Water hero! Groundsman plays a blinder as Bantams book their place in last 16 of cup (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Water hero! Groundsman plays a blinder as Bantams book their place in last 16 of Capital One Cup
6:50am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in Bantams
By Simon Parker, Bradford City Reporter
City players celebrate Stephen Darby’s winning goal with just five minutes left of extra-time
Groundsman Mick Doyle was held up as the unlikely hero behind City’s first League Cup fourth-round appearance for 24 years.
An extra-time blast from right back Stephen Darby sealed an incredible 3-2 fightback win over Burton at the Coral Windows Stadium. Sub Nahki Wells had struck twice in the final eight minutes as the Bantams roared back from two down.
But Phil Parkinson reserved special praise for Doyle and his staff who had made the Valley Parade pitch playable despite horrendous weather conditions.
The game was never in doubt after two days of solid rain and Parkinson said: “Mick Doyle was definitely my man of the match. He gets ten out of ten from me.
“Sometimes you have unsung heroes in football clubs and the effort Mick and his team put in to get it on was outstanding.
“I don’t think anybody thought it would be but the surface was fantastic. Once the teams are here, nobody wants to see it called off so it was fantastic.
“To pass the ball and play at a good tempo, which is what we want to do, you need a good surface and we certainly have that.”
City will be the lowest-ranked side in tonight’s draw for the last 16 after another never-say-die victory. Having seen off Notts County in extra-time and toppled Watford with a last-gasp winner, Park-inson was amazed by their latest show of resilience.
He added: “At half-time I felt the 2-0 scoreline was unjust because we dominated up to their first goal. But we just told the lads to keep going.
“The performance level they put in was exceptional and some of the football great to watch. We always felt we’d create chances and probably could have scored more.
“Kicking towards that (Kop) goal, the crowd really sucked the ball into the net. There was only 4,000 in the ground but there was a good atmosphere.
“We made changes and the lads who came in did really well. Equally the subs had a massive impact on the game.
“You need a strong bench and we certainly had that.
“And I’m so pleased for Stephen Darby. In years to come, people will remember that goal for putting the club through this far in the competition.”
As the sole League Two survivor, Parkinson is now keeping his fingers crossed that City pull out a mouth-watering draw against Premier League opposition in the next round.
He said: “The players, supporters and the chairmen in particular deserve a big draw. We’ve worked really hard to get to this stage.
“There’s now the chance to get that lucrative tie and I hope that is the case for everybody in the club.”
Comments(15)
jamiejoe
says...
7:24am Wed 26 Sep 12
Okay there are some top 5 teams left in the hat too - either way, as long as we win and get to the Quarter Finals then i will he happy ...
great performance but what happened at extra time Radio Leeds - you cut off and Pulse - you could have broadcast this one on the internet beyond the city boundaries as it was not tied to the league rules and website
shaun from richmond
says...
8:46am Wed 26 Sep 12
Love to get Leeds AT HOME (please not away again!)...Two reasons......
FULL HOUSE.......Loads of money!!.
A game we could win....and then get a BIG club in the next round!!.
seasonticketholder
says...
8:46am Wed 26 Sep 12
audal
says...
10:12am Wed 26 Sep 12
Eccybantam
says...
10:53am Wed 26 Sep 12
Need to stay focused on the league though.
Cityman23
says...
10:54am Wed 26 Sep 12
Certainly, had City lost this game we might have been debaing the wisdom of making so many changes to the team who beat Oxford, but luckily the men who came on as subs had just enough time to 'swing' it City's way.
Perhaps 'PP' learned something from this, with no damage done.
Except of course the team had to contend with thirty mins. extra time, with a difficult match again on Saturday. Still, it's all a 'learning curve' as they say and finally 'job done!'
One thing we've learned is City CAN come back from a deficit, at home. They also did it at Watford of course. This was a question that needed answering after four wins at home when City were always ahead.
Well done City, Well done 'PP'-perhaps you have some of the sort of 'luck' revious managers lacked, to go withno discount 'luck/chance' your abilities!
No team/manager wins anything without a little bit of good fortune!
nowt fresh
says...
11:10am Wed 26 Sep 12
Bacon Bantam
says...
11:48am Wed 26 Sep 12
.
Fantastic game and one we never would have deserved to lose.
.
One of the best £15 I have spent this year, for the stay aways, you missed a cracker!
shaun from richmond
says...
11:58am Wed 26 Sep 12
audal wrote:I got stuck.......Required Emergency Services to get me out!!!.
Can Shaun clarify the problem as to why he cannot MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION UP HER ? hope she lets you get to the Vale match, cheers.
The swelling is going down....thankfully!!
cookie_brighton
says...
12:47pm Wed 26 Sep 12
J4CKO
says...
12:56pm Wed 26 Sep 12
Citygentleman1968
says...
2:44pm Wed 26 Sep 12
cookie_brighton
says...
10:07pm Wed 26 Sep 12
jamiejoe
says...
6:07am Thu 27 Sep 12
Freddy says...
7:08am Wed 26 Sep 12
“Mick Doyle was definitely my man of the match. He gets ten out of ten from me. AND ME!!- WELL DONE MICK!.
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From Last Night :-
Prisoner Cell Block A says...
10:49pm Tue 25 Sep 12
The tinkering nearly cost us. It will certainly have added to the tired legs for a vital home game on Saturday. Much better to get the game safe early, then rest em if needed.
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I do not agree. The Manager was using the CoC, to allow the whole Squad an opportunity to play. A tactic most Managers employ with the CoC and ' Paint Pot ' matches. It also gives players the chance to demonstrate their form, when not normally selected for league games; also allowing the manager, an opportunity to assess his full Squad.-WELL PLAYED THE MANAGER.
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Absolutely delighted with the way ALL the players are performing.The Draw is tonight after the remaining matches are completed. I think it is on Sky?.
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Looking at our fixtures at the end of this Season--Like steeton bantam says...
10:49pm Tue 25 Sep 12--" Im looking at hotels in Cheltenham for next April!!!"
I notice that City's LAST Home Match ( To-Date) is against BURTON !!!!!.Could be a tremendous fixture for both Clubs--and shown on Sky-TV ??!!