Guiseley AFC 0 v 2 Bradford City (Pre-Season Friendly)
Local rivals Bradford City returned to Nethermoor Park for the annual pre-season friendly against the Lions to start the 2019-20 football season. The visitors brought a full strength squad which included all eleven summer signings as the club look to bounce straight back to Sky Bet League One after relegation last season.
Guiseley started well against the Sky Bet League Two opponents and enjoyed the majority of the early exchanges, but the Bantams grew into the contest and began asserting their authority after the first fifteen minutes. The first real effort of the half came on eighteen minutes as Clayton Donaldson headed a Joe Riley cross into the path of Jermaine Anderson, but Simon Garner made an excellent tackle.
On twenty-two minutes, the home side contnued to press with Kaine Felix but his shot went high over the visitors crossbar without troubling Richard O’Donnell. The visitors started to increase the pressure on twenty-eight minutes and went close with a shot from Joe Riley, but his effort went just wide of the right hand post.
Bradford City broke the deadlock on thirty one minutes with some neat wing play down the left, Sean Scannell sent a teasing ball into the area which an unmarked Clayton Donaldson headed past the Guiseley goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
The goal seamed to bring the home side back to life and fighting for every ball, which lead to a chance on thirty-five minutes when a ball was played into the feet of new signing Hamza Bencherif on the corner of the six yard box, but his shot on the turn was well saved by Richard O’Donnell.
Just three minutes later, visiting goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell had to be alert as a fierce Kaine Felix strike from range was tipped onto the crossbar before coming down inside the area only to be cleared by the Bradford City defence, to leave the half-time 1-0.
Both side changed all eleven players at half-time and it was the visitors that started the half the stronger, with Jordan Gibson hitting a long range shot that went just wide of the Lions goal. Just two minutes later the Bantams were back on the attack when Mason Fawns had a strike at goal but it was well saved by the Lions keeper.
City, extended their lead on fifty-five minutes, when Omari Patrick’s cross into the box broke allowing two trialists to combine with Chay Tilt teeing up Mason Fawns who rolled into the back of the net to make 2-0 to the visitors.
On fifty-eight minutes, the Bantams should have added a third when James Gordon forced the Guiseley keeper into a desperate save from thirty yards out. James Vaughan then went close with an excellent shot from the edge of the area.
The visitors should have been awarded a penalty on sixty-eight minutes when the former Everton striker James Vaughan went through into the Guiseley area only to be brought down by centre-back Digie but the referee waved away the appeal.
Reece Staunton is booked with ten minutes to go for a heavy challenge on Scott Smith which forced him to leave the pitch with a nasty cut across his knee and down his leg, to be honest the tackle deserved a straight red and would have got one had this been a Sky Bet League Two fixture.
In the end, the visitors won this pre-season friendly with a goal in each half but the Lions played some excellent spells of football with some great partnerships that will trouble sides in the Vanarama National League North this season.
Speaking after the match joint manager Russ O’Neill said, “First of all we conceeded two very poor goals and in the first half we created a number of chances but never tested the goalkeeper. However these pre-season games are about fitness and we managed to give all the squad forty-five minutes.
We have got some tough friendlies this season with Leeds United in midweek and then Scunthorpe United on Saturday. After that match we should know more about the trialists and we will know this time next which players we are looking to offer a contract. I thought in the first half new signings Aaron Martin and Gabriel Johnson linked up well and they will cause teams in our division alot of trouble.”
Match Details
Guiseley AFC – Trialist 1, Cantrill, Garner, Bencherif, Trialist 2, Johnson, Trialist 3, Spencer, Trialist 4, Felix, Martin (Subs) Trialist 5, Trialist 6, Trialist 7, Thornton, Trialist 8, Digie, Starcenko, Trialist 9, Hussain, Clayton, Smith
Bradford City – O’Donnell, Henley, O’Connor, French, Riley, Colville, Booty, Anderson, Donaldson, Doyle, Scannell (Subs) Hornby, Devine, Mellor, Staunton, Richards-Everton, Fawns, Akpan, Gibson, Tilt, Vaughan, Patrick, Hippolyte
Goals – (Bradford City) Donaldson (31), Fawns (55)
Attendance – 1,799
Chadwick Media 