Player ratings: Bradford City 1 Swindon Town 0

Town were left to ponder what might have been after missing big chances early in both halves before Bobby Pointon scored the winner for the hosts from close range.

So, how did the players get on individually at Valley Parade?

GK: Murphy Mahoney – 5

Brad Halliday’s shot is very powerful, but a goalkeeper of Mahoney’s quality you would expect to hold onto it and prevent Bradford’s goal. Swindon did not concede many big chances in this game, so Mahoney was not called into action very often.

RCB: Udoka Godwin-Malife – 6

Higher scores in this game are going to be based on who had any positive moments, rather than a consistent performance, that's just how this one went. When Godwin-Malife did get beyond Adam Wilson, Swindon were more dangerous. His defending was fine, there was one fun moment when he outran Wilson to get to the ball without even having to sprint.

Tyrese Shade gets beyond Brad Halliday (Image: Callum Knowles)

CB: Tom Brewitt – 5

Brewitt made a few good blocks, but I felt Andy Cook had the better of him. There were far too many occasions when he was able to find space and get a shot off. He dealt with him fairly well in the air, but giving Cook space is exactly what he couldn’t do.

LCB: Frazer Blake-Tracy – 5

Blake-Tracy said after the game that he was frustrated at the way he was forced to play on the ball based on how Bradford tried to defend him. There were also a few too many moments of miscommunication between him and some others that Jamie Walker was able to pick up on and cause trouble.

RWB: Remeao Hutton – 5

Yet another game when Hutton was robbed of an assist when he found Rushian Hepburn-Murphy at the back post. Unfortunately, that was the only real moment he had in possession, but again he had a solid game defensively.

CM: Saidou Khan – 4

Khan started this game really well with two perfectly executed early Saidou spins that got Town into good areas. But when the game started to turn, he seemed to get wound up and his performance suffered because of it.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy battling for the ball (Image: Callum Knowles)

CM: George McEachran – 6

If we are going with individual moments, which I think we have to based on the overall display, McEachran had Swindon’s best ones. The best chances almost all came from McEachran getting on the ball and threading a pass. Overall he was out of the game for long periods, but in the periods when things were good, it was usually because of him.

LWB: Tyrese Shade – 4

It would be tough to say that he took Flynn’s challenge and ran with it. These things can always be instruction-based, but he was starting too high up the pitch and not giving Town a way to get out when Bradford pressed. Defensively he made one very nice recovery tackle but was often caught up the pitch.

CAM: Dan Kemp – 6

Kemp would go into the same camp as McEachran as not being involved often enough, but when he did get on the ball, he was making things happen. He was the architect of one of the big chances that was inexplicably missed.

Miles Obodo made his league debut from the bench (Image: Callum Knowles)

ST: Charlie Austin – 4

I prefer not to speak, if I speak, I am in big trouble.

ST: Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 5

I will give Hepburn-Murphy a one-point bump as he played 90 minutes having been very ill last night. He had a big chance in the second half that you would expect him to score, but he was generally offering up a fair amount of endeavour without it turning into anything.

Subs:

Miles Obodo – 5

Obodo was energetic coming off the bench, but the wheels were well and truly off by that point. He only had four touches in 14 minutes, but I think his distance covered might have rivalled some of those who were on from the start.

Brooklyn Genesini – N/A