Typical really. You pen a thoughtful fanzine article detailing why Paul Dickov deserves more time, then come the day you sell it his team deliver a performance that is inexcusably abject.
It is easy to see how Bradford – who were effective but far from spectacular – have given greater sides than ours headaches this season. In your face from the start, pressing, harrying, battling, balanced with flashes of impressive skill, chiefly from Billy Clarke.
Rovers’ defence dealt with Bradford admirably before half time, but crumbled after it. City took the lead when Gary Mackenzie smashed home the loose ball after a couple of blocked efforts and a general failure to clear. Within ten minutes it was 2-0; a ball through the gap set James Hanson away and though Luke McCullough got back to challenge him the only person waiting for the free ball was Clarke who fired home. Like many home fans, I heard the third goal from outside.
Rovers only telling chance came from their most miserable of performers; Curtis Main neatly sidestepping his man on the edge of the box to rifle a shot off the angle of post and bar. Sadly, his other 89 minutes and 40 seconds of ‘involvement’ were spent inanely jumping for lost causes and looking for fouls that weren’t ever there.
At one point in the first half Main carefully and methodically dribbled the ball away from goal and out for a throw-in. By doing so he inadvertently encapsulated Rovers’ game in a nutshell – a pointless meander in a hopeless direction.
by Glen Wilson
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