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Saturday, 2 December, 2000, 18:55 GMT
Bradford late show destroys Coventry
Bradford 2-1 Coventry
Bradford's veteran midfielder Peter Beagrie helped Bradford to their first Premiership win for three months with the winner against fellow strugglers Coventry.
It was a lacklustre encounter with both sides weighed down by the importance of getting maximum points from the game.
Neither side produced the sort of football to suggest that they would survive in this season's Premiership but Bradford deserved their win because they did come out and play.
It seemed that Coventry had snatched the points after John Aloisi put them ahead halfway through the second half.
But a late fightback by the Bantams - with goals from Stan Collymore and Beagrie - gave the home side the three points.
The first 10 minutes of the game were typical of a basement battle with both sides struggling to keep possession.
Bradford began to settle first and inspired by some deft touches from Benito Carbone, they began to string a few passes together.
But it was the visitors who had the first chance when John Aloisi nodded into the path of Mustapha Hadji but the Moroccan drove his right-footed shot just wide of Matthew Clarke's right-hand post.
At the other end, Carbone nearly put Dean Windass through after 15 minutes but Chris Kirkland was quick to read the situation and clear the Coventry lines.
An opportunistic almost casual long-range shot from Windass minutes later forced Kirkland to tip the ball round the post.
A Stan Collymore burst midway through the first half earned Bradford a freekick 25 yards out but Carbone curled the ball over the crossbar.
Coventry's forays forward became more frequent as the half progressed and although their attacks never really looked like producing a goal, the Bradford defence looked distinctly edgy.
John Aloisi found himself clear but completely miscued his shot.
Minutes later Hadji - on his 50th appearance for the Sky Blues - set off on a counter-attack and put the ball across the face of the goal.
Stuart McCall opted to leave it but fortunately for him John Eustace blasted the ball over the bar.
Just before half-time, a fierce Ian Nolan shot was well handled by Kirkland.
Coventry broke and John Eustace found himself in what appeared to be an offside position.
The flag stayed down but luckily for Bradford, Eustace steered the ball just wide.
The same player had another chance in almost the next move but hesitated when he should have shot.
Just before the half-time whistle, Windass expertly controlled the ball on his chest and hit a venomous shot from 25 yards out but Kirkland parried the ball to ensure the deadlock remained at half-time.
Bradford began the second half in positive fashion and almost immediately a pinpoint cross from Windass found Collymore unmarked a few yards out but the ex-Liverpool player somehow managed to head wide.
A mix-up in the Coventry defence allowed Windass and Collymore an opening but they repaid their opponents the favour by getting into each other's way and squandering the chance.
Aloisi finally broke the deadlock on 64 minutes when he broke free on the left and lofted the ball over Kirkland.
After taking the lead, the Sky Blues began to grow in confidence and pushed forward in search of a goal which would wrap up the three points.
Hadji curled the ball wide as Bradford's defence began to look ever more flimsy.
Bradford substitute Peter Beagrie gave the Yorkshire side more impetus and Coventry were forced into some desperate defence.
And they managed to draw level ten minutes before the end when Stan Collymore banged the ball home at the far post from two yards out.
There was a suspicion of offside about the goal but it was allowed to stand.
Two minutes later they were ahead after Beagrie squeezed through two Coventry defenders on the edge of the area and then hit the target with his second attempt with a fierce left-footed drive.
Just before the end Carbone produced some beautiful skill to chip Kirkland.
The ball came back off the bar and Collymore nodded home - but from an offside position and the goal was disallowed.
Coventry manager Gordon Strachan said that he could not believe that his side had lost.
"My players are in shock at the moment. It was a freak result."
But he added: "I'm happy with the way things are going in terms of performance level."
Bradford: Clarke, Nolan, Myers, McCall, Carbone, Molenaar,
O'Brien, Windass, Atherton, McKinlay, Collymore.
Coventry: Kirkland, Breen, Williams, Konjic, Quinn, Thompson,
Telfer, Palmer, Eustace, Hadji, Aloisi.
Referee: M Dean (The Wirral)
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