Positive spin from Bradford City debutant Kevin Toner

It is not often you can accentuate the positives from a game having lost late on to a promotion rival.

Neither does it help that the TV cameras were in attendance to magnify such a potentially damaging defeat.

But despite Bradford City’s 3-2 loss to Scunthorpe United, the mood in the camp was strangely buoyant.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Manager Stuart McCall praised the players’ overall performance despite seeing his side drop a place in League One to fifth.

The Bantams could be considered unlucky to have come away empty-handed from Lincolnshire.

McCall’s view was shared by defender Kevin Toner, who enjoyed a terrific afternoon on a personal level.

The Aston Villa loanee marked his maiden Bantams outing with a first professional goal which made it 1-1.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alex Jones made it 2-1 barely two minutes later only for Scunthorpe to show their steely resolve and run out winners.

Toner joined on January 31 and certainly had to bide his time before making his City bow.

The 20-year-old put a positive spin on the game. “Everyone could see that we were on top and that the players never gave up,” said the Irishman.

“We got shots in that were hitting players who weren’t even looking and then going off the bar. The ball was hitting everywhere except the back of the net but in those situations you just have to keep going.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Toner had warm words for centre-back partners Romain Vincelot and Rory McArdle after stepping in for Nat Knight-Percival, who had gashed his head in training.

“The two at the back, Romain and Rory, were brilliant all game. If I was just a tiny bit out of position they’d be giving me a little shout to get back in and keep switched on.

“I want to try and get a run of games now but we’ll have to wait and see.

“On your first start, you want the three points especially in such a big game like this was.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“On a personal level, it was a good day and I’m happy to have got my first professional goal, but we’d rather have the three points all day long.”

Toner says City should have no fear of facing Graham Alexander’s side in the play-offs.

“We’d like to think that if we do meet them again that the goals go in that time, rather than be like today! We just take it game by game. We’re treating all the games as cup finals because each game is so important.”