Match Report: Port Vale 2-1 Bradford City

Match Report: Port Vale 2-1 Bradford City

Goals from Theo Robinson and captain Tom Conlon secured a 2-1 comeback victory for Port Vale over Bradford City, as we made it nine games on the spin without a defeat.

Clayton Donaldson had given the visitors the lead, before Robinson’s equaliser and Conlon’s penalty turned the game on its head.

Scott Brown had to be on his toes in the early stages to prevent Charles Vernam from giving the visitors a third minute lead, when he pushed away the Bantams forward’s strike before Leon Legge stooped Clayton Donaldson’s cross over the bar.

It was Tom Conlon who had Vale’s first effort on target of the day after 13 minutes, when David Worrall’s ball into the box found the Vale skipper, but his looped header went in straight into the arms of Sam Hornby.

But just sixty seconds later the visitors took the lead, when a swift Bradford counter-attack resulted in Andy Cook squaring the ball to Donaldson, who fired the ball into the roof of the net from six-yards, leaving the Valiants to find a response.

And find a response we did, when Theo Robinson grabbed the equaliser two minutes later after Luke Joyce played the ball through to the striker, who was on hand to strike the ball into the bottom corner from eight yards to level the match up.

As the game reached the half-hour mark, Donaldson thought he was in for his second goal of the game with Brown off his line, but his tame effort was gathered by our number one.

But immediately at the other end of the pitch, Nathan Smith was brought down inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot with Conlon having the chance to reach double figures for the season.

And the skipper made no mistake, hitting his penalty straight down the middle, with Hornby already committed to diving to his left, with the Valiants now in front with just over ten minutes of the half remaining.

Conlon was immediately on the lookout for his second goal of the game with Vale’s next attack, when the ball sat up favourably for the half-volley, but his scuffed effort forced a save out of Hornby before the Bradford goalkeeper gathered the attempt at the second time of asking, ensuring that the Valiants advantage remained at one goal at the break.

It was Bradford who had the first real effort of the second-half, when Scott Brown got down well to Andy Cook’s low-driven effort from inside the box, before the ball was cleared from danger.

Substitute David Amoo thought he had an appeal for a penalty in the 77th minute, when his effort was blocked by what could have been the arm of a Bantams defender, but the referee signalled for a corner, from which Shaun Brisley had the opportunity on the half-volley, but his effort flew over Hornby’s crossbar.

Robinson had the opportunity to finish the contest off with eight minutes of normal time remaining, when Amoo broke away from the Bradford defence, before laying it off to Robinson on the edge of the box, whose first time effort was gathered by Hornby.

But two goals in the first-half was enough to see the Valiants to another three points, ahead of next weekend's trip to Grimsby Town.

 

Port Vale: Brown, Worrall (Montano 71’), Smith, Legge, Brisley, Gibbons, Joyce, Whitehead (Burgess 62’), Conlon, Robinson (Pope 91'), Swan (Amoo 62’).

Unused subs: Scott, Olagunju, Montano, Hurst.

Bradford City: Hornby, Sutton, Wood, O’Connor, Cooke, Crankshaw (Evans 39’), Watt, Vernam (Foulds 64’), Cook, Donaldson (Novak 71’).

Unused subs: O’Donnell, Cousin-Dawson, Scales, Stevens.