Southend United 3 Bradford City 0: Bantams ordered to bounce straight back

BRADFORD CITY chief Stuart McCall wants an immediate response from his players after losing at Southend.
Bradford City suffered a heavy defeat at SouthendBradford City suffered a heavy defeat at Southend
Bradford City suffered a heavy defeat at Southend

The 3-0 defeat to the Shrimpers was only their second in League One this term.

Will Atkinson’s brace did the damage before Romain Vincelot’s own goal ended a miserable day on the coast for the Bantams.

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Defeat saw McCall’s men slip into fourth as Bolton leapfrogged them after beating Millwall.

Manager McCall, whose side entertain Northampton tomorrow, said: “It is a quick turnaround and the lads will be keen to get back out there. It is nice to have the chance to get out there quickly and to do better.

“We know there will be plenty of highs and lows in any season, and Saturday wasn’t our greatest performance, certainly. We had our moments but we move on and try to bounce back.”

Atkinson netted his first goal since February in the 14th minute as he collected a fine through ball from Simon Cox before calmly slotting into the bottom corner.

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The visitors’ best chance fell to James Hanson as he powerfully headed against the bar.

Just before the break, goal-keeper Colin Doyle twice denied Southend’s Anthony Wordsworth but the pressure eventually told for the Bantams’ back line as Atkinson doubled his season’s tally by powerfully striking past Doyle with 18 minutes to go.

Southend sealed their sixth League One game without defeat when Vincelot diverted Marc-Antoine Fortune’s cross into his own net four minutes from time.

Southend United: Oxley, Coker (Timlin, 35), Thompson, Demetriou, Ferdinand, Wordsworth, McLaughlin (O’Neill, 89), Atkinson, Leonard, Cox (Fortune, 70), Ranger. Unused substitutes: Smith, Sokolik, King, McGlashan.

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Bradford City: Doyle, Darby (Morais, 79), Meredith, Vincelot, Knight-Percival, Law, Marshall, Dieng, Cullen, Hanson, Hiwula-Mayifuila (McNulty, 57). Unused substitutes: Sattelmaier, McArdle, Kilgallon, Devine, Vuckic.

Referee: A Woolmer (Northamptonshire).