Oldham 2 Bradford City 0: Groundhog Day for pitiful Bantams at Boundary Park

Disintegration was the word to describe Bradford City, who were brittle and directionless at a venue they have grown to loathe in recent times.

Mark Trueman’s first match in charge of Bradford in front of supporters was a fraught one.

At least in his capacity as caretaker manager, he cannot be sacked, the fate which befell the previous three Bantams bosses to lose at Boundary Park.

While Oldham lifted themselves out of the League Two relegation positions to continue their renaissance under Sheridan - thanks to quick-fire goals from the excellent Hallam Hope and Davis Keillor-Dunn -, managerless. Bradford’s campaign is listing and going nowhere. Sadly, it is not the first time in recent years.

A bad day was compounded by the 71st-minute dismissal of Paudie O'Connor for violent conduct in an incident which led to an unseemly melee between both sets of players.

City thought they had pulled a goal back when substitute Tom Elliott headed home following a late corner. It was ruled out for a foul on home keeper Danny Rogers. It never rains, but pours in Oldham on an afternoon when chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' arrived from City's understandably disgruntled near 2,000-strong travelling fans in the second half.

Oldham’s match-day announcer said: ‘Welcome to Ice Station Zebra’ before kick-off and given events in the first half, those City fans who braved the snow, sleet and rain to make the short trip across the M62 in their numbers would have been forgiven for wishing they had not bothered. Again.

There was cold comfort in a first period which saw them trail 2-0.

A commotion arrived mid-way through the first half off the pitch when some City followers looked intent on clashing with some Oldham supporters in the far corner of the Joe Royle Stand with police and stewards forced to restore order.

It was a disgruntled first half from rudderless City, where there was little animation.

On the pitch, it had the feel of Groundhog Day as City - seeking their first win at Boundary Park in five years - again suffered against the Latics, who were everything they were not.

They had a clear identity in their play and a team ethic, in contrast to Bradford, who were tepid, tippy-tappy and defensively soft.

It was a typical Boundary Park script for the Bantams, certainly in recent seasons.

With Matty Foulds available, Reece Staunton was handed a first league start since November 2020 and suffered.

He was not alone in a half in which Hope and Keillor-Dunn bullied their backline.

Trueman made three changes, with Staunton, Callum Cooke and Alex Gilliead coming in for Foulds, Matty Daly and Jamie Walker.

Oldham, who won their battles at the back and hit diagonals into the corners and used the flanks, soon settled with a fierce strike from the tireless Keillor-Dunn parried by Alex Bass.

It was not long before the City following in the Chadderton Road end were again cursing matters.

At the other end, City’s first sniff saw Nathan Delfouneso head over under pressure at the far post from Gilliead’s centre.

Play soon switched to the other end and Oldham drew first blood.

A well-delivered corner on the left from Nicky Adams found Hope at the near post and he converted with an instinctive glancing header.

It was a poor concession from City, but the second was worse.

Adams was again the creator with his cross picking out Keillor-Dunn at the far post and he cashed in on non-existant marking to double Oldham’s tally.

Latics fans sung the name of John Sheridan with gusto and their side looked nothing like a team in serious relegation strife and in 91st place in the Football League before kick-off.

Callum Whelan went close to a third as City failed to trouble Danny Rogers in the home goal. The Latics keeper comfortably held a low shot on the angle from Andy Cook, but that was about it.

On the restart, Yann Songo’o saw his cross-shot grasp the bar for the Bantams, but it was not the precursor to an onslaught. Far from it.

City had more of the ball, but were not convincing, with Oldham possessing spirit in their defence, reinforced when Sam Hart threw himself to get in the way of an effort from Levi Sutton, one of the few visiting players to offer something.

The Bantams huffed and puffed, but Oldham were on-message at the back.

A dismal day then got worse following O’Connor’s dismissal, which sparked a real flashpoint among both sets of players.

The ruling out of Elliott’s late goal just summed up City’s day.

Oldham Athletic: Rogers; Clarke, McGahey, Piergianni, Hart; Missilou (Hunt 89), Whelan; Adams,; Keillor-Dunn, Stobbs (Vaughan 87); Hope (Obadyei 79). Substitutes unused: Leutwiler, Fage, Diarra, Couto.

Bradford City: Bass; Hendrie, Songo’o, O’Connor, Staunton (Cousin-Dawson 43); Watt, Sutton; Gilliead, Cooke (Elliott 53), Delfouneso; Cook (Robinson 83). Substitutes unused: Evans, Daly, Kelleher, O’Donnell.

Referee: A Backhouse (Cumbria).

Attendance: 7,716 (1,985 Bradford City fans).