A night of real encouragement as Bradford City's revised plan delivers a thumping away win

09/17/2024 05:15 PM

By Jason McKeown

There's a plan. Not the plan Bradford City started the season with. Not the plan Graham Alexander wanted to follow. But there's promising evidence here that this is a plan which could work.

Four. Four. Effing Two. Or maybe it was a 4-2-2-2, with wide midfielders playing very narrow. It was certainly four at the back, bite in midfield, a dangerous front two – all leading to a very handsome Bradford City win. With the defensive injury crisis leaving Alexander with no choice but to reshuffle, maybe he's inadvertently found something. Three away defeats in a row had preceded this (if you include a penalty loss to Grimsby in the Carabao). But the rot was stopped emphatically. With two cleverly worked first half goals and a brilliant late third, City have doubled their away wins for the season.  

Of course, Football League Trophy performances always come with asterisks. A pinch of salt needed. League One Mansfield had made eight changes. They opted to play centre forward Jordan Bowery as centre back. The Stags have only once got past the group stage of the EFL Trophy since Nigel Clough took charge in 2020. He does not seem to care much for this competition, introducing academy players from the bench during the second half as though this were a pre-season friendly.

But City do take this competition seriously, and Alexander has used it as a platform to try new strategies. Last season, he picked a strong side for a dead rubber final group game with Barnsley and trialled with notable success a three at the back approach that he's since stuck with, at least until now. Like Clough, Alexander made eight changes too, but he will take a lot from this victory and performance. The sour taste of Saturday's late loss at Walsall beginning to fade.

There was much to like, as City set the tone from the off. Less than three minutes had been played when they took the lead. Richie Smallwood pressed effectively and forced a mistake. Olly Sanderson pounced on the loose pass, linked up well with his captain, and the ball was worked out wide to Alex Pattison to cross from Vadaine Oliver to head home.

It was Oliver's first goal since netting for City against Liverpool's kids last December. Only his sixth ever goal for Bradford City in fact. Although this was also just his 15th-ever start for the club since joining in 2022. Big V is operating in the shadows once more, but delivered a performance here to suggest he could start breathing down Andy Cook's neck. Get his head right and attitude right, and Oliver has a part to play.

The goal gave City a good platform. The midfield was compact, which gave Mansfield an awful lot of the ball in deep areas – but not so much space to get it forward. The two centre half loanees Jack Shepherd and Cheick Diabate were reassuringly solid. Shepherd won so much in the air, whilst Diabate was adept bringing it out from the back. He also made one crucial clearance off the line – the only time all night you feared Mansfield might score. Back up full backs Jay Benn and Lewis Richards were decent too.

Moving away from 3-5-2 did see City lose some of the qualities that has made them so effective under Alexander. On some occasions they lacked width, which meant they struggled to stretch the play. If this was a home game against defensive opponents playing a low block, where City have all the possession, this sort of set up might leave the Bantams too rigid and easy to surpress. You have to question whether Tyreik Wright – rested here – could play as a more traditional left back, which this formation demands. Richards gave the defensive solidity that was needed, but is not as effective as Wright going forwards. A dilemma for Alexander for sure.

But what City partially lost in width they made up for with effective close linking up through the middle. There was some really nice stuff played, as short interchanging of passing saw Joe Adams, Pattison and Bobby Pointon prove a constant menace, ably supported by Smallwood. The Bantams routinely got themselves into three vs two situations in the middle of the park and would pass their way through to a shot on goal. The set up suited all four midfielders, who clearly all want to play centrally rather than out wide. With Sanderson once again proving effective at dropping deep to link up with them.

City thrived from playing on the counter attack and carried a consistent attacking threat. They could and should have netted more goals. Sanderson was played through one-on-one but was denied by Mansfield keeper Scott Flinders when he probably should have scored. Diabete and Oliver also sent presentable chances wide. Their greater attacking threat soon paid off again though. Oliver sent a good ball over to Richards, who delivered a cross that Sanderson nodded into the path of the late surging Pointon. He couldn't miss, and he didn't. 2-0, and not even half time.

The pattern continued after the break. Patient Mansfield passing that would eventually led to the ball being worked into the final third, but which ultimately went nowhere. City defended deep, Smallwood ably protecting the back four, with Pattison happy to go in where it hurts alongside. City players bombed forward when they won the turnovers. A brightness and a rhythm that offers encouraging answers to questions over strength in depth. Even if the fact Smallwood once again couldn't be rested up invited genuine terror every time any Mansfield player went in to tackle him.

The chances almost all came from City. They produced a whopping 17 attempts at goal – more than double their higher league hosts. Adams had a low effort and later a powerful header saved by Flinders. Substitute Calum Kavanagh – back from injury – delivered a superb curling effort from distance that drew a fine tip over from the veteran Mansfield goalkeeper. Late on, some more excellent build up play from City saw Andy Cook dummy the ball for fellow sub Clarke Oduor to fire home and make it 3-0.

The scoreline did not flatter City. Colin Doyle was a spectator all night, with the home side managing just one shot on target. It's the first time Mansfield have lost at home since April. They were a mixture of poor and disinterested. City were excellent. Really, really good. So much to like. Even with that pinch of salt applied.     

And so they end the night top of Group H on four points, with Rotherham (three points) and Newcastle Under 21s (two points) due to play their game in hand in early October, and then Mansfield vs Newcastle kids just before Halloween. City don't need to think about this competition again until early November, when Steve Evans’ Millers come to town. By that point, they might already be through (all they need is for Newcastle Under 21s to fail to win both of their remaining games).

What matters for City of course is the league, with AFC Wimbledon heading North at the weekend – a side who have won four of their last five games (the one they didn't win, a penalty shootout league cup victory at home to Premier League Ipswich). It's undoubtedly City's toughest home game so far. But they go into it in much greater heart because of this.

They have a plan. Maybe not the most revolutionary of plans. But a plan that suggests they can adapt to their injury woes. If on Saturday they can carry on where they left off here, it could be a plan that goes some way to addressing the doubts that have resurfaced over City's promotion credentials.