Mark Hughes admits Bradford’s finishing let them down in loss at Swindon

Posted Wednesday, April 19, 2023 by PA

Mark Hughes bemoaned Bradford’s finishing after their League Two automatic-promotion hopes suffered a huge blow with a 1-0 defeat at Swindon.

Jonny Williams struck eight minutes from time to secure the Robins’ first win in 10 matches, leaving the Bantams five points off the top three with four games remaining.

Bradford boss Hughes said: “We were disappointed obviously. First half we had any number of chances to really take the game away from Swindon but weren’t able to convert any of them.

“We had something like 12 shots in the first half which is a big number, so we needed to convert our chances.

“But in the end, the disappointment is the smallest player on the pitch scores with a header in our box.

“So something that we need to recognise because you need to attach yourself to bodies flying into the box.

“In the first half I was more than happy with what we produced. It looked like we were in a good frame of mind, we were probing, we were making chances.

“But I am disappointed with the second half. We just didn’t get the ball down and create what we know we’re capable of.”

Andy Cook had a big chance to open the scoring midway through the first half when Scott Banks chipped the ball to him unmarked at the back post, but he hit his shot into the ground and it bounced harmlessly wide.

Harry Lewis kept the game level as Jacob Wakeling teed up Saidou Khan at the top of the box, tipping his curling effort around the post.

Lewis was at his best again when Frazer Blake-Tracy found Luke Jephcott with a low cross and he fired the ball towards the roof of the net, only to see the Bradford keeper fling himself up and tip the shot over.

Williams scored Swindon’s first goal for 265 minutes after Remeao Hutton cut back inside and stood a cross up into the middle and the Welshman powered a header home from close range.

Swindon assistant manager Ed Brand said: “It felt more like double the 265 minutes since we last scored, 530 or whatever that would be.

“I think when you have been around football for long enough, you know that you are going to go through difficult patches in form.

“I am a big believer that you make your own luck and if you keep doing the right things and believing in the right ideas and persisting with the right way to do things then eventually things will even themselves out and you get things that go your way.

“Hopefully that goal can be the catalyst for us scoring more goals because we have been creating chances.

“That is the main thing that you keep creating chances and we did that tonight and there were opportunities for us to score three or four goals.

“People put a high value on luck in football, but confidence is a major factor and the confidence these boys will take from tonight cannot be underestimated.”