Friday 3 April 2015
Sky Bet League 1
Doncaster Rovers 0
Bradford City 3 (MacKenzie 55, Clarke 64, McMahon 90+5)
Kick Off: 7.45pm
at the Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance: 8,592 (2,410 visitors)
A brilliant away-day performance from City made it a very good Friday for Phil Parkinson's Bantams as they claimed an important victory at Doncaster Rovers.
Second half goals from Gary MacKenzie, Billy Clarke and Tony McMahon earned City their eighth league win on the road this campaign to keep Parkinson's men well and truly in the hunt for an end-of-season Play-Off spot.
MacKenzie got the ball rolling for City ten minutes after the restart when he swooped to poke the ball home after James Hanson had headed Filipe Morais' far post cross back across goal.
Even better was to come shortly after the hour mark when Hanson latched onto Gary Liddle's hook over the top before teeing up Clarke to fire past Doncaster 'keeper Stephen Bywater from just outside the box.
The Bantams then put the seal on their impressive win deep into stoppage time when McMahon took advantage of a slip from Rovers right back Reece Wabara by calmly slotting past Bywater from the edge of the area.
FT: Doncaster Rovers 0 Bradford City 3
90+5min: GOAL!!!!!! Doncaster Rovers 0 Bradford City 3 - McMahon seals it for the Bantams! A slip in the Doncaster defence from Wabara gives McMahon a clear run on Bywater's goal and the substitute loanee calmly strikes the ball past the Doncaster shot-stopper for City's third from just inside the box.
90+4min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Matthew Dolan for Knott.
90+1min: McMahon goes to ground under an apparent nudge from Wellens inside the box but, despite protests from the City bench, only a goal-kick is awarded.
90min: There will be five minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
90min: Mandeville looks to get the ball into the area but his attempted cross actually ends sailing a yard or so over Williams' bar.
89min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Jon Stead for Clarke.
87min: Mandeville's curling effort just inside the box is held by Williams.
84min: SUB - Doncaster bring on Liam Mandeville for Clarke-Harris
82min: YELLOW CARD - Butler is booked for bringing down Clarke as he threatened to burst clear down City's right flank.
80min: Wellens' loose pass just outside his own penalty area drops into the path of Hanson but the striker's first time effort drops over Bywater's bar.
69min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Tony McMahon for Yeates, who unfortunately appears to have damaged his shoulder.
68min: SUBS - Doncaster bring on Kyle Bennett and Nathan Tyson for Coppinger and Forrester respectively.
64min: GOAL!!!!!!!! Doncaster Rovers 0 Bradford City 2 - City double their lead through Billy Clarke! Hanson is put through with a run on Doncaster's goal with only Luke McCullough for company by a hook over the top from Liddle. McCullough does well to stop Hanson from having a clear sight of Bywater's goal but the striker still manages to pick out the supporting Clarke, who calmly slots the ball past the Doncaster shot-stopper from just outside the area.
63min: Clarke looks to be in with a sight of goal as the ball bounces his way on the edge of the box but his progress is halted by a well-timed tackle from last-man Butler.
62min: What a chance for City! MacKenzie sees a free header blocked right in front of goal from a Yeates corner before Knott has his close range effort on the rebound turned around the post thanks to a great reflex save from Bywater.
58min: Forrester's low cross into the box eventually drops back into the path of Furman, who sees his rising drive from the edge of the area pushed over the bar by Williams.
57min: City are back up to their full allocation as MacKenzie rejoins the action.
55min: MacKenzie is back on his feet after receiving treatment due to a knock he received while scoring but still off the pitch as Liddle temporally fills in at centre half.
55min: GOAL!!!!!!!!! Doncaster Rovers 0 Bradford City 1 - City have the lead through MacKenzie! Morais' hanging cross to the far post is headed back across goal by Hanson. McArdle tries to scramble the ball home from close range before the ball drops into the path of MacKenzie, who bravely sticks his leg in to score.
55min: Morais' cross is headed goalwards by Hanson but the effort is headed away barely yards in front of his own goal by Andy
48min: YELLOW CARD - Former Bantams loanee Dean Furman is booked for Doncaster after catching McArdle late as the Bantams defender made a clearing tackle just outside his own box.
46min: Doncaster restart the match.
HT: Doncaster Rovers 0 Bradford City 0
45+1min: MacKenzie tries to scramble home from a Yeates corner in first half stoppage time but City are penalised for a handball as the ball bounces around Doncaster's penalty area.
45+1min: YELLOW CARD - Forrester is booked for bringing down Morais midway into Doncaster's half of the pitch.
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
44min: Lucky escape for the Bantams there! After being found by Forrester's low cross, Curtis Main works himself a yard of shooting space just inside City's penalty area before crashing a rising drive against Williams' near post. As City try to prevent a Doncaster player from converting the rebound, Forrester appears to be bundled over right in front of goal. The referee blows his whistle, with the vast majority in the crowd presuming it is to give the hosts a penalty, but instead Doncaster are penalised for an offside - much to the annoyance of the home crowd.
32min: Richie Wellens' ball back into the box following a half-cleared Doncaster corner is headed down into the mix by Clarke-Harris but a stretching Andy Butler can't prevent the ball from going past Williams' far post and out for a goal-kick.
31min: The ball breaks free to the unmarked James Coppinger over by the far side of City's penalty area but the winger's drive for goal is scuffed across the six yard box and a well-positioned Rory McArdle can kick clear.
30min: Clarke-Harris' downward header from Forrester's resulting corner delivery bounces wide of Williams' near post.
29min: Forrester drives away from the clutches of Gary Liddle before seeing his angled drive from inside the box deflect off Darby and past Williams' near post for a Doncaster corner.
27min: Hanson heads a long James Meredith's throw-in down the line in field towards Yeates but the Irishman's attempt on goal on the half volley from just outside the box sails a good couple of yards wide of Bywater's far post.
25min: Filipe Morais drives to the byline before standing up a cross towards Hanson but the striker can only glance a header wide of Stephen Bywater's far post. Good chance for the Bantams there!
19min: After neat hold-up play by James Hanson, Mark Yeates drives to the byline before hanging the ball up with a floated delivery across Doncaster's goal. Unfortunately for the Bantams, however, none of Yeates' team-mates are on hand to take advantage and Doncaster can clear their lines.
18min: Reece Wabara's hanging cross towards the far post tries to find the head of Clarke-Harris but the forward is eased out of it by Stephen Darby as the ball sails out of play. The home bench shout for a penalty, claiming Clarke-Harris had been nudged in the back by the Bantams skipper, but referee Mr Salisbury gives nothing other than a goal-kick.
16min: Forrester threatens to burst into City's penalty area with real purpose after latching onto a loose ball but his progress is halted by a well-timed slide tackle from Gary MacKenzie on the edge of the box.
1min: Harry Forrester's low centre into the box finds Jonson Clarke-Harris and the striker fires a left-footed drive from around ten yards narrowly wide of Ben Williams' near post.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match. They will attack towards a packed away end in the first period.
DONCASTER ROVERS LINE UP:
Bywater, Wabara, McCullough, Butler, Stevens, Furman, Coppinger, Wellens, Forrester, Main, Clarke-Harris
Subs: Marosi, Evina, McCombe, Razak, Tyson, Bennett, Mandeville
Doncaster Rovers cautions:
Forrester (45+1), Furman (48), Butler (82)
Doncaster Rovers changes:
Bennett for Coppinger (68), Tyson for Forrester (68), Mandeville for Clarke-Harris (84)
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
Williams, Darby, McArdle, MacKenzie, Meredith, Morais, Liddle, Knott, Yeates, Clarke, Hanson
Subs: Urwin, Dolan, Zoko, Stead, Routis, McMahon, Webb-Foster
Bradford City changes:
McMahon for Yeates (69), Stead for Clarke (89), Dolan for Knott (90+4)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: G Salisbury
Assistant Referee: M Bristow
Assistant Referee: D Meeson
Fourth Official: D Ford