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Bradford City: We need to be drawbusters - McCall
Boss Stuart McCall has mixed feelings about how things have gone for Bradford City so far this season.
McCall reckons his team are "going okay at the moment" – but he's aware it could have been so much better.
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A record of six wins, four defeats and eight draws from their opening 18 matches isn't a bad return, especially considering City didn't win – or even score – in their first four league and cup games.
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But it is the number of one-pointers that most vexes McCall as he assesses the opening four months of the campaign.
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He told Yorkshire Sport: "We have drawn eight games this season and I would say, honestly, that in five of them, we dominated the game.
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"If we had turned a couple of them into three points, we would be in the play-off places now.
"We have only ourselves to blame in one way that we're not higher up the table. We've had an opportunity to win games, but I've been pleased with a lot of the performances.
"Sometimes it's down to a bit of Lady Luck, like last week missing a penalty in the 90th minute.
"But after such a poor start, with a young, inexperienced team – I've given six lads their full-time debuts this season – the way we have performed and to be nearly in the play-offs places is pleasing.
"I'm disappointed with the number of points, but performance-wise I have been pleased."
The 3-0 midweek win at Grimsby left City just two points adrift of seventh spot – the position which McCall always measures his team against.
"It's quite incredible," he said. "The last five weeks, after every game on a Saturday – we've had three draws, one win and one defeat – whatever the result, we have been four points off the play-offs.
"I don't look at the table in terms of what position we're in, I only look at how many points we're off seventh place.
"It was nice to come off after Grimsby and find out that we've finally caught up two."
After this weekend's unwanted break, City are back into action on Tuesday at home to Rochdale, a game which could prove a pivotal encounter in both teams' season.
"We have got a tough run of games coming up," McCall admitted. "But, having said that, if we're not on our game, every one at this level can be tough.
"There's not much in a lot of the teams but, to be honest, I think if we finish above Rochdale, we will certainly be in the play-offs.
"In the last two seasons, they've been play-off finalists and semi-finalists, they've got a good group and it will be a tough game.
"Their away form has been very good, but we know if we're on top of our game we can beat anyone in this league."
McCall is looking for a repeat of what happened the last time City played Rochdale, exactly three months earlier.
"We went there in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and won 2-1," he recalled. "We hadn't beaten them for a while, so that was good for us."
That was a bogey lifted, according to the manager, and he feels the mid-week success in Lincolnshire will also have given his team a tangible boost.
McCall added: "Against teams at the bottom of the league, it's important to get the first goal. You don't want to give them anything to hold on to.
"After 20 minutes the goal came – a really good goal – and after that we played really well.
"It was a good result, a good performance, we scored three good goals and we kept a clean sheet, it was everything you could have asked for.
"Sometimes results are more important than performances, but the pleasing thing was we had both and I would like to think now we can kick on for the Rochdale game."
McCall sees the players he brought in from non-league clubs over the off-season as a shining light so far this term.
He admits they have "surpassed expectations" and gone from "strength to strength" in a team which he feels is developing and progressing all the time.
City's current top scorer – with one cup and six league goals – is James Hanson, who was playing UniBond League Premier Division football for Guiseley last season.
He hit the target again at Grimsby and McCall said: "He has been terrific.
"His goals haven't been a bonus, that's what you expect from a forward, but he has made a lot with his forward play.
"Like all of them, he is excited to learn and he doesn't think he has made it because he has played 20 odd games or whatever.
"He just wants to get better all the time. He has been great to work
with."
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
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