If the Shrewsbury Town fans had been told, 15 minutes in, that their team would lose this match they would have pointed you in the direction of the nearest asylum, or opticians, at the least.
Their early dominance was so absolute that a goal just had to arrive. It did, but at the other end, as Bradford City delivered a classic counter-blow thanks to a six-yard tap-in for Gareth Evans during the visiting team’s first significant foray up the field.
Shrewsbury’s shock at finding themselves a goal down was compounded by a 30-yard strike from Michael Flynn in the 35th minute that was worthy of winning any match, as it proved to do here, although Dave Hibbert’s acrobatic header for the home side with 23 minutes left did ensure an entertaining finish to a baffling encounter.
“I will take them from five yards, ten yards or 300 yards, as long as they go in,” Flynn said. “It is a case of trying to hit the target and hoping for that bit of luck. I should have scored more this season so it was nice to see that one hit the target.
“It was a massive team effort, though, and that is what counts. Not many teams will come here and manage to do what we have done and that shows how good we can be this season.”
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An early goalline clearance, a wonderful point-blank save from Simon Eastwood and more than a fair share of luck helped Bradford to remain in a contest that they could have comfortably been out of after ten minutes.
That ounce of fortune, readily admitted by Stuart McCall, the Bradford manager, did not desert the Yorkshire side in the second half, either, as Shrewsbury took a cyclical approach to the game by ending as by far the better side.
An effort by Jake Simpson in the dying moments cannoned down off the crossbar and may have crossed the line but was not given by the officials as Bradford held on for a puzzling three points.
“It’s about time we had some luck, and we had it today,” McCall said. “If we had had that kind of luck last season in the last nine games we would have made the play-offs, so we are due some and it was nice of it to come here.”
Shrewsbury Town (4-4-2): S Phillips — S Cansdell- Sherriff, K Langmead, G Coughlan, D Holden — S Leslie (sub: L Neal, 56min), P Murray, J Labadie, J Simpson (sub: K Bright, 85) — D Hibbert, N Elder (sub: J Robinson, 56). Substitutes not used: H Hooman, A Gray, A Arestidou, K McIntyre. Booked: Langmead.
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Bradford City (4-5-1): S Eastwood — L O’Brien, Z Rehman, S Williams, S Ramsden — G Evans, L Bullock, M Flynn, S Neilson (sub: L Osborne, 89), J O’Brien (sub: J Bateson, 89) — J Hanson. Substitutes not used: M Clarke, J McLaughlin, R Boulding, L Sharry. Booked: Eastwood, J O’Brien.
Referee: S Mathieson. Attendance: 5,525.