Graham Alexander’s Bantams suffered a defeat in his inaugural away match as City manager, losing 4-2 to Notts County at Meadow Lane.
Luke Williams’ team quickly secured an early first-half lead with goals from David McGoldrick, Macauley Langstaff (twice), and Dan Crowley, putting City four goals behind at halftime.
A late comeback attempt unfolded for the visitors in the second half, with Gilliead and Walker adding to their seasonal goal tally. However, despite the positive response, it wasn’t sufficient to overturn the game, and City returned to West Yorkshire empty-handed.
The hosts took an early lead just before the five-minute mark. Crowley’s well-placed through-ball found Aaron Nemane, who, after outpacing Lewis Richards, delivered a low cross for McGoldrick to slot home from close range.
In a quick pursuit of a second goal, McGoldrick’s long-range shot forced Harry Lewis to parry it into Crowley’s path. Langstaff elegantly converted the skewed shot, but the goal was disallowed for offside, keeping the score at 1-0.
In response to the setback, City’s No.9 Andy Cook had two chances to level the match. Bobby Pointon’s dangerous cross found Cook unmarked at the back post, but he couldn’t direct the header on target. Moments later, Cook’s powerful effort from inside the hosts’ area failed to trouble Sam Slocombe.
Ten minutes before halftime, Notts County extended their lead. McGoldrick capitalized on a long ball, surpassing Ash Taylor and sending a powerful shot at Lewis. The rebound fell to Bostock, who, after composing himself, curled a shot into the net, deflecting off Langstaff.
Langstaff found the net again five minutes later, receiving a pass from Crowley and displaying nimble movement to beat the City ‘keeper, tripling County’s lead. Just before halftime, Crowley added another with a right-footed finish into the top corner.
Similar to the hosts’ start in the first half, Alexander’s men began the second half with purpose, pulling a goal back just before the hour mark. Gilliead found space on the edge of the box and scored a shot into the bottom left corner.
The visitors continued to pressure the Magpies’ defense, with neat build-up play leading to a blocked shot from Cook. Despite reducing the gap to two goals with Walker’s strike, City’s second-half improvement couldn’t overcome the Magpies’ dominant first-half display, securing all three points for the East Midlands outfit.
