Oldham 3 Bradford City 1 - Stuart McCall pays price for Bantams’ poor start

The club made the move the morning after their sixth straight defeat, bringing an end to the 56-year-old’s third spell in charge, with the Bantams only above the League Two relegation zone on goal difference.

The damage was done inside a first half hour which saw Oldham score twice and able to control the game.

Yet McCall gave no hint of his departure when speaking after the match, instead focusing his frustrations on defensive shortcomings which have left City with just four points from their last 10 games.

“We were just too soft,” he said. “You can’t defend like we did. We were 2-0 down at half-time but there was nothing in the game.

“It’s about both boxes, though, and we can’t keep defending like that.

“We are a top 10 side going forward but defensively we are bottom two and that’s why we are where we are in the table .

“Players have got to have the desire to stop shots coming into our box. They’ve got to have that desire to stop crosses and defend properly.

“That just wasn’t there today and we have to improve quickly,” he added.

Oldham had capitalised on some soft Bradford defending to score twice before half-time, Dylan Bahamboula with a fine individual run and finish, and a thumping header from defender Carl Piergianni.

After Harry Pritchard fired over from Bryce Hosannah’s low cross, Clayton Donaldson saw an overhead kick go off target and Anthony O’Connor’s header was cleared off the line as City 
sought a way back into the 
game.

But Oldham made it 3-0 when Davis Keillor-Dunn curled home, meaning Paudie O’Connor’s late header was not enough to save McCall’s job.

Oldham: Lawlor, Fage, Clarke, Piergianni, Borthwick-Jackson (Barnett 64), Ntambwe, Bahamboula (Keillor-Dunn 64), Garrity, McCalmont, McAleny, Grant (Dearnley 79). Unused substitutes: Whelan, Diarra, Bilboe, Hamer.

BradfordCity: O’Donnell, O’Connor, O’Connor, Richards-Everton (French 29), Hosannah (Sutton 45), Cooke, Watt, Pritchard, Wood, Novak, Donaldson. Unused substitutes: Longbridge, Hornby, Samuels, Cousin-Dawson, Scales.

Referee: A Backhouse (Carlisle).

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