Kick Off: 3.00pm
Bradford City 2 (Vincelot 14, McArdle 76)
Oldham Athletic 1 (Wilson 44)
Sky Bet League One
Saturday 28 January 2017
Attendance: 6,516
Goals from centre half pairing Romain Vincelot and Rory McArdle proved enough to secure a deserved victory for City away at Oldham Athletic.
Vincelot opened the scoring for Stuary McCall's Bantams in just the fourteenth minute when he glanced home his first goal of the season from a well-worked City corner.
Following Vincelot's opener, City proceeded to test former Bantams loanee Connor Ripley in the Oldham goal through efforts from Tony McMahon and Mark Marshall.
The Bantams, who also saw a goal from McArdle in the half disallowed for offside, looked full value for their lead going into the break but a fortuitous goal from Brian Wilson just before the interval put Oldham level.
Wilson's low drive from just outside the box seemed to lack the necessary power and placement but the ball took a fortunate bobble off the surface and over the dive of Colin Doyle to find the back of the net.
City responded well following their slick of bad luck, however, coming out after the break to dominant the second period.
Jordy Hiwula and Josh Cullen saw efforts well saved by Ripley, while McArdle had a header kicked clear from right in front of goal by Ollie Banks from a McMahon corner.
Ryan McLaughlin went close from an Oldham counter-attack later in the half but McArdle helped City to finally retake the lead fourteen minutes from the end from another set-piece.
Billy Clarke's wide free-kick into the box was headed for goal by Vincelot following Timothee Dieng's initial effort to connect with the cross and McArdle was on hand to slide home from close range.
Oldham tried to muster an unlikely response but their best chance in the game's latter stages was repelled by Doyle when Latics sub Billy McKay got free in the box in the 82nd minute.
FT: Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 2
90+3min: Green's lofted ball into the box from a free-kick outside the area is flicked on towards goal but a grateful Doyle is able to dive on the ball and relieve the pressure.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
90min: Gilliead lofted ball over the top suddenly finds Jones in space inside Oldham's half of the pitch. Jones fires for goal from angle once inside the box but the effort is held by Ripley.
84min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Alex Gilliead for Clarke.
84min: SUBS - Oldham bring on Rob Hunt and Michael Ngoo for Banks and McLaughlin.
82min: Jamie Reckord's cross into the box is flicked on into the path of McKay but Doyle makes himself big to block the effort away by his near post.
76min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 2 - McArdle has City back in front! From Clarke's wide free-kick delivery into the box, Dieng heads for goal. The effort deflects up into the path of Vincelot, who goes for goal himself with his own header and McArdle is on hand to make sure by sliding the ball home from barely a yard or so out.
73min: Clarke tries his luck on his favoured left foot from outside the area but the effort sails high and wide over Ripley's crossbar.
72min: Clarke is back on the pitch for Oldham and the game continues.
71min: Clarke is down for Oldham after making an important headed clearance to deny Dieng the chance to get onto Marshall's cross into the heart of the penalty area.
70min: SUB - The Bantams bring on Alex Jones for Hiwula.
66min: McLaughlin moves into shooting space as Oldham hit City on the counter-attack but the attacker's curling effort from the edge of the box bounces narrowly wide of Doyle's far post.
65min: Vincelot takes to scramble the ball home from another far post McMahon corner but Ripley is just about able to bundle the ball away from danger.
63min: Clarke's deflected shot drops kindly inside the Oldham box but Law is flagged offside as he strikes for goal on the rebound - an effort that is saved by Ripley anyway.
62min: City twice go close from one McMahon corner! McArdle sees a far post header kicked clear from right in front of the goal line by Banks from the initial delivery. Cullen puts the ball back in the box but Clarke's own header is straight at Ripley.
61min: SUB - Oldham Athletic bring on Billy McKay for Ryan Flynn.
60min: YELLOW CARD - Banks is booked for diving just outside City's penalty area as Timothee Dieng looked to get a tackle in.
60min: Meredith's low teasing cross into the box gets stuck under the foot of Gerrard right in front of goal but Ripley is on hand to gather up before a City player can look to possibly pounce.
59min: McLaughlin skips in-field past McMahon but his low drive from just inside the box is held by Doyle.
54min: Cullen latches onto the ball just inside the box before skipping past Clarke and driving forward. Cullen goes for goal from a tight angle and Ripley has to push the ball behind by his near post.
51min: A superb ball from Clarke released Cullen into space down City's left flank. Cullen comes in-field into the box but his eventual shot for goal is blocked and the midfielder ends up giving a foul away against Green.
48min: Clarke tries his luck on the half-volley but his looping effort from just outside the box sails into the City fans behind the goal.
48min: Law's clever lofted flick over the top allows Hiwula to hold the attentions of Clarke and run through on goal. Hiwula fires low but the striker's effort is blocked away by the legs of Ripley.
46min: A superb cross into the middle from Cullen bounces across the six yard box but no-one in claret and amber can touch it and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
46min: The Bantams restart the match.
HT: Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 1
45min: There will be two minutes of time added on at the end of the first period.
44min: GOAL - Oldham Athletic 1 Bradford City 1 - Oldham equalise through Brian Wilson in slightly fortunate circumstances. The defender tries his luck from just outside the area with a low drive, the shot doesn't seem to have the power or placement necessary but the effort manages to bobble over Doyle's dive and find the back of the net.
44min: McLaughlin tries to run onto Holloway's flick on for a sight of goal but McArdle is in position to get in the way and allow the ball to roll through to Doyle.
43min: Racing onto Nicky Law's forward pass down City's left flank, Clarke turns towards Oldham's penalty area, nut-megging Fane in the process, before firing in a rising drive from just outside the box that whistles not too far wide.
39min: Ripley is back on his feet and play can resume once again.
38min: Oldham 'keeper Ripley is down receiving treatment, resulting in a brief break in play.
36min: GOAL!!!!.....NO! McArdle has a goal disallowed, probably correctly, for offside from a well-worked City corner. McMahon's corner delivery into the feet of Cullen allows the midfielder to play the ball back to Clarke just outside the box. Clarke crosses back into the area but McArdle is flagged offside as he runs from behind Oldham's defence to connect with the ball and head home.
32min: Ryan McLaughlin runs at McArdle at pace inside City's penalty area but the Bantams defender does enough to deflect the striker's shot behind for a corner.
30min: Meredith's ball into Hiwula allows the striker to turn towards Oldham's penalty area. The City striker shoots on the turn from the edge of the box but his effort is blocked by Gerrard.
29min: Marshall's fierce low drive from outside the area is parried by Ripley, with Clarke on hand to make the vital clearance before Jordy Hiwula can look to pounce on the rebound.
27min: The visiting supporters at the other end of the pitch appeal for a penalty when Ousmane Fane appears to bundle into the back of Cullen as the pair look to contest the ball from James Meredith's deflected cross into the box. Referee Nigel Miller waves away any protests, however, allowing play to continue.
25min: McMahon skips away from Reckord after latching onto Marshall's cross-field pass. Now in the box, McMahon turns inside of Banks from the byline before seeing a left-footed shot from a tight angle turned around the near post by the frame of Ripley.
23min: Banks' teasing corner delivery into the six yard box has to be tipped away by Doyle ahead of the lurking Anthony Gerrard by the far post, the central defender ending up in the back of the net as he flung himself towards the ball.
14min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oldham Athletic 0 Bradford City 1 - City take the lead through the skipper Romain Vincelot! Clarke plays a corner short to Cullen, who crosses into the middle for Vincelot to glance a header into the far bottom corner.
13min: Great footwork from initially Mark Marshall and then Billy Clarke eventually sees the latter cross into the box towards the lurking Josh Cullen but Ripley is on hand to gather up the ball ahead of him.
10min: Dieng goes for his second shot of the afternoon from outside the box, this time the low drive bounces a yard or so wide of the target by Ripley's near post.
9min: Paul Green gets into space over by Oldham's right flank. The midfielder runs towards City's penalty area before firing in a low cross into the six yard box that Colin Doyle does well to hold onto.
8min: Rory McArdle throws himself in the way of Ollie Banks' shot from just outside the area, Aaron Amadi-Holloway is flagged for offside afterwards as he tries to latch onto the loose ball.
6min: Jordy Hiwula teasing low cross into the middle causes a moment of concern in the Oldham defence, leading to Jamie Reckord hurriedly passing back to Ripley to clear.
5min: Timothee Dieng takes aim before firing narrowly wide of Connor Ripley's far post with a drive from roughly twenty yards out.
0min: Oldham kick off the match.
OLDHAM ATHLETIC LINE UP:
Ripley, Wilson, Clarke, Gerrard, Reckord, Banks, Fane, Green, Flynn, McLaughlin, Holloway
Subs: Kettings, Law, McKay, Ngoo, Edmundson, Erwin, Hunt
Oldham Athletic substitutions:
McKay for Flynn (61), Hunt for Banks (84), Ngoo for McLaughlin (84)
Oldham Athletic cautions:
Banks (60)
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
Doyle, McMahon, McArdle, Vincelot, Meredith, Marshall, Dieng, Cullen, Law, Clarke, Hiwula
Subs: Sattelmaier, Darby, Gilliead, Jones, King, Devine, Hudson
Bradford City substitutions:
Jones for Hiwula (70), Gilliead for Clarke (84)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: N Miller
Assistant Referee: P Hobday
Assistant Referee: M Griffiths
Assistant Referee: M Griffiths
Fourth Official: P Wright