Bradford City serve up a stinker as rotten week gets even worse

After all that has happened off the field in the previous couple of days, the last thing City could afford was to throw in the towel in such a timid manner.

As any political spin doctor will tell you, the best way to bury bad news is with something positive to distract the attention.

Fans still getting their heads round Archie Christie’s sudden departure might have been won round by a decent showing on the pitch.

A third straight home win and a good display to back up the sweat-and-tears effort at Swindon would help encourage the conspiracy theorists that their club was not going to rot.

Instead, City served up a stinker.

It was a nothing performance that only succeeded in reinforcing the popular perception that the wheels are coming off.

The odd atmosphere around the ground suggested that something was not right. After all the conjecture and opinion swirling through the week, you could feel an air of disquiet.

The disjointed, out-of-sync display from the team just seemed to back that up.

Phil Parkinson got his first taste of being booed off and he made no apologies about it. He watched exactly the same game as the rest of us.

Credit where it’s due, Cheltenham were easily the best visiting side to come to City this season.

They played with the sure touch of a team used to winning. And once Matt Duke had gift-wrapped their goal just eight minutes in, they never looked in the remotest danger of conceding that advantage.

Cheltenham’s five-man midfield was set up to stifle and nullify. With an early lead established, they went into full lockdown mode.

“We didn’t make their keeper work,” admitted Parkinson. “We made him look a million dollars.”

The absence of any hint of cutting edge was the biggest worry for the manager on an afternoon which threw up too many depressing questions.

How could an attack with the likes of Kyel Reid and Craig Fagan, both established higher-division names, create so little?

Reid, whose wild and wayward shooting resembled Omar Daley at his most infuriating, and the anonymous Fagan didn’t particularly stand out by their poor play. They were just symptomatic of the malaise that descended on the home side once Kaid Mohamed had netted the only goal.

Parkinson resorted to throwing on Ross Hannah – who did force a solitary save out of Jack Butland – and Nahki Wells but the change of emphasis up front changed nothing.

The goals have suddenly dried up. That is three games without scoring now since the come-from-behind win over Northampton.

The one area of the team that seemed to be functioning freely has broken down without warning, much to the bafflement of the boss.

“We looked a real threat when I first came in. We were always looking to create in the first few games.

“We haven’t done that of late. I’ve got us more solid defensively up to Saturday but we’ve got to make sure we carry that attacking threat again because we have the options.”

There was no pace and urgency to City’s game. Everything was too laboured and pedestrian and there was no momentum going forward.

Parkinson likened the tempo to a testimonial. It was slow, cumbersome and very easy to defend against.

Cheltenham should have won by more. As well as the goal, they had all the best chances and were ably assisted by some comical home defending.

The back four had been magnificent the week before against Swindon. On Saturday, they played like a bunch of strangers who didn’t get on.

Luke Oliver was the exception but he had his hands full trying to keep it together while those around him lost their heads.

Duke had a shocker behind him. He made one fine save from Marlon Pack, whose shoot-on-sight philosophy showed what Cheltenham thought of the keeper’s discomfort, but it was an afternoon to forget otherwise.

The goal itself was as soft as they come as the keeper allowed Mohamed’s shot to squirm under his body. And he looked in a constant state of anxiety from every corner – an anxiety that quickly spread to the rest of his team.

It looked as if somebody had lobbed a hand grenade rather than a football into the six-yard box as City players got in each other’s way in their panic to clear the set-pieces. The contrast to the County Ground was staggering.

At least the referee was on side for once. City can’t bemoan their fortunes with officials again after the favours that Chris Sarginson gave them.

Luke O’Brien would surely have received their fourth red card in a month for his full-on lunge at Darryl Duffy with any of the last few refs in charge.

And Marcel Seip appeared to get away with a blatant penalty for his desperate tackle from behind on Russell Penn after the centre half and Michael Flynn had got in a right two and eight.

That miscommunication was not alone. Seip and Duke were on different wavelengths when the Dutchman ferried a back pass behind him – only to realise the keeper had come rushing out for it and was forced into a hasty retreat.

Parkinson’s line-up at Bramall Lane will be viewed with interest. Before Saturday, he had talked about utilising the whole squad for a week which contained two cup ties.

This general non-appearance will have sharpened his mind. Jon McLaughlin surely needs a game and Parkinson may feel it’s right to take Duke out the firing line for an evening.

Others like Hannah, Jack Compton and Jamie Devitt – who got a bonfire rocket for arriving late again – will also be in his thoughts for the JPT. Nobody who gets left out can possibly complain.