PLYMOUTH ARGYLE V BRADFORD FC

Bradford City view on game

Bradford City travel to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday for their first league game in three weeks following three successive cup fixtures and are set to be without Shay McCartan and Matt Palmer for the game.
Harry Pritchard insists City are are well-prepared for the challenge Plymouth Argyle will present - ahead of Saturday’s 3.00pm encounter.
The Pilgrims have enjoyed a recent resurgence in form, knocking Forest Green Rovers off the Sky Bet League One summit with a 1-0 victory, last weekend.
But Pritchard is certain the Bantams are more than capable of rising to the occasion, having prepared well for the Home Park visit, this weekend.
The midfielder said: "We know how Plymouth play and are ready for the match. We have a game-plan in place to help us go there and, hopefully, get a result.
"We have been working hard - since the Shrewsbury defeat - on this weekend and how to stop Plymouth playing, get forward and score some goals.
"They beat Forest Green, last time out - away from home - and knocked them off top spot, so we know what they are capable of.
"We know they are a good team so have to make sure we do what we need to do and play as well as we know we can."
Despite disappointment in midweek, Pritchard is now pleased Gary Bowyer’s men are able to focus all their energy onto league matters.
The Bantams suffered elimination from the Emirates FA Cup - in a home replay to Shrewsbury Town - on Tuesday.
Though, former Blackpool man is looking forward to rediscovering the league form he and his team-mates had demonstrated, prior to their cup competition duties.
We are looking forward to focusing fully on league action, now, and pushing up the table," the 27-year-old said.

Bradford fans are worried the weather in Plymouth are afraid to make the long trip only to see it called off.

Argyle news

ARGYLE manager Ryan Lowe has given an insight into the good relationship he and Bradford City boss Gary Bowyer enjoy ahead of our Sky Bet League Two clash.
It’s clear there is nothing but respect between the two managers, highlighted by Ryan’s complimentary words of Bowyer’s success at Bradford, adding how much of a test Bradford will pose to his side.
“Me and Gaz [Gary Bowyer] are good friends; we have a good relationship,” he said. “There is no battle between me him, I don’t buy into that. I’ve got the utmost respect for him.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game on Saturday. Gary Bowyer is a good bloke, and he’s got some good players there.
Argyle forward Billy Clarke enjoyed some great times during his career at Bradford but now fully focused on being ready for selection in the famous Green shirt,

Argyle injury update

“He [Billy Clarke] is someone who did very well at Bradford, a terrific job,” said Lowe. “He’s a fantastic lad, and one that knows he has to work hard to get in the team. He’s not far off, he’s been working his socks off recently and he will be in and around the first-team.
Callum Mcfadzean is fine, he’s training, but Joe Riley has a bug. Billy Clarke is fine, he’s in full training. Joe [Edwards] has got a big bruise on his knee, having taken a whack. The lads have a few bumps and bruises but they’ve prepared right.”

Argyle staff and substitutes and Bradford counterparts – will be using the new dug-outs for the first time.
They are both set back into the lower level of the terrace

Saturday's half-time guests

The half time guests for the visit of Bradford City is Disability Darts World Cup winner Snowy Dyson a big Argyle fan and a  Argyle legend Ian Stonebridge.

Snowy Dyson

Snowy represented England in the sport’s first-ever World Cup in Belgium in February and threw the winning double as the team brought the trophy back across the English Channel.
Nicknamed ‘The Apache,’ double-amputee Snowy kept his cool to dispatch the winning dart against local rivals Wales in the final. Snowy, 49, is looking forward to the opportunity to take to the ‘hallowed’ pitch of Home Park.
“I’m really honoured to have been invited as a guest for the game against Bradford,” said Snowy, whose form saw him climb to the number one British ranking earlier this year. “I just hope that my wheels don’t damage the hallowed turf!”
A former member of the forces, Snowy’s services career took him all over the world. Whenever he was back in Devon, though, he would his best to catch the Greens in action.
Since returning to Plymouth, Snowy has been a driving force in helping more people get into the sport, founding the Plymouth Disabled Dart League in the process. The league is played on Thursday nights, across three venues in the city.
“I have been an Argyle fan for a long time, although work made it slightly harder to get to games,” said Snowy. “I am very excited to attend the game on Saturday and hope for a big win!”

Ian Stonebridge

Ian due to a persistent injury called reactive arthropathy which causes pain, swelling and inflammation of joints. Ultimately, that injury would prove detrimental to his future in the game and he retired at just 25.
These days Ian works as a University lecturer at Marjon in Plymouth, teaching Sport Coaching and PE. He also coaches in the Academy.

Both are welcome

Crowd Between 350-400 for Bradford, from their web site, I go for 9,500

I done this one for Jethro and seadog

Hard game hoping for a 3 - 1 win

Top reporting TG.....I'm going for a 1-0 win

harvetheslayer wrote:

Top reporting TG.....I'm going for a 1-0 win

fancy em myself today Harve I shall be going over there later going 2-1

We're overdue a spanking

Argo 0-3 Bradford

Two teams in good form, I think home advantage may kick in to give us at least a point from the game.
COYG

Easy afternoon, 2 nil Argo.

4-1 Argo. The pretenders scuttle back oop north with their tail between their legs after an absolute drubbing.

Think we could be back to square one after this, i fear a Bradfud victory.

One all bore fest.

2 -0 after 25mins, coming together nicely.

Moore and Edwards.

Got to be the best half of football we've played this season?

8th as it stands at HT, not going well for the dour Scot.

And now all undone by our ultra shit 'defence'. Just go canavan.

Sounds like he was a bit unlucky Freathers, although he has just missed a good header chance, Bradford still on top.

Shitty winning, day getting worse for DA, hope the Morecombe away fans aren't booing, he gets very upset. All a matter of hanging on, disappointing second half.

Decent result. Didn't see any of it but seems like the manager is now doing what the proper fans expect from him, getting results.

Came right back into it for the last 20 minutes of the second half. Probably the best performance of the season from the matches I've seen on ifollow and unlucky (despite what Freathy says) not to have kept another clean sheet...

Whoop whoop very good win, onwards and upwards.

Rain what rain, they put the sprinkler on before kick off

Freathy wrote:

And now all undone by our ultra shit 'defence'.  Just go canavan.

Seventh best GD in the league, scored 27 conceded 21 and only seven teams have conceded less than Argo - 'hardly ultra shit defence' is it Freathers?

Nobody called a feckin moron, or advised to feck off and support the scum, why is this match thread different?

Hmmm.

akagreengull wrote:

Freathy wrote:

And now all undone by our ultra shit 'defence'.  Just go canavan.

Seventh best GD in the league, scored 27 conceded 21 and only seven teams have conceded less than Argo - 'hardly ultra shit defence' is it Freathers?

Just a bit frustrated to concede in such a crap way. It gave Bradford the impetus and thought an equaliser was inevitable. You are right the defence has improved recently, although it actually couldn't have got any worse.

The defence has improved over the last 2 months, presumably tactics have something to do with it? Play from the back and they're fkd. I noticed last week Sawyer hoofed it into Brizzle. Lowe's growing on me, he's getting results.