Harrogate Town 2 Bradford City 1: Advertiser player ratings

Harrogate Town won for the first time in eight League Two matches when they beat Bradford City 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham fends off Bradford City's Connor Wood. Pictures: Jonathan GawthorpeHarrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham fends off Bradford City's Connor Wood. Pictures: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham fends off Bradford City's Connor Wood. Pictures: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Here's an assessment of how Simon Weaver's players performed against the Bantams.

Joe Cracknell 8 - A first appearance since November, yet showed no obvious signs of rust. Produced a string of good saves and it took a very good finish by Andy Cook to finally beat him.

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Warren Burrell 7 - Won some big headers and was decisive in a lot of his defensive work. Busted a gut on a number of occasions to get around George Thomson on the overlap and try and provide some extra width down the right.

Josh McPake looks for a route to the City goal.Josh McPake looks for a route to the City goal.
Josh McPake looks for a route to the City goal.

Will Smith 6 - Had his work cut out during his first-half battle with Bantams striker Cook and came off second best more times than he will have been happy with. Began the second 45 with an authoritative header and competed better after the break.

Connor Hall 6 - Like Smith, he certainly didn’t have things all his own way during his aerial battles with Cook. Also very lucky to get away with another under-hit pass deep inside his own half. That mistake could easily have led to a City goal, or a penalty.

Dan Jones 6 - Involved in a couple of decent bits of play down the left flank and pretty effective in his defensive work before being replaced on 56 minutes having picked up a knock.

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George Thomson 7 - It was his lovely, deft touch that played Muldoon in on goal to break the deadlock. Another excellent pass released Muldoon in the second half and almost led to a goal for McPake. Could have done better with a one-on-one chance which he blasted against the top of the bar.

Josh Falkingham 7 - A typically combative performance in the centre of the park from Harrogate tenacious skipper. Made five tackles over the course of the afternoon, more than anyone else in yellow and black.

Lloyd Kerry 7 - Had a hand in Town's opening goal, but might be disappointed with how easily Ollie Crankshaw ran past him before teeing up Cook for the Bradford leveller. But, with three tackles, three interceptions and a pass completion rate higher than 73 per cent, his overall display certainly falls into the 'good' category.

Josh McPake 8 - Has been getting better with each appearance since Easter. Danced past defenders time after time and, for the second match running, he came up with a late goal to earn his team a result. His curling, edge-of-the-box winner was worthy of deciding any game.

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Jack Muldoon 8 - ADVERTISER STAR MAN. Barely put a foot wrong during what was his best performance in some time. Looked after the ball well and did not stop running. Produced a clinical finish for 1-0 and then some really good work in the build up to Town’s second goal.

Jon Stead 8 - Another classy performance that showcased how much he still has to offer. Plenty of nice touches and linked the play intelligently. Certainly seemed tired by the time he was replaced on 74 minutes, but Town looked far worse off without him spearheading their attack.