The Bantams wait: Bradford (A) 6/3/21, 3pm KO

[officer_dibble]

We might just run out of games for the automatics but I wouldn’t want to play us in the play offs.

[The_Gun]

If that’s the best this league has to throw at us between now and may we’ve a great chance of going up.

I strongly suspect that isn’t the best this league has to throw at us. Bradford were ok in the first half, but offered feck all second half and looked a mid-table team to me.

Good performance overall, but that’s two vital points dropped.

[irie Cee Bee]

Dominant 2nd half. We looked a really good side. Credit to Bradford for fighting back after going down. Best match I have seen for the season between 2 good sides.

Starting today we are playing the better sides in the Division. We certainly don't look out of place. In fact, if we continue to play this well, getting out of the division is a real possibility.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Cambridge massive.

Themselves the beneficiaries of a last minute goal today against a lowly Walsall side. But grabbing all three points and not just one.

Cambridge are second, but since we went down there and ended their three-game winning run, they've only put together two consecutive wins on two occasions – one involving Grimsby, one involving Barrow. I suspect they've been doing Just Enough On Most Occasions. Indeed, they haven't beaten any team currently above 11th since Salford, just before Bonfire Night.
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[Harry Genshaw]

Bradford were ok in the first half, but offered feck all second half and looked a mid-table team to me.

Good performance overall, but that’s two vital points dropped.

Wasnt that down to us? We controlled the game and they couldnt do anything about it. Let's not forget the form they were in going into the game. Just a shame we looked so raggedy arsed after we went 1 up.

[Bruce Rioja]

Cambridge are second, but since we went down there and ended their three-game winning run, they've only put together two consecutive wins on two occasions – one involving Grimsby, one involving Barrow. I suspect they've been doing Just Enough On Most Occasions.

Got lucky three times today, I see. That's just gotta run out!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Cambridge are second, but since we went down there and ended their three-game winning run, they've only put together two consecutive wins on two occasions – one involving Grimsby, one involving Barrow. I suspect they've been doing Just Enough On Most Occasions.

Got lucky three times today, I see. That's just gotta run out!

As I edited the post (too late) to say, they haven't beaten any team currently above 11th since Salford, just before Bonfire Night.

[DJBlu]

If the response from Bradford fans on twitter is anything to go by then they're over the moon with that. Almost their cup final. I'd be thanking our lucky stars we got something.

[Bertie Wooster]

Great performance against an inform Bradford, we dominated the game and looked a division above them for most of the game today.
Good strike though at the end from the Bradford lad, we are the best team in League 2 by far and if they play like that today we could even get automatic promotion, we looked like a top 3 side today IMO

However I've said before Doyle needs 4 or 5 chances to score, we should have been out of sight before their injury time equaliser but I would have take a point before. But if we are to really improve next season in either League 2 or if lucky League 1 then we need a better striker than Doyle, as this team creates chances its just unfortunate that Doyle misses a lot of sitters. Doyle works his arse off and I like him but he just isn't a natural out & out goal scorer for me, although his goals last season for Swindon make that statement look stupid. I actually think that Doyle is the weak link now that we are really finding our feet & playing well, he's poor in the air and Miller is a better finisher.

[nicholaldo]

Doyle would be fine if we played to his strengths. He's still scoring at a rate of almost one in two even though we aren't.

The last-minute equaliser was a kick in the cock but I feel more confident we'll reach the play-offs now than I did before. We desperately need to find a way to convert good positions into clear cut goal-scoring opportunities, though.

[The_Gun]

I hope Evatt isn’t slapping the players on the back now. We need to have the mentality of champions if we want to make the playoffs.

[TANGODANCER]

All I had was B.N text commentary to go off, so this is only an opinion as such and quite happy to be corrected. . At 0-0 and minutes to go I wasn't overly disappointed despite all our domination. When we scored I was ecstatic and, quite frankly, as I saw it,we then blew it.No other way to say it. The points were in the bag and our golden key to the heights was ours. Not the end of the world by any means, but like Evatt says, points mean prizes however much we console ourselves we just let two slip away. . We'll get over it, but I just hope it doesn't stop our run. We're no t the best finishers in the world, are we?

[KeyserSoze]

I hope Evatt isn’t slapping the players on the back now. We need to have the mentality of champions if we want to make the playoffs.

What would you have him do instead? Teacups across the dressing room? I'm sure he won't be happy but I don't think a riot act needs reading. The players played well and will likely be as gutted as us. That needs to be acknowledged by manager as well as the disappointing reality. Some might even respond better to a quiet word separately, and it's the response that is key, not the post-match dressing room dressing down itself.

I doubt the 11 out there today need reminding how bad it feels to get pegged back on the time, and I doubt a firecracker up the arse by IE will really be necessary, and may even be counterproductive. We controlled this game and paid the price for missing chances. They should be frustrated. Now, take out the frustration on that punt-bothering lot coming up midweek.

[officer_dibble]

Thought Declan John really made a difference second half. When he looks up and gets moving we don’t half look dangerous. Fancy us Tuesday, surely someone is due a pasting?

[The_Gun]

I hope Evatt isn’t slapping the players on the back now. We need to have the mentality of champions if we want to make the playoffs.

What would you have him do instead? Teacups across the dressing room? I'm sure he won't be happy but I don't think a riot act needs reading. The players played well and will likely be as gutted as us. That needs to be acknowledged by manager as well as the disappointing reality. Some might even respond better to a quiet word separately, and it's the response that is key, not the post-match dressing room dressing down itself.

I doubt the 11 out there today need reminding how bad it feels to get pegged back on the time, and I doubt a firecracker up the arse by IE will really be necessary, and may even be counterproductive. We controlled this game and paid the price for missing chances. They should be frustrated. Now, take out the frustration on that punt-bothering lot coming up midweek.

No I agree, but I just think there’s a risk of taking too much satisfaction in a performance without a result. I’m not suggesting he should be going mental at the team, just making sure they know we need to be winning when we’re in situations like that.

[Bertie Wooster]

We are a very decent footballing team now who dominate games, but the lack of goals may eventually stop us going up. Up until the final third we are clearly head & shoulders above everyone else in this league, but our lack of goals is really poor. How many goals from outside the box, how many headers from set pieces / corners.

Evatt has the got the team buzzing & playing a decent standard of football but we are very poor in the final 3rd - we need half a dozen clear cut chances to score a goal & this is our achilles heel IMO, an Andy Walker, John McGinley or a Nathan Blake in this side and we would be a shoe in for automatic promotion, for me Doyle just hasn't really impressed all season as he misses some very easy chances almost every game.

[KeyserSoze]

All I had was B.N text commentary to go off, so this is only an opinion as such and quite happy to be corrected. . At 0-0 and minutes to go I wasn't overly disappointed despite all our domination. When we scored I was ecstatic and, quite frankly, as I saw it,we then blew it.No other way to say it. The points were in the bag and our golden key to the heights was ours. Not the end of the world by any means, but like Evatt says, points mean prizes however much we console ourselves we just let two slip away. . We'll get over it, but I just hope it doesn't stop our run. We're no t the best finishers in the world, are we?

I think that's fair tango, but even though the end result was disappointing I'm in an odd way optimistic because if we carry on playing like that there's going to be a lot more to show more it. Properly dominant second half.

[KeyserSoze]

I hope Evatt isn’t slapping the players on the back now. We need to have the mentality of champions if we want to make the playoffs.

What would you have him do instead? Teacups across the dressing room? I'm sure he won't be happy but I don't think a riot act needs reading. The players played well and will likely be as gutted as us. That needs to be acknowledged by manager as well as the disappointing reality. Some might even respond better to a quiet word separately, and it's the response that is key, not the post-match dressing room dressing down itself.

I doubt the 11 out there today need reminding how bad it feels to get pegged back on the time, and I doubt a firecracker up the arse by IE will really be necessary, and may even be counterproductive. We controlled this game and paid the price for missing chances. They should be frustrated. Now, take out the frustration on that punt-bothering lot coming up midweek.

No I agree, but I just think there’s a risk of taking too much satisfaction in a performance without a result. I’m not suggesting he should be going mental at the team, just making sure they know we need to be winning when we’re in situations like that.

Understood. While he is beaming about the performance in the post-match presser I'm pretty sure he'll make it clear to the players the results need to come with it, especially as the games tick on by.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I hope Evatt isn’t slapping the players on the back now. We need to have the mentality of champions if we want to make the playoffs.

What would you have him do instead? Teacups across the dressing room? I'm sure he won't be happy but I don't think a riot act needs reading.

I think it'll be somewhere in the middle. "That sickening feeling of conceding an equaliser? Remember it. Hate it. Work against it. Work to never experience it again. Kill teams off. We were miles the better side out there against the only other team putting any results together. Play like that – and tighten up – and you won't feel disappointment much more."

[KeyserSoze]

Yeah I agree with that, and with that in mind I think we might rip Cambridge a new one midweek...oh dear.