A comfortable night for Bradford City keeps another Wembley dream alive

01/14/2025 04:41 PM

By Jason McKeown

All a bit weird this. All a bit easy too. Thousands of light blue seats sat dormant as a mismatched cup tie took place in a stadium ludicrously too big for the low key occasion. The Aston Villa Under 21s players – the majority of who statistically won’t make it to true senior football – can at least say they’ve played a competitive game at Villa Park. But in truth, they won’t take too many positive memories from this experience.

Because it really was men against boys. Graham Alexander picked a strong Bradford City team. He wasn’t messing. Neither were his players. They imposed their physical presence. They displayed their greater experience and know how. It was a bit of a thrashing. Villa’s kids were routinely cut open. The play it out from the back philosophy almost cruelly ripped apart by City’s increasingly effective press. Bantam crosses and corners – and, crikey, there were plenty – regularly finding the head of those in white shirts.

City scored early through Calum Kavanagh heading home Richie Smallwood’s corner. They scored again very soon after, when Villa keeper Oliweir Zych made a hash of claiming a Bobby Pointon corner, allowing Jack Shepherd to stab the loose ball home. And though they conceded – because City always concede and rarely keep clean sheets – they scored again straight after. Another Pointon corner, and a headed goal from Callum Johnson on his belated debut.

There could and should have been plenty more. Every time City went forward in the first half, they tore through Villa with almost embarrassing ease. It was not a competitive cup tie. At times it wasn’t even a half decent training session. 10 corners won inside the first 30 minutes, 12 shots on goal by half time.

For context, Aston Villa’s Under 21s are second bottom of Premier League 2. Just two wins all season, 28 goals conceded in 10 games. Results suggest they are not a good academy side, and here they were absolutely no match for an increasingly on song League Two Bantams. The biggest mystery of the night was how they’d got this far in this competition in first place.

Certainly choosing to play this tie at an echoey, deserted Villa Park did them no favours. It was odd to do it this way. And it was surreal to watch Bradford City back at the scene of one of the greatest nights in their history. The biggest disappointment was no one scored for City at the James Hanson end in the second half.

Villa did improve after half time. Or maybe City took their foot off the gas. Sam Walker made a brilliant save at one point. But the pattern of City looking dangerous every time they came forward was still evident. If they’d really wanted to, they could have seriously embarrassed their youthful opponents. Instead they held back, their place in the next round assured.

In truth we don’t learn too much new. Other than that City’s own young crop – Pointon and Kavanagh – arguably look better than Villa’s Premier League prospects of the same age. Clarke Oduor came in for the rest Antoni Sarcevic and had a mixed night – the fact he was selected ahead of Jamie Walker further signs that the Scot is no longer in Alexander’s plans. Walker and Vadaine Oliver did at least get some second half minutes.

City’s ambition to do well in this competition is evident in the team selected here, ahead of an important League Two match on Saturday. The reward is that City are in the last eight of the competition for the second year in a row. And on this form, they will fill fancy going further than last season and reaching Wembley.

It was a night of momentum building. Of confidence boosting. Of continuing the feel good factor of a successful Christmas period, and an encouraging start to the transfer window. Pleasant, drama-free and all together very easy. And that, for Bradford City, is all a bit weird.