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Date: Sat 31st March 2001, 3.00pm. Venue: Valley Parade  Conditions: Pre-match showers gave way to a warm and sunny afternoon.

Bradford City	2 - 2	Newcastle United
Half time:	2 - 1
Score Sheet:
Wetherall (8) Blake (10pen)		Cort (25) Acuna (77)
	Teams
Walsh Jacobs Molenaar Wetherall McCall Locke Jess Whalley Ward Blake Carbone		Given O'Brien Barton Hughes Lee Speed Quinn Solano Acuna Cort Ameobi
Substitutes:
Halle for Locke (36) Grant for Blake (89)		Gallacher for Solano (81) Bassedas for Acuna (84)
Subs not used:
Worsnop Myers Kerr		Harper Cordone Griffin
Bookings:
		Speed (71)
Referee: Paul Taylor (Cheshunt).  Awful. Conned for a pen, unaware of the rule that requires injury victims to leave the field after treatment, preferring to ignore the signals of a linesman with a perfect view of an incident and seemingly programmed to blow his whistle every time a black and white shirt made a forward pass.
Attendance: 20,160.

8 mins. A corner that David Wetherall had all to himself. He gleefully accepted the invitation and headed past a helpless Given. Very similar to the one he scored against us for Leeds when we collapsed 4-1 in the horrible blue, green and orange kit, and of course in the Bradford game at Valley Parade last season - even at the same end of the ground. 0-1

10 mins. The slightest of touches on Robert Molenaar by Rob Lee saw the City player collapse theatrically. A junior referee wouldn't even have given it. Paul Taylor did. Blake converted easily. 0-2

25 mins. Cort converted another fine cross from Wayne Quinn down the United left flank, nodding into the left side of the goal. 1-2

Half time: Bradford 2 Newcastle 1

77 mins. Solano's corner was cleared but he tucked it back in for Acuna to throw his not inconsiderable frame at. His header hit keeper Gary Walsh who was only able to push it into his own goal. 2-2

Full time: Bradford 2 Newcastle 2

Uncle Bobby said: 

Jim Jefferies in optimistic mood said:

"We're still not mathematically down so we're still in with a shout."

"But this was a game we should have won after going 2-0 up. We then had chances to make it 3-1 and again when they had equalised, but we failed to capitalise.

"We desperately needed that third goal, although a draw was probably a fair result, particularly when you look at the performances of both goalkeepers in a game which could have finished with a lot more goals."

A cursory post-match flick through a "proper" report or a brief glimpse of footage on the gogglebox could lead to the non-attenders at this match being vaguely content with the outcome. Not I.

Regardless of the antics of alleged referee Taylor and a laughable penalty award, the fact remains that around about 3.11pm on Saturday we were two behind to a team shortly to be engaged in arrangements for parking their bus at Gresty Road.  The bumbling artisans of Bradford, shorn even of their attacking lump Windass, were strolling around the field in the manner of European champions with our lot seemingly powerless to prevent further punishment.

Had Given not made a great save from Carbone to stop an unthinkable third, the roof really could have fallen in here, but almost immediately we managed to expose the Bantam rearguard with a left wing move culminating in a cross from Quinn. Cort mucked up his header right in front of the toon fans, but the message was clear: the home side were there for the taking.

With increased backing from the travelling mags, a goal was forthcoming via the same route, Quinn bending in another great ball for Cort to direct his header on goal this time, and in. We were no longer looking down both barrels of a gun..... 

Further pressure followed before half time, predominantly from Newcastle, although our back line looked distinctly ill at ease when the home side had the temerity to fire crosses into our penalty area.

The roars of the crowd from the Symphony stand as Robson and his men trooped off below them at half time told their own story - those United followers who'd forked out £27 for this weren't going to give up, and neither were the players, hopefully.

The second half was mostly one-way traffic until a frantic last ten minutes, but Cort and Ameobi both missed opportunities to level the contest after having penetrated the City defence, and Barton saw a volleyed effort from distance tipped over that would have gone down in geordie folkore had it not been saved.

Finally, an almost unique example of positive work from Solano saw a neat cross from the right headed in by Acuna from close range for the equaliser that most of Valley Parade had been expecting for the previous 45 minutes. Both South Americans could justifiably claim to have got out of jail in this move - the Peruvian having contributed little, save for a pathetic dive to try and win a penalty and an avoidance of a challenge on the far touchline that saw him openly harangued by travelling fans. It could be claimed that the player had suffered due to his midweek exertions overseas for Peru, but Robson appeared to sense the lack of effort and left him on after half time almost to grind a positive contribution out of his occasionally inspired midfielder, rather than take the comfy option. Good for him.

As for Acuna, while he was praised by the United staff for his efforts post-match (and greeted like a long-lost son by Mick Wadsworth when substituted), his positional sense seems a little lacking. True, he was on the spot in a striking position to nod home a vital goal, but for much of the game he meandered up front to no good purpose, leaving a gap behind him that Lee and Speed didn't always manage to plug - a better side than City would have exploited that, in the way that Charlton strode through our middle order at the Valley earlier this year. Acuna on that occasion seemed to be seeking a hiding place in the United attack. 

Please don't think this is a thinly-veiled attack on our foreign boys, but rather some perspective to temper post-match stories about how wonderful Clarence was.

So, to the burning question - are United back ? Well, on the basis that we'll do well to match this result in our next match (at Ipswich), we still have a lot of work to do. Had Ameobi or Cort grabbed a late winner it might have papered over a few more cracks, but the fact remains that we were glad of point after a meeting with the league equivalent of San Marino. Nobody should settle for that.

Perhaps we'd better just settle for being on the way back from wherever they've been - a phrase which may not lend itself to communal renditions, but would be infinitely preferable to the brief outbreak yet again of our infamous little ditty "you're just a town full of paki's."  

Whether it was the limited open sale of tickets to away fans, an excess of drink or just an outbreak of wankerness is unclear, but there weren't half some spanners at this one purporting to be Newcastle fans. Fighting between themselves, cursing the performance of non-playing toon players and failing to grasp the concept of seat numbers resulted in zero action or assistance from the moronic stewards in the away end - presumably chosen to fit their yellow coats rather than for any ability to do their job. However their paymasters were little better, not even being able to manage the obviously tricky task of putting the correct turnstiles on the toon end tickets. 

Apparently they'd also sold home season tickets and match day tickets for an area of the CIBA stand that they subsequently decided to give to away fans, and were reduced to advertising for those affected home fans to come forward and be re-housed. Still, you can't expect much for nearly thirty notes these days, and they have an unrivalled safety record at this ground don't they.....

PS - perhaps if Bradford ever return to the top-flight, they'll manage to build some gents toilets in the away end to replace the current secret passageway that holds around eight average sized geordie males.

PPS - Andrew O'Brien made his debut and looked ok after a shaky start. Whether Bobby thought he was being clever putting him in on his old stamping ground I don't know, but was there really a desperate need to play him alongside a half-fit Aaron Hughes? Bear in mind that O'Brien had signed for Newcastle, posed for photos and then rushed off to play for Eire U21 in Cyprus. Hardly ideal preparation for your debut. No wonder Scotland U21 captain Steve Caldwell sat on a bench in the ground looking less than impressed with proceedings.... 

Just like old times - racial abuse and urine seeping through the eye-holes of your boots. Roll on Summertime, as Martin Stephenson once sang..... 

 
Biffa

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