Bradford City 0 Morecambe 1: Miserable start continues

City have overcome far worse crises than they are currently confronting yet it is not being alarmist to say that after this display the pre-season promotion favourites are in danger of dropping into the Conference.

Neighbours Bradford Park Avenue were voted out of the Football League in 1970 – a place in League Two's bottom two this season will result in automatic relegation for City.

That is where they sit now, just three points above Hereford United with eight points from their opening 10 games, just half the tally they had gleaned last season when they finished 14th.

It is going to take all Peter Taylor's vast experience to lift the club and the manager is as frustrated as anyone, especially after ending last season on a high with four wins and two draws from their last six games.

The one consolation is that visitors Morecambe, who began the day one place below City, have an identical record to last season with 10 points from their opening 10 games and Sammy McIlroy's side went on to clinch a place in the play-offs.

The way they approached this game with a certain amount of swagger and undoubted self-belief must have brought envious glances from the City fans, who had to endure watching their side lump the ball forward.

"Sort it out Taylor," was a plaintive cry from the stand as confidence-shredded City rarely looked capable of retrieving anything against a side shorn through hamstring injuries of their regular centre-backs.

One of the biggest gripes among the faithful – and there were still over 10,000 in the ground – is Taylor's decision to play central defender Luke Oliver as a striker yet the side created even fewer opportunities once he had been withdrawn at the break following a glaring miss in the 36th minute.

Partner Gareth Evans, whose 100 per cent wholehearted effort should be a beacon to team-mates, hustled Craig Stanley off the ball and sent an inviting cross which Oliver met with a bullet header way off target into the Kop.

Taylor justified his selection, saying: "A few people have been saying Luke Oliver should not play up front and I know he is a centre-half who is helping us out and who is doing an honest job. We did not create a load of chances in the first half but we certainly looked like scoring more than in the second. We are a team that's low on confidence and sometimes you need that big target man.

"In the end we tried to play a smaller player to get the service into the striker to hurt a slower centre-half but you've got to have a confident team to do that – you have to be able to pass the ball into people.

"That's why we have been playing the big fellow up front because we are not the most confident team at the minute so it's an easier option just to lump the ball forward.

"In the end, we were 1-0 down and it was worth the gamble to see if we could get the ball into Jake Speight or Gareth Evans but, unfortunately, it didn't happen."

Taylor brought in Manchester United loanees Reece Brown and Oliver Gill as full-backs but that did not go down well with fans of left-back Luke O'Brien, who came on as a second-half substitute into an unaccustomed midfield role as Lee Hendrie, still not match fit, was rested after his first start for the club.

Taylor also went from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 with the introduction of Speight and Chib Chilaka but, for all City's obvious muscular advantage, Morecambe hardly broke sweat in holding their 21st-minute lead.

The goal came as Mark Duffy produced instant control to a raking ball from defence, had his first cross blocked by Gill but curled the second to the far post where striker Paul Mullin, who had a short loan spell with City last year, tapped home as Jon McLaughlin scrambled across his line to no avail.

Mullin was outstanding in a lone front role, supported from behind by Andrew Fleming and with Duffy and Adam Rundle hugging the touchlines to keep the game stretched.

Stewart Drummond was given the holding role but also showed initiative to get forward and Morecambe were by far the brighter and more inventive side throughout.

It could perhaps have been different had City scored in the opening two minutes when left-footer Omar Daley cut in from the right and struck a cross-shot against the far post and right-footer Hendrie raced in from the left to volley over the bar.

Boos which greeted the final whistle were justified, admitted Taylor.

Bradford City: McLaughlin, Brown, Williams, Duff, Gill; Daley (Chilaka 62), Adeyemi, Bullock, Hendrie (O'Brien 70); Oliver (Speight 46), Evans. Unused substitutes: Saxton, Rehman, Doherty, Moult.

Morecambe: Roche, Hunter, Bentley, Parrish, Wilson; Duffy, Drummond, Rundle (Brown 77); Fleming; Mullin. Unused substitutes: Jones, Shuker, Spencer, Cowperthwaite, Capaldi.

Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Paul Mullin

The Morecambe striker gave a tremendous display of solitary front-running and City fans must wish the club had signed him last season following a five-match loan spell at Valley Parade by the experienced former Accrington Stanley player.

Villain: Luke Oliver

City's makeshift striker should have scored with a free header in the 36th minute but he would be comforted by England striker Peter Crouch's similar wayward effort on 'Match of the Day'.

Key moment

2nd minute: Daley hits the post, Hendrie blazes the rebound over – what a difference a goal could have made.

Ref watch

Scott Mathieson: Worked well with his linesmen and got all the major decisions spot on.

Verdict

Peter Taylor must be hoping that Michael Flynn, James Hanson and Tommy Doherty return to fitness as soon as possible after this abject display.

Next game

Hartlepool United v Bradford City, JP Trophy, tomorrow, 7.0pm.

Quote of the day

Stand up if you love your Shrimps.

– Morecambe's 218-strong travelling support as they watch their side gain their first win at Valley Parade.