Waddock ‘proud’ after Aldershot hold Bradford

Posted Sunday, November 11, 2018 by PA

Aldershot boss Gary Waddock praised the character of his players as they fought to a 1-1 draw and an FA Cup first round replay against Bradford.

The National League side were close to clinching a cup upset when George Fowler put them ahead after just 12 minutes, but they were forced to settle for a replay when Nathaniel Knight-Percival equalised for the League One outfit with 20 minutes to go.

And Town boss Waddock was pleased with the result, but admitted his disappointment in conceding the equaliser.

He said: “I am proud of the players for putting in a good battle.

“We had to change our style. It’s frustrating because we never change our passing game, but if we had tried to play in that way today we would have just got stuck in the water.

“I’m proud, but also disappointed because we took the lead from a set-play, but conceded in exactly the same way.

“It was a good performance considering the conditions.”

For Bradford, struggling at the foot of League One, boss David Hopkin hailed the mental strength of his side, but was left frustrated by the torrential conditions.

“I asked a few times if the game could be called off because I thought it was too dangerous,” he said.

“The conditions were horrendous. The players didn’t know which way the ball was going to go. We couldn’t get our attacks going properly because the ball just got stuck in a puddle.”

“It was very difficult, but I’m delighted with the commitment of the players.”