Bradford City 1 Aldershot Town 1 (4-1 on penalties to City): Bantams stretched but edge through

Bradford City are through to the FA Cup second round having beated National League side Aldershot Town 4-1 on penalties in a first-round replay at Valley Parade after extra time.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Nov 2018, 22:25 BST
Updated 21st Nov 2018, 00:04 BST
Bradford City's goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell was their FA Cup penalty shoot-out hero.Bradford City's goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell was their FA Cup penalty shoot-out hero.
Bradford City's goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell was their FA Cup penalty shoot-out hero.

Goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell saved two of Aldershot’s three penalties from Matt McClure and Gabriel Osho while Eoin Doyle, Kai Bruenker, Lewis O’Brien and Jack Payne scored Bradford’s four spot-kicks.

The League One bottom side were pushed all the way by their non-League opponents whose superb defence frustrated the home side for long periods as City struggled to create clear cut chances despite dominating possession – a problem that has been evident regularly in this unhappy season.

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Still, City, who have not won in the League for seven weeks, will be relieved to reach the second round where they return to Peterborough where they gained a creditable 1-1 draw in the League last Saturday.

They dominated the first half without creating many chances and the nearest they came to scoring was in the 15th minute when Doyle’s header was blocked on the line by Lewis Kinsella from Payne’s corner.

Doyle put the ball in the net in the 51st minute when Lewis O’Brien’s left-wing cross found him unmarked at the far post, but was ruled offside. Payne, Bradford’s most creative player, tested visiting goslkeeper Will Mannion with low shots in the 50th and 60th minutes as City continued to pressurise the visitors’ defence.

Doyle again had the ball in the net from close range in the third minute of extra-time when substitute George Miller’s shot rebounded into his path, but was once more was ruled offside.

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The deadlock was broken in the tenth minute of stoppage-time when substitute Kai Bruenker’s low cross from the right was turned into his own net by George Fowler. Aldershot equalised in the 108th minute through substitute Luke Howell.

Bradford City: O’Donnell, Chicksen (Wood 81), McGowan (Bruenker 64), J O’Brien, O’Connor, Doyle, Payne, Knight-Percival, Devine, L O’Brien, Ball (Miller 77). Unused substitutes: Wilson, Isherwood, Gibson, Wright.

Aldershot Town: Mannion, Kinsella, McDonnell, Fowler, Fenelon (McClure 54), Bernard (McCoy 81), Lelan, Gallagher (Howell 93), Booty, Berkeley (Barrett 57), Osho. Unused substitutes: Cole, Wanadio.

Referee: Graham Salisbury.

Related topics:Bradford CityJack PayneAldershot TownNational League