Graham Alexander: Bobby Pointon claims he got hat-trick against Huddersfield

Bradford manager Graham Alexander says Bobby Pointon is claiming a hat-trick in their 3-1 win over Huddersfield.

Pointon scored the first two goals at Valley Parade and claimed a touch on the third which was credited to Josh Neufville.

Alexander said: “I don’t want to take it off Josh because he was superb again, but Bobby got in there and he said it came off him.

“For a Bradford-born boy playing in his first derby, to score a hat-trick on this day will be remembered for a long time.”

Pointon’s first came from a good team move after Neufville’s cross was helped on by Will Swan.

Bradford scored twice in first-half added time with Pointon stabbing home Antoni Sarcevic’s flick-on and Neufville’s cross sneaking into the corner.

Huddersfield scored a late consolation from Zepiqueno Redmond.

Alexander was delighted with his team, who have won all four home games since promotion from League Two.

“I was pleased with everything,” he added. “The players deserve immense credit coming off the bad result last week at Doncaster into a game of such magnitude and build-up between two local teams who haven’t played each other for so long.

“I thought they handled the whole occasion.

“We had to see through the first 10-15 minutes when they had real pressure and broke through our press a few times.

“But once we tweaked something, the players had that real connection together.

“The first goal was brilliant football and we then just became this monster that kept turning the ball over and going at the opposition. It’s great to see for a derby performance.”

Huddersfield manager Lee Grant was unhappy with another poor first-half performance away from home after they had started brightly.

He said: “It was what we thought it would be and also what we planned for. In terms of the energy and the way we started the match, I could not have asked for anything more, but you have to capitalise on certain moments which we had and we didn’t.

“We probably had more time in certain moments in the final third than what we realised and what the group are learning is that you will suffer if you are unable to capitalise on that sort of momentum and possession.

“It was a tough one to take. For me, there’s an important part to realise and understand that the way the team is functioning in those moments when we are a goal down and 2-0 down and very quickly three.

“If it happens once, okay. Twice in a season, you can perhaps understand. But we’re barely 10 games in and the three results if you look at them collectively – Bradford, Blackpool and Barnsley – feel too similar in terms of the way the goals have gone in.”