Goals
1-0: O’Shea (own goal, 3, deflected Clarke’s shot into his own net after the Sunderland defence failed to clear Morais’ free-kick)
2-0: Stead (62, squeezed a low shot under Mannone after Hanson nodded Johnson’s dreadful clearance into his path)
Bookings: Fletcher (10, unsporting behaviour), Clarke (31, foul), Larsson (36, foul), Jones (67, foul)
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicester) – He wasn’t the reason Sunderland lost, but his failure to award the Black Cats a first-half penalty was a critical error 3
Attendance: 24,021
Entertainment: *****
BRADFORD (4-3-1-2):
Williams 7; Darby 7, Davies 8, McArdle 8, Meredith 7; Morais 8, Liddle 7, Knott 8 (Halliday 78); Clarke 8 (Yeates 86); STEAD 9 (Zoko 89), Hanson 7.
Subs: Urwin (gk), Sheehan, Mackenzie, Routis.
SUNDERLAND (4-1-3-2):
3 Mannone: Looked nervous and uncertain all afternoon and should have done much better with Stead’s strike
3 Jones: Probably the worst player on the pitch as he failed to get anywhere close to the intensity or desire that was required
4 Brown: Came in to replace Vergini but never looked comfortable against Stead and rarely won possession off the striker
4 O’Shea: Was unfortunate to deflect Clarke’s effort into the net, but was second best to far too many aerial challenges
4 Van Aanholt: Left far too many gaps down the Sunderland left in the first half, but at least tested Williams with a decent effort
3 Bridcutt: Should have been the player shutting down the Bradford attacks, but hardly put in a telling tackle all afternoon
3 Johnson: Goodness knows what he thought he was doing with the wretched attempted clearance that led to Stead’s goal
6 LARSSON: The only Sunderland player to show enough fight and spirit, but was unable to contain Bradford’s midfielders on his own
3 Alvarez: Didn’t look suited to an old-fashioned FA Cup tie on paper, and was even worse once the action began on the pitch
3 Fletcher: Will feel he should have had a first-half penalty, but took an eternity to get his shot away and paid a heavy price
4 Graham: Directed a first-half header on target, but never looked like scoring and was hauled off at the break
Subs:
Wickham (for Graham, 46): Showed a bit more urgency than the player he replaced, but his only chance went straight to the keeper
Vergini (for Jones, 86)
Honeyman (for Alvarez, 86)
(not used): Pantilimon (gk), Coates, Agnew, Gomez.
Man Of The Match
JON STEAD – The striker was a figure of fun during his time at Sunderland, but he had the last laugh with an excellent performance full of passion and desire.
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