U21s: Aston Villa 1-3 Bradford City

U21s: Aston Villa 1-3 Bradford City

Josep Gombau’s Young Lions made a gallant attempt but were unable to stop a full-strength Bradford side that led 3-1 at halftime.

Villa recovered to a 2-0 deficit following goals from Calum Kavanagh and Jack Shepherd within 15 minutes, halving it with a magnificent effort from Kyrie Pierre, before Callum Johnson restored City’s two-goal lead before the break.

Despite Villa’s best efforts to salvage anything from the game in the second half, the League Two side’s defence held firm to terminate the hosts’ run in the competition, with a quarter-final exit representing the club’s best-ever EFL Trophy finish.

Bradford’s threat was obvious in the early stages, and the Bantams began the stronger in B6, with Alex Pattison dragging a pair of early efforts wide.

However, Graham Alexander’s team took the lead within the first ten minutes when skipper Richie Smallwood’s corner to the front post was headed into the far corner by Kavanagh.

Six minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead. The Villa defence failed to clear Bobby Pointon’s corner from the opposite side, allowing Shepherd to score despite the hosts’ best efforts to keep it out.

However, Villa reacted excellently, reducing the deficit to two goals in 10 minutes.

George Hemmings found Brad Burrowes down the left side, who passed the ball to Pierre on the edge of the area. The winger did the rest, jinking away from Ciarán Kelly, transferring the ball to his right foot, and bending.

However, the hosts’ advantage was short-lived, as Bradford scored again from another corner. Pointon swung in again, and Johnson sent a deft header beyond Oli Zych.

The Villa goalkeeper was alert just after the half-hour mark to deny Kavanagh a second, parrying the forward’s stinging shot after cutting inside onto his left foot.

Villa began the second period afresh, hoping to decrease the deficit. Hemmings found the run of the energetic Burrowes behind Shepherd, but he was unable to keep his shot on goal.

Around the hour mark, Burrowes was dangerous again, racing to the left side of the area and arrowing a wonderful effort into the far corner that Sam Walker had to be at full stretch to keep out.

Villa persisted in his investigation, however. Pierre’s clever movement on the right saw him find Hemmings in the center, but his shot went a few yards wide of the post as Bradford’s defensive tenacity continued to frustrate.

Gombau’s youngsters pushed until the final minute, with Travis Patterson shooting agonisingly wide of the far post, but the score remained 3-1 as the Villans’ Vertu Trophy trip – as the only ‘invited’ academy team to proceed to the knockout stages – came to an end.

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