Bradford City 1 Swindon Town 2: Sheehan sees red as set-piece suicide again costs the Bantams

The loss of Andrew Davies with a broken arm was always going to be a setback even though Bradford have coped admirably without his defensive organisational skills in the past.

Now, however, Davies’s stand-in, Alan Sheehan, will be out for three games after being sent off for violent conduct in stoppage time on Saturday.

Sheehan went to remonstrate with Yaser Kasim, who was lying by the touchline in what the City defender perceived to be an act of time-wasting, when Raphael Rossi Branco intervened.

Sheehan appeared to land a body-blow at the Brazilian, who went down as if felled by boxer Kell Brook, and referee Richard Clark had little option but to issue a straight red.

City fans were incensed – Aaron Mclean also went in the book – for it had been Branco who had caused much of the six minutes of stoppage time with his attempts to run down the clock.

Sheehan, however, received no sympathy from manager Phil Parkinson, who had moved him into his preferred left-back slot and switched Gary Liddle into central defence when attacking midfield man Filipe Morais replaced defender James Meredith.

“It looks to me as if Alan has just gone over and punched him. I can’t be sure but it is unacceptable if he has done that. We have had a poor result but that makes it a really bad day when one of your players loses his discipline and it’s unacceptable. He will be fined the maximum we can,” said the City chief.

Even City’s other central defender, Rory McArdle, did not escape criticism as their defensive frailty at set pieces cost them dear for a second successive home match.

“Rory got spun around the back and he has been outstanding in those situations up to now. It was unlike him because he is such a good marker and he rarely gets done.

“Half of me feels for the lads because they are distraught but, equally, to win football games we have to defend those situations a lot better,” continued Parkinson.

“We can’t keep conceding goals the way we have done. Four out of five goals have been conceded from set-play situations and I can’t remember since I have been here us conceding goals like that in two consecutive home games. We are not helping ourselves at all.”

After three home league defeats in a row, he may be pleased that two trips to MK Dons – in the league and League Cup – sandwich a visit to Colchester.

But the City chief, who is also without hip victim Matty Dolan, will have to decide on whether to stick with Liddle, move into the loan market or bring Christopher Routis off the bench before tomorrow’s encounter.

He will also have to replace Mark Yeates, whose troublesome left shoulder popped out after bumping into Kasim in the 75th minute. It was an unfortunate blow for Yeates, who had been brought into midfield with Billy Clarke pushed up front in place of Mason Bennett in the only change from the Yeovil defeat.

Parkinson was pleased with his side’s initial response to their insipid display against Yeovil and City were dominant in the opening stages.

The game, however, also began horribly for Sheehan, who saw his second-minute penalty saved by Wes Foderingham, who had tripped Clarke after stumbling in attempting to reach a back pass.

City overcame that disappointment, continued to press and Louis Thompson, under pressure from Jason Kennedy, slid the ball into his own net in the 10th minute as Yeates crossed from the left.

Swindon rallied and their £200,000 signing from Spurs, Jonathan Obika, headed home unmarked from six yards after fellow striker Michael Smith headed Bradley Smith’s corner beyond the far post back across goal midway through the half.

Obika struck again before the break, reacting quickly and firing the ball into the roof of the net after the ball cannoned off a City defender from another corner.

That second goal had stemmed from a free-kick out on the Swindon right conceded by Yeates although the linesman saw nothing wrong with the challenge on Nathan Byrne.

Swindon, however, dominated the early stages of the second half through their powerful midfield duo of Iraqi Kasim and Australian Massimo Luongo and could have been out of sight before Bradford rallied.

When they did, Sheehan forced a fine diving save from one curling free-kick around the outside of the wall before being narrowly off target with another.

Stephen Darby’s glancing header from Sheehan’s stoppage-time cross also brought the best out of Foderingham before the City man saw red.

Bradford City: Pickford, Darby, McArdle, Sheehan, Meredith (Morais 65); Knott, Kennedy (Bennett 82), Liddle; Yeates (Mclean 78); Hanson, Clarke. Unused substitutes: Williams, Routis, McBurnie, Wright.

Swindon Town: Foderingham, Byrne, Branco, N Thompson, Turnbull, B Smith (Lelan 90); Luongo, Kasim, L Thompson; M Smith (Williams 68), Obika (Reeves 82). Unused substitutes: Belford, Waldon, Barker, Barthram.

Referee: R Clark (Northumberland).