Barrow 1 Bradford City 0 - Stuart McCall bemoans costly red card

A first-half red card proved costly as Barrow leapfrogged above the Bantams into 15th place after Connor Brown scored his first goal for a year.

After ending their 48-year wait for a Football League win with victory at Mansfield on Tuesday, David Dunn’s side backed it up to pick up a second successive win despite missing Josh Kay after he tested positive for coronavirus.

Brown scored the only goal after 18 minutes when he fired into the bottom corner and Bradford’s task was made even more difficult when Levi Sutton was given a straight red card for a lunge on Jason Taylor eight minutes before half-time.

Bantams goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the hosts at bay, including parrying away an effort from striker Dior Angus.

Bradford’s best chance fell to Clayton Donaldson but he dragged his effort wide and Joel Dixon easily held Dylan Mottley-Henry’s effort with the visitors’ final opportunity to salvage a point.

City chief Stuart McCall was frustrated by the nature of the defeat.

He said: “When you watch the goal again, their player mis-controls the ball into the box, we do not get close to him or close him down and their lad hits a shot into the bottom corner.

“We did have an opportunity to get back. It was going to be a game of two halves and, with 11 men, you are confident of being able to retrieve it and win.

“That is only possible when you have 11 men on the pitch, though, and we made it too difficult for ourselves with the sending off.

“The game was about scrapping, fighting and showing a togetherness on the pitch to get a result. We did not get the result but I saw a difference in the players afterwards. Everyone was hugely disappointed and I can understand the supporters’ frustrations, but we have to strive to be driven to turn this rut around.”

The City chief continued ahead of Tuesday’s game: “I cannot point the finger at any of the lads for their effort, determination and desire to stick at it in the second half, but the red card cost us.

“It proved the turning point in the game.”

Barrow: Dixon, Hird, Platt, Brough, Barry, Mike Jones, Jason Taylor; Brown, Biggins (Chris Taylor 73), Angus (Reid 73), James. Unused substitutes: Zouma, Wilson, Maloney, Sea.

Bradford City: O’Donnell, Anthony O’Connor, Paudie O’Connor, Staunton; Hosannah, Cousin-Dawson (Watt 73), Sutton, Wood, Cooke; Samuels (Mottley-Henry 63), Donaldson.Unused substitutes: Richards-Everton, Pritchard, Hornby, French, Clarke.

Referee: B Speedie (Liverpool).

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