No place to hide if you make a mistake - at Bradford City or in any pro sport (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

No place to hide if you make a mistake - at Bradford City or in any pro sport

3:50pm Thursday 14th April 2011 in Bantams By Lee Bullock

Lee Bullock column

This week has reminded me how cruel sport can be at times.

Torquay’s second goal was my fault and it can be a lonely old place when you’ve made a massive error which has cost your team.

The only thing you can really do is make sure you stay positive the next time the ball comes your way. But it’s a horrible feeling.

Everybody in the stadium is down because you’ve conceded a goal and the lads, who were giving their all, suddenly become deflated. And it’s all down to my mistake.

It was my first game for a while but I felt bad for that and bad because of the result.

Then watching the Masters on Sunday night, I saw Rory McIlroy completely collapse.

Someone like that with all the talent he has got was suddenly mentally destroyed in the space of four holes.

In football, at least you are out there with your mates when things go wrong. But he was there on his own.

I felt so sorry for him and the way he capitulated from just one horrible drive.

The commentator was right when he said who needs reality TV when sport is reality.

Sport is people’s hobby and passion but there is so much at stake. It’s unbelievable how things can just unfold like that with no warning.

People can go from being the most confident, best player – like McIlroy for the first three rounds at Augusta – into a club golfer hacking their way around.

As a sportsman, you realise that it can happen to anyone. Even the very best, Tiger Woods, has been through it but is coming out the other side.

The only way to put things right is to do your best with the next opportunity. Ours is at Southend tomorrow night, when we have the advantage of playing first.

It’s a chance to put points on the board and increase the pressure on the other teams around us.

Southend are in no great form themselves but we owe them one after that bad, bad game at Valley Parade.

I know we lost by three last week but Southend was probably our worst home performance of the season. It was a total shocker and something we want to put right.