Five things learnt from Bradford City defeat

1) We need a plan B if we are we without Nick Powell.

As we all know, Powell can win a game on his own, we also know he is very injury prone. On Saturday, we never looked like scoring without him on the pitch (all be it, we weren’t great the first 25 minutes anyway). Gary Roberts is a good impact sub, but he’s not Powell. I thought we should of went two upfront when Powell went off injured. We lost so much attacking threat when he went off, should Paul Cook have went 4-4-2 with Grigg partnering Toney upfront? It’s easy to say now, but we never looked like creating any chances after he was subbed off.

2) We need Will Grigg back firing, do we change shape to suit him?

When Grigg signed his new contract last month, I expected a run of games and goals but it just hasn’t worked out. It was a tight game on Saturday, and it was crying out for a poacher who could score his only chance and win us the game, so why did it take 88 minutes to bring him on? I’m not criticising Cook as Grigg hasn’t played well this season in the 4-2-3-1 formation, but is it time to change the shape to accommodate a striker that scored 27 goals in his first season? If Powell’s injury proves to be long-term, I think Jacobs should be given the role of the central attacking midfielder, with Grigg upfront. In our title winning season they linked up very well, hopefully the same will happen again.

3) We aren’t unbeatable.

We’ve responded well to every defeat so far this season, and I expect the same on Tuesday vs Doncaster. However, Saturday was the first loss I’ve felt was deserved. We were out battled, outplayed and outclassed by a good Bradford side, on reflection the scoreline could of been a lot worse. Recently, we’ve been turning up at the DW and getting three points with minimal fuss, hopefully this is the kick up the backside we needed to remain focused every week.

4) Max Power is back.

After the transfer request in the summer, it was doubtful that Power would play any part this season, or be accepted by the fans. It looks like he’s put them both to bed. Another good performance on Saturday, providing the assist for Chey Dunkley’s goal. I prefer him to Lee Evans in the more physical games (like Saturday’s) however against lesser opposition Evans offers more attacking midfield play. Either way, both are providing a headache for Cook and it’s good to see Power back playing regularly.

5) Is Jamie Jones good enough?

Jones didn’t cover himself in glory at all on Saturday. The first shot for the opening goal was powerful, but parried straight back into the danger area. The second he should have saved- simple as. He kept 5 out of 6 clean sheets in his opening games, but they were against poor opposition in games we dominated. A few too many mistakes seem to be creeping into his game recently, and with Christian Walton due to return from injury, is Jones’ run coming to an end?