BBC News | FA CARLING PREMIERSHIP (original) (raw)

Saturday, 18 March, 2000, 19:12 GMT

Bantams plunge deeper into trouble

Pulling power: Chippo congratulates goalscorer Zuniga

Coventry 4-0 Bradford

Coventry romped to a second home win in four days and ease their own relegation worries against struggling Bradford.

The Bantams remain in the bottom three, with their away form looking set to return them to the First Division.

While the Sky Blues waited until 86 minutes to score the only goal against Everton on Wednesday, they wasted little time in this match.

Coventry's Roussel tussles with O'Brien

Cedric Roussel's opener came seven minutes after the kick-off and Noel Whelan doubled the lead midway through the first half.

The scoreline remained the same until the final five minutes when John Eustace and Ysrael Zuniga handed the Midlands side a convincing margin of victory.

The result puts some daylight between Coventry and the Premiership's bottom three, with just one more win needed from their remaining eight games to ensure another top-flight season.

But for Bradford, who have not won on the road since September, the future is starting to look very bleak.

Whelan in shop window

Coventry - without seven regular first-team players, including Robbie Keane and Carlton Palmer - cut swathes through Bradford's beleaguered defence.

Transfer-listed Whelan gave prospective buyers something to think about when he played a crucial part in putting the home side 2-0 up.

Horror show: Bradford boss Paul Jewell looks on

First his shot was pushed by Aidan Davison into the path of Roussel, who claimed his ninth goal of the season from close range.

Then Mustapha Hadji hooked a cross from the bye-line into the area, where Whelan was able to fire a shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Bradford were so far off the pace that Coventry keeper Magnus Hedman had to make just one save in the whole game - and that not until the contest was an hour old - when he kept out a Dean Saunders free-kick.

Dean Windass did strike the top of the bar eight minutes from time, but Coventry swiftly added two more goals.

Substitute Lee Sharpe felled Peruvian international Zuniga in the Bradford area, and Eustace scored from the penalty spot.

Less than a minute later Zuniga completed the scoring with his first goal since his �800,000 move from Melgar, with a superb volley after he had twice been denied from close range.

Bradford have little chance to lick their wounds - next up is the small matter of leaders and reigning champions Manchester United.

Teams:

Coventry:

Hedman, Gustafsson, Shaw, Hendry, Quinn, Chippo, Eustace, McAllister, Hadji, Whelan, Roussel. Subs: Ogrizovic, Telfer, Breen, Normann, Zuniga.

Bradford: Davison, Jacobs, O'Brien, Wetherall, Halle, Beagrie, Whalley, McCall, Lawrence, Saunders, Windass. Subs: Blake, Sharpe, Dreyer, Taylor, Cadete.

Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley)

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