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A resident of Harrogate, the Bradford City manager has noticed the proliferation of people wearing the yellow and black striped shirts of the city’s Conquest club – which was in full bloom in a golden 2020 – when to walk in the vast public park of the spa town
McCall may have praised Harrogate Town’s remarkable rise, but he was understandably keen to prevent Simon Weaver’s team from writing another page of their fascinating history in a place where visitors don’t could only have dreamed of going out for a championship game a few years ago
Unfortunately for him he was duly classified by an impressive Harrogate side who fully deserved to cap his first league visit to BD8 with a maiden derby day win
The breakthrough for basking a perfect day away came 16 minutes from when the excellent Lloyd Kerry shot down Jack Muldoon’s low center
McCall spoke about Harrogate’s winning mentality and stylish football ahead of the game and it was featured against his team
He also called Town the first half of Ligue 2 squad and it was hard to dispute his feelings
For his counterpart, Simon Weaver, it was an evening he should really enjoy
Weaver’s two previous experiences at Valley Parade as a Harrogate coach are the ones he has the right to instantly forget with his side losing to Eccleshill United in the West Riding County Cup final in 2014 , then beaten in the centerpiece against Bradford Park Avenue two years later
This latest visit, in front of a nationwide TV audience watching, was far more awe-inspiring in a reunion that any contact with Harrogate will instantly have circled when the matches are out Also, it’s a shame that their subscribers weren’t able to witness it in person
Weaver had spoken of the dangers of seeing his players « under starry eyes » before kick-off, but there was little evidence of that on a night when they took the game to City and had no luck whatsoever. look impressed
Their pace of work was prodigious and their approach work was precise and thorough, especially on the left of Bradford
It was this particular avenue that produced Harrogate’s best first-half chance in the 33rd minute when former City player Jon Stead had the kind of opportunity he had dinner on all of. throughout his career
Muldoon’s in-form cross was perfect and Stead got a good connection with a firm header on the down but Richard O’Donnell was tied and made a nice reaction save to reduce the bound effort to goal
O’Donnell had already shown his mettle in making a brave block to stop Stead from forcing the rebound after knocking back Kerry’s strike from a distance
The town captain also had to be vigilant to return a crossfire from the bustling George Thomson in no time at all as Harrogate pressed from the start
The visitors were showing better levels of possession, but City carried a threat on the break and occasionally found themselves between the lines in a watchable deal that produced a plethora of chances
Top scorer Lee Novak’s half volley made for a clever reaction stop from James Belshaw and the city keeper was also in the right place to block a fierce strike from Clayton Donaldson
Novak planted a wide header before the break, while marauder Ryan Fallowfield was off target on the other end in a half where all that was missing was a goal.
McCall’s interval decision to kick Gareth Evans out – gave his first start since returning to City – and toss Callum Cooke was a testament to Harrogate’s dominance in midfield, which he felt obligated to treat
Cook had the opportunity to play a revealing hand shortly after the resumption, but pulled a low shot alongside an inviting goal after Donaldson’s clever work
Despite spending a lot of energy in the first half, Harrogate didn’t give in to their high-octane approach and kept asking questions
Having a rhythm option on the bench at Austin Samuels was a tantalizing option for McCall and he was warming up soon
Considering the amount of yelling McCall shouted at his players, it was clear he wasn’t too happy, with Fallowfield causing his side issues in particular.
A breakthrough for both camps proved stubbornly elusive with the arrival of Samuels on the scene, but the key development would come elsewhere
Harrogate’s threatened goal came in a refined way when Kerry returned the ball up close and Bradford couldn’t complain
A header from substitute Brendan Kiernan almost gave Harrogate a two-goal cushion, while Samuels missed his chance to shine when he was rebellious with late luck
City of Bradford: O’Donnell; French, A O’Connor, Staunton, Wood; Watt, Sutton, Evans (Cooke 45), Clarke (Samuels 69); Donaldson (Guthrie 81), Novak Subs not used: Hornby, Hosannah, Richards-Everton, Pritchard
Town of Harrogate: Belshaw; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson, Falkingham, Kerry, Miller; Stead (Martin 80), Muldoon (Kiernan 83) Subs not used: Cracknell, Jones, Kirby, Walker
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Harrogate Town AFC, Bradford City AFC, Lloyd Kerry, Simon Weaver, Stuart McCall, Bradford City Ticket Office, EFL League Two
World News – UK – Bradford City 0 Harrogate Town 1 – Lloyd Kerry’s golden finish is assured local bragging rights
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
