Mark Hughes’ Bradford City advanced to the next stage of the Carabao Cup after securing a victory in a penalty shootout against Accrington Stanley.
City’s Alex Pattison opened the scoring just before halftime, putting his team in the lead. However, Accrington’s Josh Andrews equalised shortly after the 60-minute mark, leading the match to be decided by penalty kicks. The Bantams emerged victorious with a 4-1 result in the shootout.
The initial stages of the match at the Wham Stadium were cautious, with both teams struggling to maintain possession. Around the 10-minute mark, Andy Cook claimed to have been fouled inside the box, but the referee dismissed the appeal.
In the final moments of the first half, Pattison managed to break the deadlock, securing his first goal while wearing the City colours. A lengthy pass from Harry Lewis found Pattison, who struck a powerful low shot past Toby Savin in the Accrington net, giving the Bantams the advantage as the first half concluded.
However, in the 66th minute, Accrington fought back. Substitute Josh Andrews, entering the game for the first time, swiftly headed in a corner to level the score.
City made another penalty appeal in the 78th minute, as Alex Gilliead, who had just joined the match, made a strong run into the box and was impeded from behind. Despite the appeals from the City fans, the referee signalled for the play to continue.
With the game headed towards a penalty shootout, both sides battled intensely for a late winner. Nevertheless, the regulation time ended without a decisive goal, forcing the contest to be determined by penalties, much to the anticipation of the travelling Bantams supporters.
Bradford City displayed remarkable accuracy during the penalty shootout, converting all four of their attempts taken by Cook, Gilliead, Jamie Walker, and Oduor, who secured the winning shot. On the other hand, Accrington managed to net their initial penalty, but Jack Nolan’s attempt struck the crossbar, and Korede Adedoyin slipped during his shot, providing Oduor with the opportunity to clinch the victory.
