So Faro so good for Bradford cup kings

Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date published: 26 March 2015


LIFE’S been a beach for Bradford City this week, as the team with the maligned pitch has taken a break in the Portugese sun.

Phil Parkinson’s side had a four-day training camp to recharge everyone’s batteries after a run of 19 fixtures that included being knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals by Reading, after epic wins against Chelsea and Sunderland.

An infamously poor pitch at Valley Parade can’t help the players’ legs, and perhaps it was tiredness that resulted in Fleetwood scoring twice in the final few minutes to gain a draw on Saturday.

Bradford were subsequently leapfrogged by Athletic, but with games in hand, the West Yorkshire side, 13th in the table, still harbours play-off ambitions.

“I think we need it,” said Parkinson of the Portugal trip. “We’ve tried everything since our FA Cup defeat last Monday, and gave the players two days off. I was so pleased with the way we started the game. The attitude and confidence were really good. We did everything for 80 minutes. Then we stopped.”

Bradford’s extraordinary result in beating Chelsea 4-2 — after being 2-0 down in the Stamford Bridge Cup tie — has been followed up by a set of league results that have tapered away lately.

Still, Parkinson’s side rarely experiences home defeat.