2012 Prediction League; Game 24 v Bradford City (away)

Div3North · 24-12-2012, 00:58

Bradford City

V

Accrington Stanley

2012/13 Prediction League – Game 24; v Bradford City (away)

Some players are sad to leave their former club and move on; some are happy; some don’t care ………….. Much-travelled defender Guy Branston was obviously livid when the Bantams let him go in the summer; he joined Aldershot (his 18th club – yes, seriously

), played five games, and was loaned to Bristol Rovers – then managed by Mark McGhee, for whom Branston played at Leicester many years ago. And who did he make his Pirates’ debut against? Got it – Bradford

; and he scored, after 79 seconds

; and after the game he had this to say:

“I wanted to go over to [Bradford boss] Phil Parkinson and stick my finger up. I had a hard time at Bradford. He stitched me up last year and made me work really hard for something that was never going to materialise. I really just wanted to stick one over him but you can't do that as a player - you have to say the right things at the right time.”

Stick one over him?

Hmm? Happy Christmas (ex) Boss!

They lost ex Middlesbrough and Stoke defender Andrew Davies (27) and ex Stevenage and Wycombe CH (do they still have CHs?) Luke Oliver (28) to injury, both in the same game (a 1-0 loss at Burton at the end of October); Davies is out for 3 or 4 months, Oliver – who was one of the five sent off in the Crawley Brawl in March, and who was named the Bantams’ Player of the Year a month later (but not because of that, I suspect

) – for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. That prompted loan signings galore; Craig Forsyth (23), a winger from Dundee via Watford; Australian defender Curtis Good (19) – the Newcastle defender whose appearance in the drawn FA Cup game against Brentford caused the Bantams expulsion, since he wasn’t properly registered, only for that expulsion to be reversed on appeal

– who must have something going for him because Newcastle have apparently signed him to a six year contract when he joined from Melbourne Heart in the summer

; England u19 MF Blair Turgott joined from the Hammers; Derby County’s ex Mansfield defender Tom Naylor (21) signed, and Sunderland’s Irish defender John Egan (20) completes the new squad.

Eventually they lost a Cup game

, as you’ll have seen, going down 4-2 at Brentford in the FA Cup Replay; most of the loanees – who seem to have established themselves – were unavailable for that game; in the Johnstone’s PaintPot they play their semi-final at Crewe on 15th January (they’re the only League 2 side left in the Northern Section), while in the League Cup (aka the Capon Cup) they have a two-legged semi-final against Villa (who’ll be smarting or totally depressed by yesterday’s 8-0 mauling by Chelsea

) on 8th and 22nd January.

Their League position keeps improving; when we played them in September they were 12th; after 22 games they’re up to 6th, on 36 points; at home their record is a worrying W7 D2 L2 F18 A6

; away, it’s W3 D4 L4 F15 A18; overall, W10 D6 L6, 33 scored and 24 conceded. The only sides to have beaten them at the Valley in the League are Exeter and Port Vale, each by the odd goal in one

, and the draws have been against Chesterfield (0-0) and York (1-1) ……….. If you add Cup wins at home against Burton, the Cobblers and, of course, Woolwich Arsenal – two of those games netting them 3 goals each – then they are, unarguably, a force to be reckoned with.

Early doors this season we drew 1-1 at our place, Podge’s 73rd minute goal (“against the run of play”, if you believe Auntie Beeb - but who does?

) being cancelled out by Alan Connell’s 83rd minute chip. That leaves us with a record against them (since 2006) of 4 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats, both of the losses being at home; we haven’t, actually, lost at their place at all – one win, four 1-1 draws ……which is a record we’d quite like to extend

…………….thank you, Santa.

Former Carlisle (and Bermudan international) striker Nahki Wells has 15 for the season (12 in the League), ex Guiseley striker (and, at 6’4”, the only player who cost them a transfer fee - £7,500.00!

) James Hanson has 7 (5) and Alan Connell (ex Bournemouth, Torquay, Hereford, Brentford and Grimsby) has 5 (4); 11 others have chipped in with 1, 2 or 3.

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Boxing Day; like Cashy said, it’s disappointing that we can’t collect our customary 3 points from the Globe that day

, but there it is ………. But we do need something out of this game; 2 wins in 14 is a tad worrying

; that said, we’re still – even in 17th place – only 7 points off the Play-Offs

. Keep the Faith! …..

And if young Dawber plays, I hope he has a blinder

; and that James Beattie, Carver or Will Hatfield (who’s still joint leading scorer in the FA Cup