Bradford City's League Two rise continued against Crewe Alexandra - but ignorance is bliss for Graham Alexander
BRADFORD CITY fans could be forgiven for being sick to the back teeth of being called ‘sleeping giants’.
Their stature is used as a stick to beat them with in times of turmoil, as well as a way to compliment them when they are on the rise.
However, the potential of the club can sometimes be impossible to ignore. The pageantry of the pre-match tifo display at Valley Parade created a stunning spectacle – but could perhaps have sent the players into their shells.
The Bradford shirt can be a heavy one to wear but it was worn with the swagger it demands against Crewe Alexandra.
Pressure was ramped up by Walsall’s lunchtime defeat to Port Vale - even if Graham Alexander made sure not to feel it.
“I heard someone say it was 3-2,” he said. “But I didn’t know who to and I didn’t want to ask. I actually walked out of the room because I didn’t want to hear. I didn’t know until the end of the game who actually won.
“Our destiny and our future is in our hands. We don’t have to look at anybody else.”
When the ball was first rolled, the Bantans immediately set out to draw blood.
They immediately made an incision into enemy territory, catching Crewe cold. Calum Kavanagh was denied by the post but pushed the rebound into the path of Bobby Pointon, who prodded home.
The goal did not open the floodgates, as the game instead became a battle full of bite and spice.
Discipline is not easy to maintain in a game of such a fiery nature but Bradford were cool customers.
Important figures stood up when they were needed. Sam Walker pushed a penalty round the post. Richie Smallwood and Alex Pattison put their feet on the ball when the sea was choppy. Kavanagh was effective in the final third at key moments.
The latter steered home in the latter stages to wrap up a 2-0 win that sent Bradford top of the League Two table.
An ascent to the summit once appeared beyond the Bantams but with five games to go, Alexander’s men are well-placed to end their six-year spell at the foot of the EFL.
“It’s [about] where we are in four or five weeks’ time,” he said. “We have to keep our eyes on just the next game. I don’t know if we got a little bit carried away after the last home game here.
“The 4-1 [against Colchester United], the atmosphere, everything. We didn’t win any of the next two games. We have to make sure we enjoy today today and the atmosphere and support we got, and be a part of that, and recognise what a fantastic club we play for and work for, but on Monday we have to be back to work.
“That’s really important for us because I think we’re a really good team, but we have to keep proving it.
"The supporters were right behind the team so we’re thankful that we could thank them for their support over the last couple of weeks by playing like that and winning.”
Bradford City: S. Walker, Halliday Baldwin, Byrne (Johnson 66), Crichlow (Shepherd 45), Adaramola; Pattison (J. Walker 79), Smallwood, Lapslie (Khela 45); Pointon, Kavanagh. Unused substitutes: Hilton, Mellon, Wright.
Crewe Alexandra: Marschall, Cooney (Powell 45), O’Riordan, Demetriou, Williams (Agius 87), Knight-Lebel (Billington 45); Lankester (Hemmings 69), Lowery, Conway; Long, Bogle. Unused substitutes: Booth, Sanders, Thibaut.
Referee: Adam Herzceg (County Durham)