Bradford City 2-0 Stevenage

written by Lee Pasquariello

Michael Duff gets his first win as Bradford City manager, with two goals in the space of 8 minutes securing all three points for the Bantams.

Following a frustrating 0-0 draw against Leyton Orient last week in Duff’s first game, City responded with a much improved performance to get his first win. There are still areas where things need work, but overall this was a pretty positive afternoon, and an encouraging step forward.

There were signs of continuity as well as change in City’s performance. The familiar foundations of our play were still there, but we looked a lot quicker going forward and more willing to get the ball in the box.

The finishing could do with some work though, and City on another day could’ve had more than the two goals. However, City had to keep pushing, and against a side as stubborn as Stevenage, the lack of a clinical edge made it more difficult than it needed to be.

Stevenage proved difficult opponents to break down. Similar to last week, their approach was to frustrate City, disrupt the flow of the match and make things as uncomfortable and frustrating as possible for us.

Time wasting was once again part of the afternoon, but at the same time for Stevenage their back line was making life difficult for City’s attackers. Most notably, captain Carl Piergianni, who had a very good game as nothing was getting past him. City needed patience as well as quality to finally find a breakthrough.

It was a familiar feeling to the Leyton Orient game last week, however City this time managed to find the answer in the second half.

Antoni Sarcevic’s well taken penalty and Will Swan striking just 8 minutes later gave City some much needed breathing room. The two goals turned a stubborn, frustrating contest into a routine win. After working hard to get past Stevenage’s back line, City finally gave themselves the rewards we deserved.

It is still early days to really draw any conclusions about Michael Duff’s time at Valley Parade, but it was an encouraging result and a useful first win as manager.

There were clear signs that City are still building on the foundations set out by Graham Alexander, while the quicker attacking play and more crosses into the box brought a glimpse of what Duff can add to the side as well.

The finishing remains an area for improvement, but wins like this are exactly what will do us good if we want to be up there at the end of the season. Most importantly, Duff has his first win, and City move to the top of the table.