Kenya International Clarke Oduor scores as Bradford thrash Mansfield
By Amanga Collins, September 18, 2024Kenyan international Clarke Oduor netted a goal as his side, Bradford City, secured their first victory of the season with a dominant 3-0 win at Mansfield Town.
Oduor came off the bench in the final nine minutes of the match, played at Field Mill, and contributed to City’s victory with a late goal.
Clarke Oduor contribution
Bradford City took control of the tie early on, with first-half goals from Vadaine Oliver and Bobby Pointon, and Oduor added the final touch with a goal in the closing stages, sealing three points in Northern Group H.
Graham Alexander’s side made a perfect start in Nottinghamshire when Vadaine Oliver opened the scoring just three minutes into the match. After a well-worked build-up, Alex Pattison delivered a pinpoint cross from the left, which Oliver headed into the bottom-left corner, beating Scott Flinders in the Mansfield net.
Despite a scrappy phase of play, Bradford City remained a threat. In the 20th minute, Olly Sanderson had a golden opportunity when Joe Adams played a perfect through ball to put him one-on-one with Flinders. However, the Mansfield goalkeeper made an impressive save to keep the score at 1-0.
Mansfield, managed by Nigel Clough, began to find their footing, with Ben Quinn posing a threat outside the box. But City’s defenders, Cheick Diabaté and Colin Doyle, held firm, keeping Mansfield from leveling the score.
City’s second goal came in the 36th minute. Lewis Richards whipped in a dangerous cross, and Sanderson headed it down into Bobby Pointon’s path, who slotted the ball through Flinders’ legs to double Bradford’s lead.
Before half-time, Flinders was again called into action, denying Oliver’s shot from outside the box. Bradford went into the break comfortably in control.
In the second half, City continued to dominate, keeping Mansfield’s attack at bay. Tom Nichols tried a long-range effort, but it was easily gathered by Doyle. City pushed for a third goal, with substitutes Calum Kavanagh and Andy Cook looking to stretch the lead.
Joe Adams forced another good save from Flinders, but in the final moments, Clarke Oduor sealed the win with a tidy finish at the near post, rounding off an excellent performance for Bradford City and securing their first win in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy this season.