Bradford City were '˜mentally and physically weak', says McCall

Bradford City manager Stuart McCall.Bradford City manager Stuart McCall.
Bradford City manager Stuart McCall.
BRADFORD City manager Stuart McCall branded his side as 'weak' after crumbling from 3-0 up at Walsall to only earn a point.

Goals from Shay McCartan, Dominic Poleon and an own goal from Luke Leahy gave the Bantams a three-goal lead.

Leahy made amends for his own goal by pulling a goal back before new signing Tyler Roberts came off the bench to score. Amadou Bakayoko then completed a home comeback late on.

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McCall moaned: “We were mentally and physically weak in the second half, which was very disappointing.

“We should have enough professionals to realise the game is never, ever over.

“We can look at ourselves for decisions we made, but sometimes players have to take responsibility.”

It took half an hour for the Bantams to break down the hosts, but they then went on to score three times in 19 minutes.

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Northern Irishman McCartan could not have had an easier finish for his first goal at the club with a close-range tap-in from Charlie Wyke’s fizzed cross.

Eight minutes later Poleon scuffed a left-footed strike past Mark Gillespie.

Four minutes after the break Tony McMahon’s free-kick was turned into his own net by Leahy.

The Bantams just went to sleep after going three goals to the good and Leahy pulled one back with a bullet header.

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Just after the hour substitute Roberts reduced the arrears and Bakayoko completed the comeback as he bundled home Roberts’s cross to salvage a point.

Walsall: Gillespie, Wilson, Donnellan, Guthrie, Devlin, Morris (T Roberts, 53), Chambers, Edwards, Leahy, Oztumer, Bakayoko. Unused substitutes: Cuvelier, Kinsella, L Roberts, K Roberts, Kouhyar, Candlin.

Bradford City: Doyle, McMahon, Knight-Percival, Kilgallon, Field (Barr, 77), Gilliead (Hendrie 59), Reeves, McCartan (Pybus, 55) Law, Poleon, Wyke. Unused substitutes: Taylor, Sattelmaier, Jones, Patrick.

Referee: M Salisbury (Lancashire).

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