WE CAN MATCH ANYONE WHEN WE’RE IN MOOD BRAGS MCCALL
STUART McCall believes his Bradford side can be a match for anyone in League One when on top of their game after their last-gasp win over Wigan at the DW Stadium.
Chey Dunkley’s header cancelled out Charlie Wyke’s early strike but Bantams substitute Tyrell Robinson struck in injury time to send the 2,749 travelling fans home happy.
And McCall felt his side’s positive mindset was key to their victory, which lifted them to third in the table.
“We’ve got good players if we’re on the top of our game and if we’re on top of our game, we’re a match for anyone in this league,” he said. “For long periods in parts of the game, we were.
“We were a threat. We’ve had some really good opportunities first half – played some great stuff – and it was a good end-to-end football game.
“Speaking to their gaffer (Paul Cook), not many teams will come here and have a go but that was our mindset.
“It’s a fortress for them. Look at the bench – they’ve got a lot of talented boys, a lot of talented players, but in the main, we dealt with it.”
Wigan had an early let off after Jake Reeves darted down the left to cross for Bantams marksman Wyke, who sliced a sixth-minute effort, while Nathaniel Knight-Percival blasted over at the far post from a corner moments later.
The Latics responded when Ivan Toney met Nick Powell’s 12thminute cross but could only fire into the ground and harmlessly wide.
Bradford took the lead on the quarter-hour when, despite Jamie Jones parrying Reeves’ deflected effort and Dan Burn’s blocking a follow-up on the line, Wyke was on the spot to slot home for his eighth of the season.
Wigan skipper Sam Morsy nearly levelled with a sublime 21stminute curling effort destined for the top corner before Matt Kilgallon’s headed intervention.
Gavin Massey’s 23rd-minute
deflected thunderbolt almost crept in but Dunkley’s header from Max Power’s resulting corner was too powerful for Colin Doyle to keep out as the Latics equalised.
Alex Gilliead got the better of Dunkley to deliver a dangerous 32nd-minute cross for Wyke to head against the bar as Bradford came close to regaining the advantage.
The pitch then opened up for Wigan winger Michael Jacobs, who unleashed a thunderous strike that forced Doyle into action.
Reeves’ low cross four minutes from the break was teed up by Wyke for Gilliead but his snap-snot floated high and wide before Nicky Law’s close-range shot later tested Jones. Paul Taylor’s 73rd-minute curling attempt was deflected wide while Jacobs let fly an ambitious shot two minutes later at the other end, which fizzed off-target as the spoils looked set to be shared.
But Bradford snatched three points two minutes into added time when Robinson broke free of the Wigan rearguard and fired a ferocious strike past Jones.
Despite the defeat ending Wigan’s unbeaten home run this season, Latics boss Paul Cook held his hands up.
“It was a deserved scoreline on the day. Bradford were the better side,” he said. “They deserve all the plaudits and we’ll take all the criticism that comes our way.
“It's easy for me to come out and say things like ‘I’m down’ and ‘I’m hurting’ but this is football.
“I’ve been around the game long enough to know that's it's all about 46 games –not one.
“We’ve had a really good season but today, we just weren’t at it.
“The most important thing for us is the way we react and how we manage disappointment.
“We’re second in the league and it’s important to let the dust settle.”