U21s: Aston Villa 1-3 Bradford City

Aston Villa Under-21s bowed out of the Vertu Trophy at the round of 16 stage, losing 3-1 to Bradford City at Villa Park. 

A valiant effort from Josep Gombau’s Young Lions could do little to stop a full-strength Bradford side, who took a commanding 3-1 lead into the half-time break. 

2-0 down inside 15 minutes after goals from Calum Kavanagh and Jack Shepherd, Villa responded, halving the deficit with a sublime effort from Kyrie Pierre, before Callum Johnson restored City’s two-goal advantage before the break. 

Despite Villa’s best efforts to salvage something from the game in the second half, the League Two side’s defence stood firm to end the hosts’ journey in the competition, with a quarter-final elimination representing the club’s best-ever finish in the EFL Trophy. 

Bradford’s threat was clear in the opening stages, and it was the Bantams who started the stronger in B6, Alex Pattison dragging a pair of early efforts wide.

But Graham Alexander’s side were ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, when skipper Richie Smallwood’s corner to the front post was glanced into the far corner via the head of Kavanagh.

The visitors doubled their advantage just six minutes later. Bobby Pointon’s corner from the opposite side wasn’t cleared by the Villa defence, allowing Shepherd to lash home despite the best efforts of the hosts to hack it off the goalline.

But Villa responded admirably, and within 10 minutes, had cut the deficit in two.

George Hemmings found Brad Burrowes down the left-hand side, who played the ball to Pierre on the edge of the area. The winger did the rest, jinking away from Ciarán Kelly, shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

However, the hosts’ momentum was short lived, as moments later, Bradford had a third from another corner. Pointon again swung in, and Johnson flicked a deft header past Oli Zych.

The Villa stopper was alert just after the half-hour to deny Kavanagh a second, parrying the forward’s stinging effort after he had cut inside onto his left foot.

Villa began the second period again looking to reduce the arrears. Hemmings found the run of the lively Burrowes in behind Shepherd, but he could not keep his effort on target.

Come the hour mark, Burrowes was threatening again, darting to the left side of the area and arrowing a great effort towards the far corner, which Sam Walker had to be at full stretch to keep out. 

Still, Villa continued to probe. More neat work on the right from Pierre saw him locate Hemmings in the centre, but his touch dropped a few yards wide of the post, as Bradford’s defensive stubbornness continued to frustrate. 

Gombau’s youngsters continued to push until the very last minute, Travis Patterson flashing an effort agonisingly wide of the far post, but the score remained 3-1, as the Villans’ journey in the Vertu Trophy – as the only ‘invited’ academy side to advance to the knockout stages – came to an end. 

Aston Villa: Zych; Rowe, Katsukunya, Swinkels, Patterson; Alcock (c) (Barnes 83′), Borland; Pierre (Pavey 79′), Taylor (Young 60′), Hemmings (Cotcher 79′); Burrowes. Subs (not used): Emery (GK); Amundsen-Day, Fortes. 

Bradford City: S. Walker; Johnson (Baldwin 46′), Kelly, Shepherd; Halliday, Smallwood (c), Pattison (Sarcevic 46′), Richards (J. Walker 66′); Pointon (Wright 88′), Oduor, Kavanagh (Oliver 66′). Subs (not used): Doyle (GK); Byrne.