Notts County v Bradford City match ratings

Last updated : 02 March 2009 By Dane Vincent

Kevin Pilkington 7 - Commanded his area with confidence without really being stretched. Communicating well with his defence he was able to collect long balls to remove the pressure on more than one occasion.

Adam Tann 6 - Showed great determination and kept the lively Steve Jones at bay for the majority of the tie - although he did get skinned on one

Steady again: Edwards looked very comfortable at the back.
occasion. He won plenty in the air and never put the team in any danger. His distribution was slightly erratic and he failed to support Forte in front of him too often.

Michael Edwards 7 - Even though he's been out-of-sorts recently, you would not have been able to tell. Distribution, judgement and positioning were all much better and any doubters will have been silenced by his assured display.

Michael Johnson 7 - Threw himself in front of some powerful strikes - sometimes painfully - in a valiant attempt to keep the Bantams from getting on the score sheet. His composure in possession was highlighted in the first half when he sold an onrushing striker a dummy on the turn.

Jamie Clapham 7 - A late slip tarred another fantastic showing by the former Birmingham full-back. Apart from that he popped up in some vital positions to ensure that the ball was cleared from danger and caused problems by overlapping.

Jonathan Forte 8 - Netted for the first and second time since his return to the club in great fashion. His second goal in particular was impressively taken, where he controlled on the chest and drove the ball powerfully through the goalkeeper's legs. His poise inside the box made the difference between the two teams.

Adam Nowland 7 - Knitted the midfield together extremely well with his tidy passing. It's great to see that he's not afraid to have a pop and hopefully he'll be able to avoid another injury so that he can continue to blossom in the black and white stripes.

John Thompson 6 - Did the messy work efficiently without really standing out. His passing was a little wayward at times but he added a great balance to what is looking like Notts' best central midfield pairing.

Playing his part: Weston was involved in every goal.

Myles Weston 8 *STAR MAN* - Played a major part in each of the three goals with some excellent running, passing and crossing. For the first half he tormented City's full-back with frequent push-and-go dribbling, although quietened after the break when the tactics became more reserved.

Delroy Facey 7 - Great to see him take his one and only chance of the game. He did his usual duties well and caused problems with the ball at his feet. Aerially he battled well against a towering Bradford back line and his presence in defending set-pieces proved to be invaluable yet again.

Jamie Forrester 6 - Played the decisive pass in the breakaway that led to the opening goal. He was workmanlike in his efforts and continued to close down throughout. His passing was not always accurate but much of his link-up play was tidy.

Subs:

Nathaniel Wedderburn 6 - Never scared to receive the ball and, although not massively involved, didn't put a foot wrong.

Richard Butcher 6 - Got stuck in and tried to impose himself on the game, despite not being given much time to impress.

Gavin Strachan N/A - Not on the pitch long enough to make an impact.