Stockport County 1 Bradford City 2 ( Football League 1) Tuesday 19 August 2025

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County gave curates eggs a bad name last night with their performance at  Edgeley Park where after thoroughly outclassing Graham Alexander`s Bradford City team in the first half they capitulated lamely to lose1 -2 in now familiar style.

The football from County was sublime at times in a first half that they dominated throughout.

However, they only led 1-0  not being able to add to Owen Moxon`s 16th minute strike  - Bantam`s keeper Sam Walker had a lot to do with that making several very good saves but , if we are truly title contenders we need to find something extra to confound the very good L1 keepers we will face this season – there`s a lot of `em about!

So, just 1 up at half time, and the obvious happened – Graham  Alexander had b+++++++d his team and meanwhile County had lost their impetus and it seemed their grasp of the basics as  three County defenders stood about as the simplest through ball  drifted by them allowing Steve Humphreys to tee Will Swan up for the equaliser.

If that was a blow ,another came with massive resonance when ex Hatter Antoni Sarcevic beat  Corey Addai at his near post for the winner.

County`s football in the first half was the best they`ve played this season, but what followed in the second 45  was dreadful and posts clear warning signal`s for the campaign to come!

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With another big Tuesday evening crowd mostly willing them on ,County were swiftly into their game – Dodgson quickly up and at City priming Mothersille and Diamond nicely ,and both of them looked in prime nick from the start.

Diamond was first to show but his first effort,despite long periods of County possession , came in the 7th minute.

Another 60 seconds though and visiting keeper Sam Walker was called into urgent action – going full stretch to keep a screamer from Dodgson out!

The pressure continued from County via a free kick and an effort from Mothersille , both of which the busy Dodgson had a hand in, but the Yorkshire side managed to keep their goal intact.

Until the 17th minute that is when County`s pressure told . Wootton`s initial burst was blocked but the ball ran out to Moxon who fired a decent strike home from the edge of the box giving the blues a welcome 1-0 lead.

I have already mentioned Diamond and Mothersille`s form ,and the duo treated us to a brilliant exchange of passes at speed , 23 minutes in, setting Diamond up for what looked to be a scoring opportunity until Sam Walker intervened with another first class save!

Another 5 minutes and Walker was there in County`s hair again – his dive again denying Diamond . We got a corner but made nothing of it!

It was the 39th minute before Bradford managed any activity in County half- Addai catching an incoming cross, but the half was to end without the visitors having so much as 1 shot on goal.

Meanwhile there was Mothersille, and he was trying a bit- his shot , 5 minutes from the break going narrowly over the bar.

County kept the pressure on  with Wootton and Diamond to the fore with a couple of minutes left of the half , but Diamond was brought down as Woots played him clear, so we had a free kick near the by line.

The kick was over finessed and fell flat ,but County then infuriated the writer by seemingly ending the move by working the ball back to Addai ( from our free kick in an attacking position !!!!!).

It then got considerably worse as a clutch of blue shirted players exchanged sloppy passes , in their own box,that invited disaster- sure enough a couple of pink shirted Bantams were in the vicinity ,one of whom went for the ball ( in the box and centrally placed) disaster beckoned along with City`s first shot on goal, but a foul by the City man saved County`s blushes.

That was massively lucky on County`s part and a possible harbinger of what would follow after the break if we did not shape up!

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Initial impressions when play resumed after the break were not at all alarming, indeed  with O`Keefe pushing on down the right nicely  in concert with Norwood it was encouraging– a definite chance emerging via Norwood`s cross which flew close but not quite close enough to the marauding Wootton.

Then it all went pear shaped for County as they first off shipped a free kick, and then a goal…..

Max Power took the kick the ball threading its way by 3 blue shirts on its way to Steven Humphreys who quickly squared it across goal to where substitute Will Swan fired home from close in.

Suddenly , from being well on top, County were all over the place and struggling in the wake of a growing multitude of attacks from the men in pink.

The excellent Antoni Sarcevic was a prime mover for City – forcing a top save from Corey Addai with a scorching close in drive just before the hour.

On it went…Pennington heading wide for Bantams when well placed…..Humphreys missing out as County were again caught out by the basics- a long ball from deep- the forward`s shot clearing the bar.

It was a relief to see  County at last look like putting something decent together , via Wootton  but when his run was halted by a clear foul by Ibby Touray   the moment then descending into pure vaudevillian refereeing farce as Thomas Parsons and his abject Danny Stand liner contrived a Bradford free kick.

So, with 7000 + of the crowd loudly fuming ,and cursing the officials ,it was back to County being on the rack -Pattison seeing a shot fizz inches wide via a deflection that had the blues struggling to cope as the corner came over.

County survived that one….then a series of corners that followed – Ibby Touray doing well to set a chance up for Humphreys who promptly ruined the opportunity by dragging his shot wide.

Lowe was now on for Mothersille and County went close , through Diamond…twice in rapid order after Max Power spilled possession under pressure.

For sure it was a brief oasis in our second half desert and not quite finished as Walker had to pull out another belter tipping a fizzing dipper from Dodgson over the bar at the last gasp with 20 minutes left.

But that was as good as it got for the blues who went 2-1 down a couple of minutes later.

The pressure was suddenly back on County who were forced to concede a corner. Disaster followed swiftly on as the ball then reached Antoni Sarcevic who advanced on goal before leathering a shot of extreme power beyond Corey Addai at his near post.

A rash of substitutions followed for County as Fevrier, Andresson and Olowu replaced O`Keefe, Wootton and Hills, but it did not stop the flow of play in Addai`s direction- Swan heading wide from a City corner ,into the last 15 minutes.

Fevrier looked to be seeking to get involved  but not getting too many passes – despite this forcing  three saves out of Walker as play went into its final few minutes with County trying without success to save the game.

Corners came and went for the blues- Walker kept busy but his defences not breached- Diamond thwarted….Fevrier for sure - the keeper clinging onto a late/ late effort from the speedy wide man deep into added time.

Then we all thought County had pulled off a last gasp saver, as the ball came back goal ward after Tommy Leigh had headed a late County corner clear.

There could only have been seconds left when the ball flew back to where Andresson met it at the back post…..shoo in…..and Andresson headed it goal ward ( from a foot or so out) but as we all celebrated, some within our numbers ( not me) realised that keeper Walker had again saved his team with another display of goalkeeping heroics he had kept the ball in play- it stayed 1-2 , the game ending seconds later!

Lots then for the Manager to sort from that display , not least amongst issues our attitude , our ability`s as individual players are known our ability to respond to adversity not so much, there`s more to add to those issues of course , and of course as long time football supporters we must all know it was ever thus!

I leave it there and look to an improvement on Saturday!

 

 

 

 

 

Stockport County line up:-

 Addai, O’Keeffe ( Fevrier 73’), Dodgson, Diamond, Mothersille ( Lowe 63’), Pye, Connolly, Wootton ( Andrésson 73’), Moxon (Bailey 88’), Norwood, Hills ( Olowu 73’).

Unused Substitutes: Hinchliffe, Fiorini.

 

Bradford City line up:-

  Walker, Touray, Power, Neufville, Sarcevic ( Leigh 79’), Humphrys ( Baldwin 87’), Kelly, Metcalfe ( Pattison 45’),  Pointon ( Swan 45’),  Tilt,  Pennington.

Unused Substitutes:  Hilton, Wright, Lapslie.

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Attendance: 9,641 (1,199).

 

hedgegrower

 

 

Crowd Gallery from @machinsports

 


 


 


 


 


 

 

 

 

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