Graham Alexander says Bradford City did not deserve ‘horrible hit’ against Reading.

Graham Alexander claimed his Bradford City teammates did not deserve the “horrible hit” they received in the dying minutes against Reading.

Bradford were on track for a 1-0 victory on the road when the Royals equalised in the 90th minute.

It then got worse when Matt Ritchie scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time, giving the Royals a stunning 2-1 victory.

Alexander, who was heartbroken after the match, insisted that his team did not deserve the late setbacks.

Graham Alexander’s verdict

He stated, “What happened at the end can happen in any game.” You can play so beautifully for 89 minutes and then have things go against you.

“We’ve seen this type of game before. It was a dreadful blow; we didn’t deserve it.

But that is the nature of life; it can be cruel at times. It really stings. “What defines you is not the action, but your reaction.  And I believe that our reactions to this will define us.

Matthew Pennington had put the Bantams ahead, and Paddy Lane scored the equaliser.

Ritchie, an experienced wideman, headed home the winner, breaking Bradford’s heart.

 

Alexander stated, “It can knock the stuffing out of you, but then you realise who you truly are.

There are aspects of their goals that we can improve as a full team, front to back.

“But, for me, it was the best away performance we’ve had this season, even better than our 3-1 victory over Cardiff – not as a result, certainly, but as a performance.

“The way we passed the ball was excellent; we looked like the home team, to be honest.

“We should have won the game; I’m absolutely devastated for the players. They deserved more than that, and I assumed we were from different classes.

We’ll simply have to focus on what we can do better in the final few minutes.” Bradford are fourth in League One, 13 points behind second-placed Lincoln City.

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