Bradford City are now four games without a win following their 1-1 draw at home against Barrow. 

Barrow started the game quite well and deservedly took the lead through Josh Kay’s strike in the 21st minute.

But Bradford took control and bossed proceedings from there. A lack of clinical finishing cost them all three points. Despite the equaliser coming thanks to Charles Vernam’s strike on the hour mark, a winner couldn’t be found.

Derek Adams was left frustrated after the game. This pattern has emerged from the Bantams’ early season. Adams pointed to the games against Walsall and Salford City as other occasions they deserved to win. 

“We deserved more from the game,” he reflected, via The Yorkshire Post.

“We didn’t allow them too many opportunities after that 10-minute spell at the start.

“After we went behind we created a lot of really good opportunities. We dominated for large spells, but either because we are not hitting the target or having shots blocked we are not finishing our chances.

“We should have won against Walsall, we should have won against Salford and we should have won today. At the moment we are not clinical enough.”

This result left Bradford ninth in the League Two table, with 12 points. They have won three games from eight so far, their last victory came against Mansfield Town on August 21. 

The goals have dried up since the run of nine goals in three games during August. Since then they have only scored two goals from five games, including that frustrating 1-1 draw against 10-men Walsall. 

Up next for Adams’ side is Manchester United’s U21s in the EFL Trophy, before a trip to Crawley Town at the weekend.

The Verdict

These dropped points will be frustrating to Bradford, but they should remain optimistic. There is still a long way to go in the League Two campaign, but the fact that they are creating chances and dominating games is a step in the right direction.

If they can continue to do that against most teams then the goals will start to come. Their early season results are an indicator that this is just an unlucky dry spell. 

The four goals that Bradford put past Stevenage and three past Mansfield are more important than a few frustrating draws.