Shrewsbury Town v Bradford City Preview: bouncing back

Stuart McCall -express.co.uk

Shrewsbury Town and Bradford City suffered blows to their promotion hopes in midweek with defeats to Bury and Scunthorpe respectively.

The former’s loss at Gigg Lane was perhaps the most alarming of the two results: partly due to the fact that their bottom-placed hosts were in disarray and partly due to the manner of the performance.

They fell short in all areas, even in terms of the work they did without the ball, which has been a big part of their success up to this point. They sorely missed midfield battler Abu Ogogo, who normally covers so much ground defensively that they don’t lose many games when the football doesn’t flow.

With the former Dagenham man suspended, Paul Hurst moved Jon Nolan into a deeper midfield role to accommodate Louis Dodds as a number 10.

It is difficult to criticize Hurst too much in hindsight because there had been one or two games – namely Walsall away in October – when the team missed somebody who can create from deep against deep-lying opposition.

In practice though that switch affected the balance of the team, with Nolan struggling to replace Ogogo and many fans feel Bryn Morris would have been a better fit.

Striker Stefan Payne had to play out wide after Alex Rodman ‘ruled himself out’ due to injury and Junior Brown was a big miss at left-back. The performance implied that while they have an excellent first 11 with everyone available, two or three absentees could potentially affect the balance and dynamic of the team.

By contrast, Bradford’s performance in their 2-1 defeat to Scunthorpe in midweek was not especially concerning. It was an even game in which they paid for missed chances and a good performance from the visiting stopper. Stuart McCall will be well aware that neither Colin Doyle nor Rouven Sattelmaier, who replaced the former due to injury before half-time, had an equally positive influence and may look to strengthen that area in January.

The result more than the display damages their promotion ambitions because, after a seemingly crucial win at Wigan the previous Saturday, Bradford are now back to square one: they should cement their place in the play-off places but look well-short of a side that can challenge for the top two.

The Bantams are normally a clinical side this season, due to the ruthless finishing of Charlie Wyke, who is proving one of the best strikers in the division when fit. Paul Taylor has also looked a threat recently with three goals in his last four, including a belter on Tuesday.

The question though is whether those creating for Wyke and Taylor are as good as last year’s players. West Ham loanee Josh Cullen was always a controlling influence in midfield, but replacement Jake Reeves currently divides opinion.

Mark Marshall provided pace and unpredictability down the left channel – he had the versatility to take on the full-back or cut inside to keep opponents guessing. Alex Gilliead, on the right, can do the former part of Marshall’s game and is exciting to watch, but he needs to add goals to his repertoire and is not quite the finished product.

It is understandable, therefore, that a section of fans aren’t happy with the lack of tangible progress in terms of performances and the quality in their squad, which comes in part down to investment.

Bradford have a young squad that still has something to prove at this level. It’s important therefore that, with Stephen Darby, James Meredith and Rory McArdle out of the door, the likes of Nicky Law, Romain Vincelot and Matthew Kilgallon provide some leadership at this uncertain time.

How well both teams recruit in January and respond to a potentially sticky phase could define their promotion hopes.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 1-1