Rochdale 1 Bradford 3: Reid smiling again as he wings back to give City vital lift

Inspired by 2,000 baying Bantams across from the main stand at Spotland, Reid proved the catalyst to City’s victory after answering an emergency call from manager Phil Parkinson.

Injuries, including the previous Saturday’s broken leg sustained by Paul Anderson, had clipped City of their wing power and following two successive defeats, Reid had been parachuted back in on loan from Preston.

North End were the club who offered West Ham product Reid a lucrative contract which he could not turn down while recuperating from a cruciate knee ligament injury sustained in his last match for City at Bramall Lane in January last year.

But while he played his part in Preston’s promotion run last season, they have clipped their wings in the Champiosnhip, leaving him a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

Reid was obviously delighted to be thrown straight back into the action and had Rochdale back-pedalling for much of the second half in a match decided by four scruffy goals.

In fact, the biggest talking point of the first half after musings over Parkinson’s four changes to the City team was whether referee Tony Harrington would run out of vanishing spray, such was the proliferation of free-kicks awarded.

To get back to 4-4-2 and accommodate Reid, Parkinson had dropped ‘jaded’ target man James Hanson, partnering Devante Cole and Andrew Davies up front and had Gary Liddle replacing Billy Knott in midfield with Ben Williams taking over from axed goalkeeper Brad Jones as Rory McArdle returned in central defence after a stomach upset.

The game finally came to life in the 34th minute as Cole cut inside and earned a free-kick 22 yards out, which Tony McMahon fired into the wall and and saw the ball break for Lee Evans to convert from close range.

Rochdale were level in the 42nd minute, however, when Callum Camps scuffed a shot from outside the area only to see Peter Vincenti race in and convert.

City, however, struck the vital blows in the 59th and 61st minute.

Davies did well to wrest possession near the line and Joe Rafferty almost turned the low cross into his own net. Josh Lillis did well to keep it out but the ball hit Rafferty again and Cole was on hand to bundle the ball home at the second attempt.

Then Evans crossed from the left and Oliver Lancashire got in front of Cole but headed it back into the far corner for an own goal.

Calvin Andrew blazed over and Williams matched Lillis’s fine save from Evans when he went high to his right to keep out a stoppage-time free-kick from Matthew Lund to guarantee the points.

Left winger Reid emerged to say: “I’m so happy to be back, it felt like I never left, to be honest.

“To get a win under our belt gives me no better feeling with the lack of games that I’ve had. I feel great. This team means a lot to me. The adrenaline was surging especially in the second half when the game was settling down and I knew there would be a bit more of an opportunity for me to get on the ball and make something happen for the team.

“The partnership that me and James (Meredith) have got is there to see. It’s like we never parted. To be fair, I have missed him because he is a tremendous left-back and has got great attributes both defending and going forward. We have that understanding of each other’s game and that is the main thing for us.

“I am buzzing and I’m just happy to be playing football again with a smile on my face.

“There’s no better feeling than having fans who love you and show you that great support. It gives you that extra energy, that extra buzz in your body to want to do well and to want to impress and excite them.

“The gaffer has given me the licence to practically do what I want in the final third of the pitch as long as I’m doing the defensive part. I know once I get up there I can try to make things happen for the strikers up top.

“I hope I have brought in that little extra spark to the dressing room that the boys have needed to just uplift the place.”

Rochdale: Lillis, Cannon, Lancashire, McNulty, Kennedy; Rafferty; Vincenti, Allen (Mendez-Laing 68), Camps (Alessandra 68), McDermott (Lund 68); Andrew. Unused substitutes: Eastham, Noble-Lazarus, Musangu, Bunney.

Bradford City: Williams, Darby, Burke, McArdle, Meredith; McMahon, Evans, Liddle, Reid (Marshall 84); Davies (Hanson 68), Cole (James 80). Unused substitutes: Jones, Clarke, Knott, Leigh.

Referee: T Harrington (Cleveland).

Man of the match: Kyel Reid.