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Harambee Stars midfielder Clarke Oduor could not help Bradford overcome Colchester, while Vincent Harper continued to be left out of Exeter’s recent struggles.
Kenyan international midfielder Clarke Oduor came on as a substitute and did well but could not help Bradford City beat Colchester in an English League Two match played on Saturday.
Oduor, who had started the last four of Bradford’s games, was relegated to the bench as the coach opted to adopt a different strategy, rather than use a system relying on a shadow striker, which is the position Oduor has been playing in of late.
The former Leeds United man showed his worth and creativity by making a key pass, and one expertly taken long ball, as well as urgency with a shot on target in his 22 minutes on the pitch.
Bradford went close on the half hour when Andy Cook's diving header flew over the bar, from Harry Chapman's fine cross.
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Cook's downward header at the far post from Richie Smallwood's deep cross then dropped just wide of the target for the visitors.
However, Bradford took a 35th-minute lead when Cook lashed home a first-time shot with his right foot off the far post, after Ash Taylor's ball into the area had been helped towards him by Bobby Pointon.
Harry Chapman almost made it 2-0 just after half-time when his shot landed on the roof of the net but Colchester levelled in the 59th minute when Hopper controlled Tom Dallison's pass before lashing a superb shot past Sam Walker and inside the far post.
Both sides pushed for a winner after that and Walker brilliantly tipped over Arthur Read's stoppage-time effort, as the points were shared.
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Both Wanjau-Smith and Harper used to play with each other for Cribbs, in the ninth tier of English football, but Harper has since broken into the EFL for Exeter in League One.
In another EFL league clash, Vincent Harper continued to be left out of Exeter’s recent struggles as they lost 2-0 to Blackpool.
The Tangerines started on top and spurned a fine chance to take the lead when Jordan Rhodes' 25th-minute penalty was saved by Viljami Sinisalo as the Finnish goalkeeper made amends after fouling the striker.
The Aston Villa loanee then tipped Kyle Joseph's long-range effort around the post, but he could do nothing to stop Morgan's stunning strike from Karamoko Dembele's lay-off six minutes before the break.
Zak Jules saw a shot go wide as the Grecians sought a response, but their task became harder when Morgan doubled his tally early in the second half with a fine volley into the bottom corner through a crowd of players.
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19:03 - 13.01.2024
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Exeter rarely threatened until Jack Aitchison was twice denied by Dan Grimshaw in quick succession, with Jack Harris firing over shortly afterwards.
But Blackpool held on with minimum fuss to stay in touch with the play-off places and extend Exeter's winless away league run to nine matches.
Harper has not featured at all for Exeter since early December.
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08:30 - 13.01.2024
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Tracing his journey from Kenya to becoming a pivotal figure in the club's history.
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