Bradford City 0 Notts County 3: Another bleak episode against Nottinghamshire opponents as Bantams' League Two play-off hopes look increasingly forlorn

Their visitors on Tuesday night in the shape of the oldest Football League club around in Notts County inflicted one in the reverse fixture in November en route to a 4-2 success, which proved particularly embarrassing in a pitiful first-half performance watched by TV viewers alongside those who had travelled from West Yorkshire.

It was also excruciating on Saturday when leaders Mansfield Town feasted on an atrocious defensive display and scored four unanswered goals in the opening half, just as Notts did against City back in late autumn.

City’s reaction to that aforesaid defeat at Meadow Lane was rather more satisfactory, by way of six successive victories in all competitions to inspire talk of the play-offs by Christmas.

In terms of the top seven, City’s hopes were looking somewhat slender, if not yet quite over, ahead of this return fixture. They needed a win to revive it in the nick of time.

They did not find it and home supporters, who witnessed a third defeat in seven days at an unhappy Valley, were decidedly nonplussed.

Booed rang out at the end, with Alassana Jatta having fired the visitors third – and his second – after being sent clear in stoppage time.

It was not quite as bad as events in the East Midlands, thankfully. But it was another thoroughly unwanted outcome as the visitors claimed just their second win in 13 games in 2024 and showed signs of their mojo coming back at Bradford’s expense.

They looked the part going forward again.

Sadly, Bradford’s season as a competitive entity looks to be over before the clocks go forward unless something staggering happens.

Macaulay Langstaff, who scored in the win at Notts, put the visitors ahead with his 25th goal of the season on 12 minutes with Jatta’s header sealing it three minutes before the hour. The big striker added another just before the final whistle.

At the back, City - without a number of central defensive options - were stretched, certainly in the second half when they creaked.

City made three changes and two were expected ones with Andy Cook and Brad Halliday back in the starting line-up following their surprise demotion to the bench on Saturday.

It was also a noteworthy night for Daniel Oyegoke, handed his first start since the final game of the Mark Hughes era in early October, with the Brentford loanee thankfully fit again following shoulder surgery.

Sections of the home crowd were sparsely populated and the atmosphere came from the vocal Notts contingent, despite under-fire Magpies chief Stuart Maynard having got off to a very inauspicious start at the club after replacing Luke Williams in early January.

What he saw in the first half, certainly going forward, should have pleased him with his side looking dangerous in transition. Moreso in the second.

For City’s part, there was certainly effort and a visible desire to atone for the grim first-half fayre on Saturday.

Their defensive sloppiness was nothing like their weekend levels, well not in the first period. But unfortunately, one key went against them and they didn’t get much luck either.

Jodi Jones picked up the ball on the right and saw his cross took a significant deflection off Liam Ridehalgh.

The ball fell straight into the path of the lurking Langstaff, who tucked the ball away in routine fashion.

City huffed and puffed to try and get back into proceedings. In fairness, their start had been passable, with Alex Gilliead firing one decent chance over at the far post and Richie Smallwood’s low shot held by Luca Ashby-Hammond, replacing Sam Slocombe - only for County’s moment to spoil things.

It was hardly on the Mansfield scale, that said.

In a defensive sense, Notts are a side who give you a chance. Equally, they are proficient going the other way with tidy footballers in their ranks such as Jones and Dan Crowley and a predator in Langstaff and their games are invariably open.

City pressed Notts’ defence well enough and also mixed the play up intelligently. But the poise largely came from Notts and a smart full-stretch save from

Sam Walker kept out Lewis Macari’s precision strike before the break with the home keeper also grasping an effort from Langstaff low down.

The Bantams needed to test Ashby-Hammond more in the Notts goal for sure, with the keeper having conceded 11 goals in his previous four appearances for the club. The onus was to be sharper in their offensive work.

Just when they needed a break, they were on the receiving end of a triple whammy.

Gilliead’s hamstring went as he chased Aaron Nemane with only a smart save from Walker preventing Langstaff from making it 2-0.

Gilliead’s replacement in Harry Chapman was immediately into the action. Following a barnstorming run down the left from Oyedoke, his first touch saw him head against the far post.

While City were still reflecting on that, Notts had sealed the deal when Jatta headed in at the far post following an excellent free-kick on the right from Jones.

Notts had their tails up as a deathly hush descended on the home sections. Walker was kept busy and prevented Sam Austin from adding a third and was then relieved after spilling a low drive from Langstaff, with Jatta’s follow-up blocked as the visitors piled on the pressure.

Jatta hared away to score a cool late third.

Bradford City: S Walker; Oyegoke, Ridehalgh, Kelly; Halliday, Gilliead (Chapman 53), Smallwood, J Walker (McDonald 71), Richards (Oduor 71), Smith (Wright 71), Cook. Unused substitutes: Doyle, Platt, Pointon.

Notts County: Ashby-Hammond; Warner, Cameron, Macari; Nemane, Crowley, Robertson, Jones (O’Brien 88); Langstaff, Jatta. Unused substitutes: Stone, Brindley, Bostock, Munakandafa, Sanderson, Colkett.

Referee: B Toner (Lancashire).