Bradford City 2 Stevenage 1 - Covid-hit rivals praised by Bantams chief

The match, which Bradford won 2-1, went ahead after talks between the club and the EFL, but Stevenage’s travel plans were disrupted. They had planned to journey the day before the match, but travelled on the morning of the game once the go-ahead had been given.

McCall said: “Fair play to Stevenage and their chairman (who paid for the players to be tested). Our club spoke to the EFL on Friday night and they were quite confident the match could go ahead and we got clarification in the morning which, unfortunately, disrupted their travel plans.”

Elliott List put Stevenage in front with a left-foot shot in the 36th minute after Marcus Dinanga’s cross, but Bradford hit back in the second half, equalising after 60 minutes through a glancing header from leading scorer Lee Novak from Tyler French’s cross. The striker scored the second in the 81st minute after Billy Clarke had laid on the chance.

New signing Gareth Evans and Connor Wood both hit the bar in the closing stages and, at the other end, Richard O’Donnell made a fine diving save to keep out Luther Wilden’s 20-yard shot.

McCall added: “It was nice to get our first win and three deserved points.

“Lee Novak’s miss in the first half was the easiest chance but strikers will miss and generally Lee is a good finisher He also leads the line well. The main thing was the result but we can do better.”

Bradford City: O’Donnell, Sutton, French, Richards-Everton, Staunton, Wood, Cooke (Evans 65), Watt, Clarke (Longridge 90), Guthrie Novak Unused substitutes: Hornby, Pritchard, Donaldson, Ismail, Mottley-Henry.

Stevenage: Cumming, Willdin, Cuthbert, Prosser (Akinwande 86), Osborne, Newton, Hutton, List, Read (Marshall 76), Dinanga, Smith. Unused substitutes: Johnson, Vincelot, Townsend-West, Arai, Granville.

Referee: O Yates (Staffs).

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James Mitchinson