Director in firing line after Forte sees red

SHOUT ABOUT IT . . . Joseph Mills celebrates after scoring his goal. Pictures by ALAN HOWARTH

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Athletic 1, Bradford 2

BARRY Owen's public forum in front of a band of angry fans in the paddock of the Main Stand after this defeat provided the image of the season so far.

It brought to mind the scene 20 years ago, when Newcastle's manager Kevin Keegan stood on the steps of the Milburn Stand to explain to supporters the sale of Andy Cole to Manchester United for £7million.

Ironically, Cole was present to watch his son Devante tear strips off a bedraggled Athletic side here, netting a second half goal to add to Reece Burke's opening effort, before Joseph Mills pulled one back late in the afternoon to give the scoreline a more respectable appearance.

Director Owen deserves respect for fronting up as emotions raged in the aftermath of a contest in which Darren Kelly's side were comprehensively bullied and, frankly, thoroughly outplayed after and even before Jonathan Forte's rash moment earned him a 33rd-minute red card and a three-match rest on the sidelines.

A recent radio interview with Kelly and Owen saw the latter accused of a lack of ambition when declaring that Athletic would find it very difficult to compete in the Championship. Some saw this as a rank lack of ambition rather than an ominous statement of blatant financial reality.

It's true that at this level, dreams are everything. Particularly when trudging around in League One, mainly in the stodge of lower mid-table, for the last 19 seasons.

Athletic have yet to find a formula under Kelly to ignite those hopes of beating the odds to gain, or at least go somewhere close to, gaining promotion.

Four goals in four home matches and one win in eight overall is a record of a side that has not found its feet.

Bradford, perhaps, showed the way forward. Theirs is an uncomplicated brand of play, featuring aerial brutes in defence and up front and wingers to get the ball into the forwards.

Athletic's formation of one up front has attracted criticism and it didn't work here because the support for lone man Forte was lacking.

Even though the intention is not negative, its appearance can be. Perhaps 4-2-3-1 is simply too complex for a side of Athletic's means.

Only the 29-year-old Forte will know himself if a build-up of frustration contributed to his red card for sticking his head on Stephen Darby off the ball. The man who nearly moved to Barnsley doesn't cut a fully contented figure at present, that is for sure.

By the time of that 33rd-minute incident, Athletic were a goal down.

Josh Morris had tested Joel Coleman with an early free-kick before a delivery from deep saw the home goalkeeper clatter into a Bradford player when trying to reach for the ball. Grounded, he was unable to do anything to prevent Burke slotting home from Mark Marshall's pass.

Athletic had looked bright in patches up to then but fell away.

James Wilson was fortunate not to have conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the area, at best, for a trip on Cole. At worst, a red card could have been offered as the mobile, direct forward homed in on goal.

David Dunn was the victim of a hefty challenge from Gary Liddle which earned the Bradford man a booking four minutes before Forte saw red.

In a stroke, an uphill battle became a climb up Everest.

Billy Knott fizzed a 25-yard shot just wide and James Hanson forced a good save from Coleman when he should have given him no chance.

The same player also saw another header well blocked by debutant Eoghan O'Connell.

Athletic brought on the enthusiastic Rhys Turner for the second half and switched to three at the back, with O'Connell looking more comfortable as a right-sided centre-back as Mills pushed on to a wide-left role.

O'Connell lobbed on to the roof of the net and at the other end, Cole hammered wastefully over the top.

Dunn tried to shape an effort beyond Williams which lacked power, but at least Athletic were having a go and finally competing, with ex-Bradford man Mark Yeates, in particular, having the bit between his teeth.

He struck a free-kick that Williams dived to his right to hold on to, but a minute later, Cole provided a neat left-footed finish from Knott's slipped pass.

Game over? Not quite. Morris forced Coleman to tip wide, but with Rhys Murphy on to accompany Turner, Bradford's centre-backs were finally occupied.

Yeates supplied a fine cross that Mills did well to push his head through to finish past Williams in the 82nd minute.

As the minutes ticked away, Bradford did a decent job of closing out the game.

Then came Owen's intervention, as understandable frustration turned into loud commentary aimed at the directors' box.

The fans clearly want more. Kelly's difficult challenge is to provide it.