Chorley in goalless draw with Bradford Park Avenue

The game simply never flowed, frequently interrupted as it was by stoppages through injuries and niggling fouls.

Both sides finished with 10 men but Bradford deserve credit for battling through the whole of the second half a man short.

Chorley fell well short of the high standards they set at Boston last Saturday: against the Bradford 10, as manager Andy Preece admitted afterwards, they were “too slow on the ball, too often passing sideways or backwards” when given the freedom of half the pitch.

In short, they lacked the guile and speed of thought needed to open up a tightly-packed visitors’ defence.

In fairness, however, the Magpies’ formation was undermined by the early loss of the creative spark so often supplied by Adam Blakeman, while the second-half withdrawal of skipper Scott Leather necessitated midfield dynamo Mike Calveley dropping back into defence.

Effective though he was in the role, his driving force in midfield was sorely missed.

In a largely featureless first half, Ollie Shenton came closest for Chorley with a rasping 25-yard drive which just cleared the bar.

Shane Moroodza was proving tricky for Bradford and Matt Urwin did very well to claim a searching low centre from him.

But Moroodza’a participation in the game was summarily ended just before the break when he petulantly hit out following a scuffle and was inevitably dismissed.

The Magpies began the second half with purpose. Jack Sampson’s strong shot from distance brought a smart diving save, while Connor Hall saw a well-struck low cross-shot flash inches wide.

But Chorley struggled thereafter to open up a resolute Bradford defence and were almost caught on the counter.

Andre Brooks strode clear but instead of shooting, attempted a square pass which was easily cut out.

Tempers continued to fray in the closing stages and in added time Chorley substitute Justin Johnson saw red after unwisely getting involved in a melee on the touchline when already on a yellow card.

It summed up a thoroughly untidy afternoon and a poor game which neither side did enough to win.

CHORLEY: Urwin, Challoner (Johnson,76), Wilson, Leather (Tomlinson 62), Blakeman (Henley 16), Whitehouse, Calveley, Shenton, Sampson, Hall, Ustabasi. Unused subs. Nolan, Schorah.

Att. 913.