2023-24 Prediction League; Game 36 v Bradford City (home)

Div3North · 07-03-2024, 23:30

Accrington Stanley

V

Bradford City

Prediction League Season 2023/24 Game 36 v Bratfud (home)

Starter for Ten: on 4th March 2024 Sheffield United lost at home 6-0 against Arsenal. In doing that, what two new but unwanted records did the Blades create?

After an uprising in 1070, during William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North, the manor of Bradford was laid waste, and is described as such in the Domesday Book of 1086. It then became part of the Honour of Pontefract given to Ilbert de Lacy for service to the Conqueror, in whose family the manor remained until 1311. There is later evidence of a castle, and the manor then passed to the Earl of Lincoln, John of Gaunt, The Crown and, ultimately, private ownership in 1620

By the Middle Ages Bradford, had become a small town centred on Kirkgate, Westgate and Ivegate. In 1316 there is mention of a fulling mill, a soke mill where all the manor corn was milled and a market. During the Wars of the Roses the inhabitants sided with the House of Lancaster; Edward IV granted the right to hold two annual fairs and from this time the town began to prosper. In the reign of Henry VIII Bradford exceeded Leeds as a manufacturing centre. Bradford grew slowly over the next two-hundred years as the woollen trade gained in prominence.

By 1801, Bradford was a rural market town of 6,393 people, where wool spinning and cloth weaving were carried out in local cottages and farms. It was thus not much bigger than nearby Keighley (5,745) and was significantly smaller than Halifax (8,866) and Huddersfield (7,268). Among the major employers were Samuel Lister and his brother who were worsted spinners and manufacturers at Lister's Mill (Manningham Mills). Lister epitomised Victorian enterprise but it has been suggested that his capitalist attitude made trade unions necessary.
Unprecedented growth created problems with over 200 factory chimneys continually churning out black, sulphurous smoke, Bradford gained the reputation of being the most polluted town in England. There were frequent outbreaks of cholera and typhoid, and only 30% of children born to textile workers reached the age of fifteen. This extreme level of infant and youth mortality contributed to a life expectancy for Bradford residents of just over eighteen years, which was one of the lowest in the country.

Second Starter for Ten; in 2017, Grimsby played Wigan at Blundell Park in a pre-season friendly: but what part did a blond-haired female Humberside Police Officer play in the smooth running of the game?

Bradford City was founded in 1903 and immediately elected into the Football League Second Division. Promotion to the top tier followed as they won the 1907–08 Second Division title and then they went on to win the 1911 FA Cup final – a goalless Desmond at Crystal Palace being followed by a 1-0 Bradford win (Jimmy Speirs) in the replay at Old Trafford, which remains the club's only major honour. They were relegated in 1922. After chequered times, Bradford were promoted back to the second tier via the play-offs in 1996, before securing another promotion in 1998–99 to reach the Premier League, marking a return to the top-flight after a 77-year absence. They entered Europe and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000–01, but ended the campaign with relegation from the Premier League. A succession of financial crises followed as the club entered administration twice in two years and further relegations followed in 2004 and 2007 to leave the club back in the fourth tier. They found success under the management of Phil Parkinson by reaching the 2013 League Cup final and then going on to win that year's League Two play-off final but were relegated from League One again in 2019.

Not counting cup ties, we’ve played 15 times in the League since we got back into the League; Cups have generally done us well, but the League games show five wins each, with five draws; they did us 1-0 at their place on 25th November 23 with a 58th minute goal from striker Tyler Smith; we got no goals and no points, but we did get four yellow cards! And will someone have a quiet word with Lewis Shipley about the virtues of having eleven men on the field at all times?

They made a scrappy start to the season – 5 wins, 5 draws and four losses in their first 14 games; they then lost four on the bounce, then they won four on the bounce, then they drew five and lost three of eight, then they won three in a row, and last time out they drew 1-1 with Donnie; currently they’re 15th, with 12 wins, 12 draws, eleven losses, a GD of +2 and 47 points – one place and one point above us ….. in the Transfer Window they added Charlton GK Sam Walker and Middlesbrough striker Calum Kavanagh on a permanent basis and loaned in Plymouth winger Tyreik Wright …………. Graham Alexander was appointed manager on 6th November, following two interim managers and a sacked Mark Hughes …. GA’s record in the League is W7 D6 L5, or 1.5 points per game ….

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 9th March …………… "The King is Dead, Long Live the King"; 33 points to play for, and – more importantly perhaps – lots of players whose contracts are up soon who will be (hopefully) playing for their future careers …….. And Sheff Utd’s 6-0 home thrashing by Arsenal on 4th March was the third consecutive home game which they’d lost by conceding five or more goals (5-0 loss to Villa on 3rd Feb, 5-0 loss to Brighton on 18th Feb, and 6-0 loss to Arsenal on 4th March), and that's the first time that’s happened in English League football; to make it even more worserer though, they’d already lost earlier in the season by 5-0 at Arsenal and 5-0 at Burnley, and their second record was created by adding their 8-0 pasting by Newcastle on 24th September, which makes it the first time a team in the top flight has lost four games at home by at least five goals ………… (“Going down, going down, going down ….”)

And the anonymous WPC’s story from Grimsby was told in the local Press: from the Grimsby Telegraph

“Pre-season is never glamorous, and managers down the leagues are usually scrapping around for options and throw on a trialist or two. The officials are usually reliable though, so it came as a shock when, during Grimsby Town's game at Blundell Park on Saturday, a policewomen took on the role as fourth official on the touchline. Town drew 1-1 with League One side Wigan Athletic, with Ben Davies' 90th minute equaliser cancelling out Callum Lang's opener. But one of the highlights for fans was the cameo appearance by a Humberside Police officer on the touchline. When the fourth official was unable through injury to carry out a substitution, she stepped in to help out. And with her handcuffs, baton and pepper spray at her side, the officer lifted the official's board to allow the game to continue. Thanks to the officer's quick-thinking Grimsby were able to introduce Karleigh Osborne for Danny Collins in the second half switch. One fan said: "It happened in a flash. The official seemed to get an injury and the policewoman just stepped in quickly to help out.””

And there’s a photo on FB of her later in the game holding up the board showing 14 minutes added time ……..

Good luck to everyone! ………….. Keep the Faith (whatever “the Faith” currently is!) …… And thanks for playing!