Bradford City still lack home comforts after failing Northampton test

VALLEY Parade’s audience of 18,666 was the biggest since the opening day of the season.

There were a lot, lot less still in attendance when referee Anthony Backhouse’s whistle finally put the afternoon out of its misery.

Many had seen enough, more than enough, well before Andy Cook moved level with Sam Hoskins at the top of League Two’s scoring charts.

On any other afternoon, that would have been greeted with euphoria in the Kop.

Instead, Cook’s achievement was met by banks of empty seats, while he hardly mustered a smile himself after the stoppage-time penalty provided precious little consolation for what had gone before.

This was not how it was meant to pan out.

Losing to Northampton is hardly a disgrace as City joined a growing list of notable scalps picked off by Jon Brady’s side.

That’s now four wins and a draw for the Cobblers from five games against teams currently occupying the top seven places.

But this was such a damp squib of a day, the driving rain just reinforcing the darkening mood among a home faithful who had built themselves up for a potentially breakthrough occasion.

Those back-to-back away wins, achieved in such carnival atmosphere among the travelling army, had sent expectations soaring.

Captain Richie Smallwood had a poor game and gifted the first goal (Image: Thomas Gadd)

This was going to be the moment when City made their move; a statement of intent by supplanting the visitors in third place.

Hitting an automatic promotion place for the first time ahead of the lunchtime date with leaders Leyton Orient when the league campaign resumes in a fortnight.

It’s the hope that kills you.

Instead, a fifth winless home game since Stevenage were vanquished in mid-September means City will head for East London still on the outside looking in; the gap to third now five points and a very different dynamic of trying not to give up further ground.

Once more, shortcomings in their own backyard are threatening to derail the promised progress.

Nineteen points from nine away games is the form of champions. But only Salford, City’s next opponents in the Papa Johns Trophy, have picked up fewer than their 14 points at home among the top 10.

Flip the two records around to third-best home form and middling away and you’d wonder what’s the problem?

But such a large Valley Parade support rightly demand a better return for turning up in overwhelming numbers. For those who don’t go to away games, suffering the Harrogate FA Cup tie and now this is not what they signed up for.

Improving the results at home was top of the Mark Hughes manifesto before a ball was kicked. His raft of new recruits, we were told, were hand-picked to handle and relish the big-game surroundings.

But it does beg the question when the likes of Richie Smallwood, a Championship captain last season and the one player who really has seen and done it all, should be hustled into such a wayward pass that blew this contest open just before the half hour mark.

A tight and tense encounter quickly turned into a Northampton clinical masterclass as City’s challenge instantly evaporated. A second goal swiftly followed and what had once been a highly-competitive contest became a shoe-in for the Cobblers.

Northampton were solid at the back, squeezing the life out of Cook’s threat, and fit and powerful going forward.

The energy drained from City; it made a mockery of Hughes’ pre-match confidence that the all-conquering away form would transfer into matters in BD8.

Northampton bossed the midfield where Smallwood and Alex Gilliead were completely overrun. Behind them, City’s back four were shaky from the outset as Romoney Crichlow’s composed presence was badly missed.

The prospect of an extended absence for the injured centre half is a worrying one - especially with the leaders on the horizon.

Matty Platt was back from suspension but struggled in defence (Image: Thomas Gadd)

Matty Platt was welcomed straight back after his one-game ban but his partnership with Yann Songo’o creaked throughout. It’s no coincidence that both home league losses have been minus Crichlow.

Northampton cut through City at will and the margin of defeat could have been far more painful.

A post-match video last week of former boss Derek Adams arguing that his Morecambe team “should have won by five or six” had been widely shared by mocking City fans.

But Brady would have been entirely justified in repeating his script at Valley Parade.

Hughes has talked about the need to change the record with visiting managers always claiming that their teams had saved their best performance for the trip to City.

Brady, though, said all the same things - and with total justification.

Northampton’s display was the most impressive of any away team this season and they should have won by more.

If it wasn’t for a couple of very good saves from Harry Lewis and a wayward miss or two, Northampton would surely have been celebrating the sort of runaway outcome that Adams loves to mention.

City had, in fact, looked the brighter side for the first quarter. Scott Banks, one player at least prepared to have a go, almost caught out Lee Burge with a free-kick that the keeper saw late and scrambled round the post.

But City unravelled when Smallwood was pressed into a panicky release on the touchline inside his own half.

Northampton strangled the space and the pass was knocked aimlessly into no man’s land. Mitch Pinnock was far more alive to the opportunity than the lumbering Songo’o, switched the ball to his left foot and calmly beat Lewis.

If that was bad, City’s situation swiftly got far worse. Northampton went from back to front, pink shirts helping on Jon Guthrie’s initial clearance before Shaun McWilliams swapped passes with Kieron Bowie to knock in number two.

Northampton went for the jugular and after Lewis saved unconvincingly from Bowie, McWilliams fired a yard or so wide after being sent clear.

Shell-shocked City came up with a brief response as Gilliead clipped the bar.

But any hint of a comeback was over before it had begun as Northampton once again found room too easily to work the ball into a dangerous position.

Akin Odimayo’s cross picked out fellow defender Sam Sherring to clamber over Matty Foulds and head past Lewis off the post.

Andy Cook can hardly raise a smile after scoring his late penalty (Image: Thomas Gadd)

Tyreik Wright’s arrival had offered some belated bite to City’s attacking efforts but it was too little and far too late.

The board showing six added minutes earned grumbles from those soaked souls who had stayed to the bitter end.

They did at least get to see Cook converting from the spot after he had been dragged back by Sherring.

But the lack of reaction, on and off the pitch, to his 16th goal of the season summed up the overriding sense of disappointment. City had flopped in their big test.