Bradford City winger Eisa targets more goals after Salford winner

Or three years since he last scored in front of actual fans.

Eisa’s previous goal before New Year’s Day was on April 17, 2021 in Scunthorpe’s defeat at Forest Green - his ninth of a campaign played behind closed doors.

January 2020, and a Football League Trophy tie against Portsmouth, was the last time he netted in a game where there was more than just the coaching staff watching.

So, Eisa shouldn’t underplay the significance of that magic moment on Monday - even more so considering his shattering medical record since joining City 18 months ago.

“There were a lot of flashbacks when it went in,” he admitted. “It was a mixture of thrill and relief for me.

“It was a lot of relief with the things I’ve been through, so it was a good moment.”

His winner in front the Kop stood out for two more reasons.

The timing - exactly 26 seconds after coming on and with a first touch of the ball.

The touch itself - a header from a winger, who’s not usually viewed as an aerial threat.

Mark Hughes had made the treble change soon after Salford had pegged City back for a second time. The cavalry, in the form of Eisa, Andy Cook and Jamie Walker, were summoned to produce something special.

“Score” was the simple final instruction from the manager as fourth official Gary Hilton flashed up his number on the board. Eisa followed the short, sharp command to the letter - and the second.

By the time Brad Halliday launched his free-kick from just over the halfway line, the ball had been in play for barely nine seconds when Eisa delivered the killer touch.

“That’s never happened before in my career,” he smiled. “I saw Andy Cook rising and heading it back and I was free in there.

“The gaffer had just told me to ‘go out and score’. But I don’t think he expected me to get a header!”

Eisa celebrated by placing his hands under his head and pretending to be asleep before the pile-on from his team-mates began.

“I’ve just been sleeping and now I’m awake,” he said after putting those previous injury woes to bed.

“I said I wanted to start the new year with a positive frame of mind and there’s no better way to do that.

“I’ve had the setbacks but there are some things you can’t control. I knew I would score at Valley Parade eventually and hopefully this is the basis for me to go on and do more.”

Back-to-back wins have certainly renewed the belief on and off the pitch as City reach the halfway stage of the season in fifth place.

Eisa added: “I don’t really look at the table. We just need to concentrate on winning games and the table will take care of itself.

“It’s good to be in this position going into January so we just need to keep it going now.

“We talked about making Valley Parade a fortress. It’s good that we’ve won two games in a row at home and hopefully we can do the same thing against Rochdale next week.

“When you win a game, it lifts the whole team and you can feel the confidence.

“We started the game very well, just as we did against Harrogate, and that’s been a key thing for us.”

Eisa admitted he was as engrossed in the Salford action as much as any supporter while he waited for the nod to go on.

It was a gripping spectacle to welcome in the new year - and a reminder that City mean business again in the promotion picture.

“It shows the character in the team to come back like that, not just once but twice," he said.

“I thought the players were magnificent, especially in the first half.

“With the amount of games we’ve played in a short time, we looked a bit leggy at times in the second.

"But it gave us an impetus when we made the changes and brought the subs on."

Eisa’s appearance was only his seventh in the league this season and fourth off the bench.

He is due a fresh start in 2023 after so much rotten luck since arriving in West Yorkshire. The beaming smile is back.

“Score more goals, score a lot of goals,” was the reply when asked about his resolution for the new year.

“That’s always my feeling and hopefully as a team we get promoted at the end of the season.

"Everyone needs to chip in if we are going to do that.

“My fitness is fine now. I honestly don’t think about that kind of stuff anymore.

“I just try to keep myself as sharp as possible so I can help the team.”