Bradford City 0-0 Leyton Orient

Written by Lee Pasquariello

There are some football matches that leave you buzzing long after the final whistle. There are others that leave you completely frustrated.

City’s clash today against Leyton Orient in the first game of the Michael Duff era was firmly in the latter category. It was a truly terrible game of football with very little quality, a golden opportunity that went begging, and an opposition determined to ruin the game from the first whistle. Add in a referee who did absolutely nothing to manage the game, and it made for a thoroughly forgettable afternoon.

The biggest, and only clear chance of the match fell to Adam Phillips. Stationed perfectly, he was unfortunately unable to find the back of the net, hitting the crossbar instead.

In tight matches like this, where clear cut chances are very limited, ruthlessness is absolutely crucial. You don’t have to dominate the game for the full 90 minutes, but you must make these moments count.

That failure to convert was particularly painful. In a scrappy afternoon of half-chances, that is the single moment that stands out. It genuinely should have been the spark to turn a dull afternoon into three vital points.

Orient’s tactics were hardly a surprise given their recent slump of just one win in seven games in all competitions. They were clearly happy to play for a point, but the manner in which they executed their plan made for an incredibly irritating watch.

Right from the opening minute, they set out to disrupt the flow of the game. Constant stoppages and delays meant that every time City built up some momentum, it was instantly killed off.

The referee did little to help matters, allowing Orient to get away with these tactics unchecked. There were no warnings issued to the Orient players for blatant timewasting. This felt particularly bizarre given the EFL’s supposed clampdown on the practice. Though to be fair, we hear about these clampdowns every season, only to watch the same antics go unpunished weekly.

While there is little point in pinning the result entirely on the official, given we still had the biggest chance to win the game ourselves, the officiating definitely added to the afternoon’s frustrations.

For City, a point isn’t a disaster as it keeps us second in the table. Yet many supporters leaving Valley Parade will surely be thinking “what could have been” if that Phillips chance had gone in.

Michael Duff now has a full week on the training pitch with the squad before we face Stevenage next weekend. Given they are another side notorious for using disruption tactics, it will be interesting to see how Duff prepares the team to counter them. Hopefully, next week we can secure all three points and keep our promotion charge progressing nicely.