Out-thought!

The reaction of the Bradford City fans after seeing their side's tame surrender against Queens Park Rangers told its own story.

Just seven days earlier, nearly 4,000 Bantams supporters had stayed behind to give their side a richly deserved standing ovation despite coming away empty-handed from Huddersfield Town.

City's attacking play had been a joy to watch in a thrilling West Yorkshire derby and the fans were showing their appreciation of those efforts.

However when referee Tony Leake blew the final whistle against QPR, thousands of Bantams fans had already left Valley Parade while those who had remained behind, merely booed the side off.

Queens Park Rangers had belied their lowly status with a controlled and disciplined performance which saw the Londoners stick doggedly to their game-plan.

In recent weeks, City have often struggled against a side employing a 3-5-2 formation because it means widemen Robbie Blake and Peter Beagrie come under heavy pressure the moment they receive the ball.

And with three men in the centre of midfield, it also means there is a danger of Gareth Whalley and Stuart McCall being marked out of the game. Gerry Francis knew all this and was understandably delighted to see Rangers stick to his game-plan and deservedly come away with all three points.

However, as impressive as the London side were when hitting City on the break, it was Rangers' superior display of commitment which ensured they left Valley Parade with their first ever league victory.

It is rare for City to be out-fought in a game, but that is just what happened on Saturday. If a tackle was there to be won, the visitors won it. If a City player shaped to shoot, you could guarantee a Rangers defender would fling himself at the ball as if his life depended on it. And if Paul Jewell's men did manage to fashion an opening, goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko bravely threw himself towards the ball to snuff out any chance.

Unfortunately the same could not be said of City. At times, the Bantams side strung some impressive moves together with McCall and Jamie Lawrence proving effective at threading the ball forward.

However far too many of their team-mates seemed determined to try to dribble round two opponents rather than lay off an easy pass and, as a result, they squandered possession much too easily.

Rangers' ploy to flood midfield with bodies meant that, for long periods, it was difficult for City to open up the visitors' defence. Peter Beagrie worked hard on the left but found himself marked out of the game for long periods. The same also applied to Whalley and Blake.

And although Isaiah Rankin's pace caused Rangers problems in the first half, it was the Londoners who could consider themselves unlucky not to be ahead at the break.

City's failure to stamp their authority on midfield meant the defence came under a lot of pressure. And with the lively front-pairing of Kevin Gallen and Mike Sheron pulling both Darren Moore and Andy O'Brien out of position, it left large holes for former Chelsea midfielder Gavin Peacock to exploit with his late bursts into the penalty area.

It was Peacock who opened the scoring with a fierce volley from a headed clearance although questions must be asked as to why such a dangerous player was unmarked on the edge of the City box.

Four minutes later a long ball caught the City defence out again and Gallen ran on to score before a blunder by Wayne Jacobs in the 71st minute allowed Sheron to cap a miserable afternoon for City.

City have shown in recent months just why they are genuine promotion candidates this season. They have enough quality players to prove that this was just a blip, a one-off.

And with two potentially tricky away trips coming up, the Bantams must be looking to bounce back from their first consecutive league defeats since August in style against crisis club Oxford United next weekend.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.