Bradford City derby defeat ‘unacceptable’ says Elliot Watt

It is the nature of the beast at a club like City, one of two bonafide League Two heavyweights alongside Bolton Wanderers and explains why there has been a fair bit of angst among claret-and-amber followers after Monday’s televised loss to Yorkshire counterparts Harrogate Town.

Despite the narrow scoreline in favour of Harrogate, there was no disputing the visitors’ dominance on the night and Watt knows full well that he and his team-mates must immediately get back in supporters’ good books, starting at Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon.

Watt, who joined City in the summer from Wolves, said: “You know what you are going to get with this club.

“The expectations are really high from where the club has been and wants to get back to. You have to take it on your shoulders and understand that any loss is not acceptable for a club of this standard.

“To lose like that was really disappointing and you have to understand the fans are going to be disappointed.

“But by no means are the fans more disappointed than us in the changing rooms. We are really disappointed. But we have a good togetherness and will bounce back and put a smile on the fans’ faces really soon.”

Withering in his assessment of events on Monday, Watt believes that Harrogate showed more fight that the hosts, a verdict which reinforces the need for an instant response.

The midfielder added: “We knew it would be a tough game and had to do the basics well in winning the first and second balls and fighting for the three points. They wanted it more than us and that is not acceptable.”

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.