Bradford City: Mark Hughes has made his point, now Bantams need to focus on attack

The Bantams stopped their five-match Valley Parade losing streak with a clean sheet against promotion-chasing Newport County. They played well in three quarters of the pitch, producing football that audibly encouraged those in the stands.

But as they were clapped off at full-time, another opportunity had passed them by. It is eight games since their last home victory, and only one in 16 matches.

The 0-0 draw in front of owner Stefan Rupp, who Hughes met face-to-face for the first time the day before the German’s first home game since Covid-19 became a thing, was a good advert for investment this summer.

Hughes demonstrated his coaching abilities by organising his team for a third shut-out in four matches. They moved the ball well, Elliot Watt pulling the midfield strings, and got the crowd on their side.

But they lacked the quality to make enough good chances, looking most likely when lofting the ball for Andy Cook to battle for. Dion Pereira and Charles Vernam improved things from the bench after an hour, but not enough. Hughes must find more at that end too, but better attacking players would make it easier.

Newport should have scored at either end of the second half, James Waite and Mickey Demetriou fizzing over crosses lacking the touches they deserved. In between a tumbling Cameron Norman begged for a penalty but it looked far from “stonewall” as his manager claimed.

Generally, though, the Exiles were kept at arm’s length.

“When you come into a club you want that defensive platform so we’ve probably done more work with regards to back fours and midfields,” explained Hughes, who has overseen six matches, winning two and drawing one.

“Defensively we weren’t quite good enough (under Derek Adams),” said Yann Songo’o, bright at centre-back early on in particular. “(Hughes) tells us the tempo needs to be better so we move the ball quickly, we always have to be in shape and move the line up and down to dictate the game and frustrate the centre-forward.”

Now Hughes needs to put similar confidence into his attack.

In the opening hour, Bradford were too narrow, flitting between 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-2-1. Whatever his position, Jimmy Walker’s runs onto flick-ons were a threat. But when sent through by Cook shortly before half-time, he lacked conviction and James Clarke was able to get a toe on the shot.

Matty Foulds was timid getting forward from left-back. Luke Hendrie was more forthcoming but his overhit cross after Watt’s 29th-minute pass was typical.

Bradford’s best hope was that referee Marc Edwards would act on the shirt-pulling around consecutive early corners when the ball was in play but he settled for stern words between them.

Whereas Newport’s sporadic counter-attacks looked the more likely in the first 45 minutes, Bradford stepped up after it, Cook forcing a good Joe Day save before the goalkeeper tipped over a mishit Gareth Evans cross and denied Walker’s counter-attack.

But Vernam brought width, Bradford effectively 4-2-4-1 minus the right winger (because 11 outfielders would be cheating), and Pereira unpredictability.

“At the top end you want a little bit of spontaneity and off-the-cuff work sometimes,” said Hughes.

Pereira’s first contribution was a centre where Cook did so well to get in front of his man putting it into the net was difficult.

He had a shot blocked and another over.

In the 74th minute the January loan signing beat two men in the corner but was undone by too heavy a touch once in the area.

Vernam had one shot smothered and dragged another wide.

“It’s maybe a confidence thing – sometimes when you have those half-chances you try to be a little bit too deliberate,” said Hughes.

He has work to do.

“It’s always about repetition,” he argued. “For strikers it’s about putting the ball in the back of the net. If you can repeat that time and again when those half-chances and ricochets occur in the box, without thinking you put your foot through them and in they go.

“There’s other areas out wide where we can do a little bit more work in terms of what we’re looking to achieve and where we want our final pass to be played.

“If you can practice the feeling of knocking balls into the net and hearing that unique sound of the ball hitting the net that everybody loves, it’s never bad work.”

At least Hughes has City using their biggest strength – the fans.

“We hope they stay behind us but that depends on our performance,” cautioned Songo’o.

Hughes added: “We’ll never take that support for granted so it’s about giving them something back. I’d like to think they enjoyed Saturday. We hope to get better.”

They will have to, but Hughes has made his side stronger defensively whilst shifting some of the negativity hanging too often over Valley Parade in recent years. The fans are waiting for the next step, their team must deliver.