Bradford attitude catches Graham Alexander’s eye in ‘impressive’ win at Cardiff

Bradford boss Graham Alexander praised his side’s attitude after their 3-1 win at Cardiff moved them two points clear at the top of Sky Bet League One.

The Bantams took to the field at the Cardiff City Stadium clash of the top teams having lost only once, while the hosts had a seven-match unbeaten run to defend.

Having only conceded two goals in those seven games, both from the penalty spot, the Bluebirds came into a contest between two clubs who were two divisions apart last season.

However, it was the more streetwise Bradford side that came out on top and Alexander said: “It was an impressive performance.

“We came here on the back of a good win at Doncaster last week to play a team that was unbeaten and the attitude of the players was really good.

“Cardiff are a really good team with a lot of good players and they can hurt you. There were moments when they got through us but we stood strong in the final third.

“But we know the power we have going forward and I thought we could have had a few more with a little bit more care. But to win 3-1 away from home is a brilliant result for us.”

Alexander continued: “It was a game between two pretty good teams and I think we deserved to come out on top. Our attacking threat, allied to our defensive work, was superb.

“We’ve got really good quality throughout our squad, although we conceded a sloppy goal. The way the players went about their work in the first 65 minutes was great.

“It was brilliant to watch, brilliant to be a part of and it’s a great win. I just love the attitude of this team and they went toe-to-toe with the league leaders right from the start.

“But we are only eight games into the season and miles away from the finishing line, so we won’t be getting carried away.”

Bradford are at Newcastle in midweek in the Carabao Cup, while Cardiff also have an away trip to a Premier League side – Burnley.

Bluebirds manager Brian Barry-Murphy insists the defeat has not burst his team’s bubble after a good start to the season.

He said: “We created some clear-cut chances and we didn’t take them. If you don’t take your chances in a game of this magnitude then you aren’t going to win.

“We didn’t defend well enough to give ourselves the chance of winning.  The first goal was a rocket from outside the box and the second goal took the momentum away from us.

“There were certain things I was looking for in the second half in terms of how the players attacked. They never gave in and that’s probably the most important thing for me to see moving forward.”