Wolves visit evokes City memories of Molineux celebrations
Bradford City took WolvesUnder- 21s to apenalty shoot- out in theEFL Trophy lastnight at Valley Parade. reports.
MENTION Bradford City and Wolves in the same breath and claret and amber minds inescapably turn to nostalgic thoughts of that heady occasion at Molineux in May, 1999.
The Bantams secured promotion to the top table for the first time in 77 years on that Spring day.
Unfortunately, the land of milk and honey is a distant apparition these days in these bleak and testing financial times for all lower- division clubs including City, with the chill of autumn being keenly felt.
Here, the largesse belonged to Wolves Under- 21s and while their first- team regulars are either currently on international excursions or cooling their heels, their starting line- up still featured a £ 9m recent signing from Liverpool in Ki- Jana Hoever.
There were also two ‘ elder statesmen’ with plenty of Premier League miles on the clock in John Ruddy and Ryan Bennett.
It was another old- stager in Clayton Donaldson who piped up with a neat chip to level it up and cancel out Dominic Samuels’s tap- in on the hour. It was his first goal in open play at Valley Parade in over a year.
Just a shame that no fellow Bradfordians were there to witness it as City forced penalties for a second successive Northern
Group F tie in their quest to bag an extra point.
As at Doncaster, Bradford unfortunately did not have it their way again in the spot- kicks with the seasoned Ruddy keeping out Connor Shanks’s effort – as
Wolves prevailed 5- 4 with Dion Sanderson stroking home the winning penalty.
With several tyros further forward who were fleet of foot and with the movement to match, this was a good examination for a home line- up which featured three teenagers in Finn Cousin- Dawson, Jorge Sikora and Kian Scales.
In the event, it was another teen Samuels who had his moment when he tapped home on the hour, only for Donaldson to intervene.
For City, the game was also notable for Bryce Hosannah, recently acquired on loan from Leeds United, being handed a debut. He acquainted himself well enough and looks blessed with a handy turn of pace – while netting a composed penalty.
It was Sikora and Scales who combined for one of City’s main threatening moments in the first half with the former nodding narrowly wide.
Donaldson also saw his goalbound header cleared by Bennett, while Harry Pritchard’s daisy- cutter was a whisker away as City produced some nice pockets of intensity.
At the other end, Wolves painted one or two pretty pictures in possession on a pristine surface, with Hoever smartly setting up Taylor Perry for a chance he should have converted and also going close himself.
Non- stop encouragement had arrived from Stuart McCall at Doncaster. Here, he kept his powder dry – no doubt keen for his side to work things out themselves – with the booming shouts emanating from Ruddy, whose voice could alert shipping.
Wolves made the breakthrough when Samuels – who had hit the post when charging down a clearance before the break – fired home the rebound after Sam Hornby superbly kept out Owen Otasowie’s point- blank header.
Hornby later excelled himself to thwart Samuels – and its importance was magnified when Donaldson secured penalties, a just reward for City’s vibrant finish.