Plymouth boss Adams salutes keeper Letheren

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2019 by PA

Plymouth boss Derek Adams was full of praise for goalkeeper Kyle Letheren after his second-half saves earned a 0-0 draw at Bradford.

Letheren pulled off three key stops, the best to keep out Eoin Doyle’s header, at Valley Parade.

Adams said: “It was an important save at that moment because Bradford were in the ascendancy. It was a good header towards the back post and he was able to claw it away.

“It was a very good point for us. I thought we had the better of the first half and Bradford the second.

“If, earlier on in the season, we had defended like we have done today then we would be in a far better position.

“The surface was a sticking point for our flair players. They found it difficult to pass the ball, so the game was very scrappy.

“But if you’d offered me a point before I’d have taken it. We won away to Peterborough and drew with Portsmouth last week so we’re on a good run.”

Plymouth went close to breaking the deadlock when Graham Carey’s low drive came back off a post.

But Bradford took command after the break and also hit the woodwork through David Ball.

Letheren turned away a Paul Caddis drive as the pressure increased and made a finger-tip save from Doyle.

He was then alert to Jermaine Anderson’s close-range back-heel before Ball was again frustrated in added time by Niall Canavan’s sliding block.

Bradford manager David Hopkin, whose side remain second bottom, said: “I asked the players at half-time to lift it attacking the Kop end and I thought the fans were fantastic.

“I’m disappointed that we’ve not got the three points because the players showed fantastic character after losing here to Fleetwood last week.

“They came back here and showed they are very good players and we have the makings of a good team.

“Some of our movement and play was great. The roof would have come off Valley Parade if David Ball had scored at the end.

“We created chances and in their half, but we also had to be careful we weren’t caught by a sucker punch. Freddie Ladapo is one of the best strikers in this league and I think we handled him extremely well.

“We knew there were going to be a lot of one-v-one duels because they have got four very talented front players and score a lot of goals.”