradford City. Will history repeat itself as the Bantams chase automatic promotion? Each defeat leaves them teetering on the edge. Third place is still achievable but the recent performances are suggesting a fight for the play-offs is more likely. Although there is plenty of time to recover from this mid-season lapse. According to the Telegraph and Argus, the City manager was frustrated stating “The areas we got into and the failure to create was particularly frustrating.”
Midfield Is Still a Glaring Issue
The return of Eoin Doyle saw a small shift in the tactics. James Vaughan and Eoin Doyle got the nod to play together upfront, a decision that saw most City fans celebrating. However, it’s the midfield that proves to be Bowyer’s blind spot. The centre of the team was only too easy to carve open. Reeves and Palmer looked miserably out-gunned and could do nothing to supply the front men. However, with Eoin Doyle and James Vaughan at the club, it will be difficult to alter the formation. Doyle is in red hot form and the club captain, Vaughan, will hardly respond well to being dropped. Either one of the aforementioned will be subbed or moved out of position if Bowyer adds another central midfielder to bolster the flimsy pairing of Palmer and Reeves.
The unenviable task of untangling the messy midfield falls to Gary Bowyer. If the City chief fails, the automatic promotion places will fall out of reach sooner rather than later.
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