Heartbreak for Harambee Stars’ Oduor as Bradford City exit Carabao Cup

Harambee Stars defender Clarke Oduor and his club Bradford City exited the Carabao Cup at the third-round stage following a 2-0 defeat against Middlesbrough on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

A near-post strike from Emmanuel Latte Lath gave Boro the lead in the 21st minute before Morgan Rogers put the away side 2-0 up in the 54th minute.

Oduor's chance

Oduor was involved in a circumstance that almost led to a goal when he saw his effort blocked and cries for a handball waved away by the referee.

Alex Pattison, a second-half substitute, also came close to scoring after a miskick by goalkeeper Tom Glover after Jamie Walker had a goal ruled out for offside.

Oduor was replaced in the 71st minute when Mark Hughes brought Tyler Smith into his position.

Contented Hughes

Despite failing to progress in the domestic competition, Hughes was content with how Oduor and his teammates performed.

“There were positives out there, and I am happy with the effort. Middlesbrough are a good team; everyone saw that.

“They were physically strong and tactically adept and gave us a good challenge. We needed to make the best of our chances. It was difficult to get a foothold in the game.

“They were comfortable keeping the ball away from us and attacking us in threatening positions," Hughes said in his post-match reaction.

The manager also defended his second-half substitutions, which included withdrawing Oduor.

“On paper, 2-0 was a fair result. The changes helped us, certainly, in the second half.

“I was encouraged by the second-half performance. (Alex Patto's coming back was refreshing, and seeing different players in new positions was good for me," he concluded.

Next for Oduor is a league match against Walsall over the weekend.