By Joseph Pearson
This was Craven College’s first game since Christmas and they were up against Bradford College in an all Yorkshire encounter. Craven’s last performance, against superior opponents Lancaster and Morecambe College, was very encouraging and they could take many positives from the game, despite the defeat.
Bradford dominated the opening exchanges with some controlled, confident passing and they almost took the lead in the first few minutes but the Bradford striker’s shot came back off the post. Craven were riding their luck and they began to create some chances of their own. Nathan Foster headed over the bar from close range and Clark Lydon’s shot was well saved by the Bradford keeper.
However, Craven’s first opportunities at goal were only delaying the inevitable as Bradford took the lead when a deep cross was tapped in at the far post. This appeared to give Bradford more freedom as they continued to attack. They soon doubled their advantage when one of Bradford’s midfielders was allowed too much time to shoot from long range but there was little that keeper Ed Bullock could do in the Craven goal, as the Bradford player fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner. It was an absolute screamer which left everyone stunned.
Things were looking bad for Craven now and they were about to get worse. Another Bradford attack lead to another goal and the score was now 3-0 with more than an hour of play remaining. Bradford’s left winger produced a sublime peace of skill to set up another chance but the final shot was well saved by Ed Bullock.
The tide was beginning to turn for Craven. Bradford’s dominance of the game was decreasing and it was Craven looking who were looking dangerous in attack. They were having some good chances through Sam Robinson and Nathan Riley and Craven pulled one back, crucially just before half-time. Shaun Hallous was played through, beat Bradford’s offside trap and coolly produced a side footed finish to give Craven a chance. At half time, the score was now 3-1 to Bradford College.
The second half got underway and Craven had to score first, if they were to stand any chance of getting a result. The beginning of the second half was opposite from the first. Craven were having all the play and were creating numerous chances to score. Both sides looked totally different teams from the first half as Bradford were hanging on to their two goal lead. Craven were constantly attacking Bradford’s goal and it wasn’t long before the deficit was halved. A poor clearance by Bradford’s keeper left Clark Lydon 1 on 1 with the keeper. There was a suspicion of offside after Lydon ran after the ball which was knocked forward by a Craven man. His first effort was well saved but he finished the rebound to give Craven the goal that their play had deserved.
Craven had a free kick, which was whipped into the box and Lydon had a great chance to equalise when he had a free header from close range. The striker failed to connect with the header and the effort went wide. It was all one way traffic now and everyone thought Craven had finally equalised when Sam Robinson’s brilliant half volley from 25 yards was heading for the top corner. From nowhere, Bradford’s keeper pulled off an unbelievable save to deny Craven third goal.
Craven suffered a major setback when Bradford doubled their advantage. A free kick from about 40 yards out was hit into Craven’s penalty area and the ball ended up in the goal after striking post and bar. It was a complete fluke and it was completely against the run of play. Time was running out for Craven and their luck in front of goal was epitomised by Nathan Riley’s goal bound effort striking team mate Jordan Waddington in the closing minutes of the match. The game ended 4-2 and Craven were left wondering what might have been, if they had produced a better first half display. A valiant second half display wasn’t enough as Bradford College won the match.
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