Bradford City 1 Walsall 1: Ten-man Saddlers frustrate Bantams

BRADFORD CITY’S 1-1 draw with Walsall last season was relieving - with a second-half penalty rescuing a point.

Here, the reverse applied as they failed to find a way past the ten-man Saddlers, a man light for the entire second half and had to settle for a point when three beckoned, with their 100 per cent league record on home soil relinquished in the process.

They had the chances, but could not convert as Walsall - who saw Saddlers captain Saddlers captain Joss Labadie receive his marching orders following an ugly challenge infield on Gareth Evans on 43 minutes - dug deep and chiselled out a battling point against the odds.

Enterprising City were good value for their 14th-minute lead, given to them in splendid fashion on 14 minutes from Elliot Watt - but paid the price for dropping their guard momentarily ahead of the break with one-time FC Halifax Town midfielder Jack Earing cancelling out Watt’s splendid opener when left unmarked in the box.

But a red card around sixty seconds later for Labadie tempered the visitors’ good feeling after Earing’s 42nd-minute strike - and would have left manager Matt Taylor feeling decidedly sore.

He will have been feeling better at the final whistle.

Both sides had started out in spritely fashion on a gloomy September and the early blast of sunshine came from City.

It was an exquisite moment with Watt taking the backslaps after an excellent opener.

The ball was only half-cleared by Walsall after a neat short corner routine by the hosts and Watt’s aim was unerring from the edge of the D, with his sweet left-foot drive hurtling into the net.

It crowned a smart start from City, whose forward movement in a 4-1-3-2 system was clever and fluid and while Walsall - trying to use width of the surface and probe for opportunities out wide - displayed promise themselves in the opening stages, the home goal was the precursor to dominance from the Bantams.

Before the opener, Andy Cook’s penchant for scoring against former clubs almost resurfaced again with only a fine saving block from Saddlers’ defender Rollin Menayese denying him after he got in the way of his goalbound drive after he peeled off following a hanging cross from Charles Vernam - with Carl Rushworth then turning away a shot from the recalled Evans.

Walsall looked unconvincing at the back, while struggling with City’s runners and a quality exchange should have yielded a second home goal on 23 minutes.

Cooke’s cross found Vernam at the far post after the Saddlers were opened up, but the forward’s downward header flew agonisingly wide instead of nestling in the net.

Cook was the next to show, with Hayden White deflecting his header for a corner on the half-hour.

Some moments of sloppiness in possession profited Walsall on a few occasions ahead of the break amid a lull from the hosts and the drop off was punished by Earing.

It saw Walsall’s most threatening first-half players combine with former Harrogate Town player Brendan Kiernan’s left-wing cross finding the untracked Earing, who tidily tucked the ball home from close range.

It was the catalyst to an eventful end to the half with the game rapidly turning back in City’s direction after Ladabie saw red.

Derek Adams’s side went close to restoring their advantage when Vernam’s shot took a wicked deflection off Menayese before drifting just wide and the smart money was on it being a long second half for the Midlanders, given their numerical disadvantage and the fact that their defending had not exactly been convincing.

Following Labadie’s dismissal, Earing dropped into a deeper role with Barnsley loanee George Miller - on his Saddlers’ debut following his loan move from Oakwell - ploughing a lone furrow against one of his former clubs.

It was a striker at the opposite end against his old employers who had the first chance on the resumption, but Cook’s effort flew into the side-netting as opposed to the net after being intelligently supplied by Gilliead.

Cook was then left to curse his fortunes after spurning the sort of chance which he has forged his career on.

Picked out by Vernam’s inviting cross on the left, the goal was inviting, but Cook’s header was wayward and high.

The game was starting to become a tad frustrating for the hosts as the clock started to tick down with Ollie Crankshaw and then ex-Walsall player Caolan Lavery thrown into the fray.

Both almost combined to telling effect with Lavery’s low cross picking out Crankshaw in front of goal, but a Walsall defender got a touch in the nick of time to divert his point-blank effort over the top.

With something to hang onto, the battling visitors threw an extra centre-half late on in Ash Taylor in preparation for a late onslaught from City, who threw deadline-day arrival Theo Robinson on in the dying stages.

He had one half-sight of goal before the final whistle, but blasted over deep in stoppage time.

Bradford City: O'Donnell; Threlkeld, O'Connor, Canavan (Robinson 89), Ridehalgh; Watt; Evans (Crankshaw 71); Cooke, Gilliead; Vernam (Lavery 77); Cook. Substitutes unused: Hornby, Songo'o, Foulds, Kelleher.

Walsall: Rushworth; White, Menayese, Monthe, Ward; Kinsella, Ladabie; Phillips, Earing (Perry 90); Kiernan (Taylor 84); Miller (Shade 64). Substitutes unused: Rose, Bates, Osadebe, Mills.

Referee: B Toner (Lancashire).

Attendance: 15,822 (490 Walsall fans).