Bradford height of new fashion

Huddersfield Town 1 Bradford City

Guy Hodgson
Tuesday 02 September 1997 18:02 EDT
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The First Division has so many clubs that regard themselves as glamorous it is easy to think of down-to-earth Bradford City as a plain backdrop for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Manchester City etc. Yet check the table this morning and you will find the Yorkshire club sitting on top.

Bradford, about as with-it as morris dancing and who only avoided relegation last season by winning their last two fixtures, overtook Forest with a win at Huddersfield last night thanks to goals from Edhino and Robbie Blake. The unregarded are undefeated after five games.

A derby is never the best place to display your finery, yet through the smoke of tribal confrontation Bradford's controlled football emerged. Huddersfield, still waiting for their first win, bustled but could not knock them off their poise.

Most of that centred round Edinho, the Brazilian who might not be the most unselfish striker in the Nationwide League but is among the quickest, which is why four players were drawn to him rather than Peter Beagrie when Huddersfield made a hash of a corner after 19 minutes.

The clearance fell to Edinho on the half-way line, and he hit a first- time pass to Beagrie on the right before leaving his markers stranded to take the return. An instant shot seemed the better option but, despite making things difficult for himself with a steadying touch, he beat Steve Francis.

Huddersfield responded with an acrobatic shot from record signing Marcus Stewart that looped just over, but as home hopes began to inflate, Bradford burst the bubble with a second after 67 minutes. Huddersfield, over-eager to get forward, left their right flank exposed, Wayne Jacobs explored their vulnerability with a long pass to Edinho and substitute Blake stabbed in the low cross.

Huddersfield, who had knocked last night's opponents out of the Coca- Cola Cup only last week, gained something from the night when Stewart scored from a narrow angle after Robert Zabica had parried David Beresford's long shot. That something was a measure of the problems at the McAlpine Stadium, however, as it was their first goal there in the League since 31 March.

Bradford's lot has risen unimaginably since then and it was with accompanying pinching that their supporters could leave to the chant of, "We are top of the league." It will take some believing elsewhere, too.

Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): Francis; Burnett, Jenkins, Dyson, Ryan; Baldry (Beresford, 61), Makel, Browning (Martin, 78), Edwards; Dyer, Stewart (Lawson, 57).

Bradford City (4-4-2): Zabica; Wilder, Youds, Dreyer, Jacobs; Lawrence, Murray, Pepper, Beagrie (Kulscar, 78); Edinho (Ramage, 86), Steiner (Blake, 61).

Referee: R Pearson (Peterlee).

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