McCALL PREDICTS BANTAMS SIGNINGS
STUART McCall views a positive outcome to the current transfer window as essential to Bradford’s promotion hopes.
But the manager also insists the only answer to what he perceives as ‘the current negativity surrounding the club’ is winning matches, starting at Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United on Tuesday night.
McCall was far from downbeat after seeing his side suffer a third successive defeat after being a goal up at the break - a result which still leaves them fifth in the table.
But he admitted: “We don’t have great strength in depth because of injuries at the moment and I do see it as vital that we bring in a couple of new faces before the end of the month.
“Before that we have to get back to winning ways in a tough game against Rotherham, having played on a very heavy pitch.
“It was an end-to-end game. We may have been a bit lucky to be ahead at half time, but I thought we improved after that and the match turned on us conceding a poor goal.
“Nicky Law has slipped going to head what was not a great corner and Rovers have scored with a scruffy volley.
“That got their crowd going, but even when we went behind from a penalty that was rightly given Romain Vincelot had headed just wide. We then paid for committing more men forward.” Bradford went ahead on 38 minutes when Rovers midfielder Ollie Clarke was penalised for handball as he stumbled inside the box.
Charlie Wyke put the resulting penalty past Adam Smith, who almost got to the ball, diving to his right. The hosts roared back after the interval, equalising on 53 minutes when Joe Partington’s miscued volley found a way past the unsighted Rouven Sattelmaier following a Chris Lines corner.
Lines put Rovers ahead from the spot on 84 minutes after Nathaniel Knight-Percival had brought down Ellis Harrison.
And after Vincelot’s header had grazed a post, Liam Sercombe cut in from the left to seal the points for Rovers with a fierce right-footed drive.
Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke, who also hopes to make a couple of signings before the end of the transfer window, said: “At half time I told the lads not to let the penalty incident upset them and they showed great character to come from behind.
“Sometimes a bit of common sense needs to be applied by referees.
“Ollie has slipped and clearly didn’t mean to handle the ball.
“We had played pretty well in the first half, without being as effective in the final third as we can be, only for that big decision to go against us.
“In the second period we were better and more clinical.
“It’s a good win and we move on."