Bowyer points to lazy defending as Bradford lose to Coventry

Posted Saturday, April 20, 2019 by PA

Bradford manager Gary Bowyer blamed lazy defending as his side slipped closer to relegation to Sky Bet League 2 following a 2-0 defeat at Coventry.

The hosts took the lead against the run of play after nine minutes thanks to a smart finish from Jordy Hiwula.

The former Huddersfield forward jinked past two Bantams defenders before drilling into the bottom corner past the helpless Ben Wilson.

Bradford centre-back Nat Knight-Percival was then shown a second yellow card shortly before the break for kicking out at Coventry’s Amadou Bakayoko.

After the game a visibly dejected Bowyer said: “It was lazy defending that led to the first goal.

“Then the sending off changed the game. It was deserved but I was disappointed with the player – leaving us with 10 men against a very good Coventry team, who’ve recruited well throughout the two windows, and they cause you problems.”

Despite being unhappy with the overall performance, Bowyer did point to some positives.

He said: “I thought Sean Scannell was very good – first half especially. I’m glad he got through 90 minutes, but it showed what we’ve been missing all season.

“The young lads today have given us a lot to think about but I was very disappointed with the performance of the rest of the team.”

Coventry were in complete control after the break, taking full advantage of the extra man, with Bradford seeming to have had the wind taken out of them after a plucky first half.

Wolves loanee Bright Enobakhare eventually made it 2-0 after 88 minutes, slamming home after a perfectly weighted Liam Kelly ball over the defence.

Coventry manager Mark Robins said: “Going down to 10 gave them a mountain to climb but I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.

“It was always going to be a tricky one but we did well to manage it.

“I thought they were clever to start with but we managed to get going and we could have won that game by more – we didn’t take the chances we created again, but we managed to finish the two goals, two well worked goals, really well and now we need to start getting ready for the next match on Monday.

“Bradford defended really well and my side kept looking to take the extra touch but they need to be more instinctive.

“I wanted a little bit more intensity, but Bradford contributed to that by sitting behind the ball. It can be frustrating to watch but you have to work out a way to make a chance.

“Jordy Hiwula alone could have had four today. I was a hard-fought three points, but there were some good things in there as well.”