The Voice - Match preview #24: Blackpool vs Bradford City Sunday 4th January 2026 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #24
Sunday 4th January 2026 15:00
Blackpool (17th) vs Bradford City (3rd)
Bloomfield Road

Record:
Games Won: 27
Games Drawn: 5
Games Lost: 28

Last 5:
05 Aug 2017: Bradford City 2 – 1 Blackpool
07 Apr 2018: Blackpool 5 – 0 Bradford City
08 Sep 2018: Blackpool 3 – 2 Bradford City
23 Mar 2019: Bradford City 1 – 4 Blackpool
27 Sep 2025: Bradford City 1 – 0 Blackpool

Blackpool:
Ian Evatt has achieved an impressive turnaround at Blackpool, a side he played for between 2006-13, an extremely successful period for the club. During that time, Evatt was an ever-present in Blackpool’s single-season Premier League effort as well as a regular in the Championship over most of the rest of that tenure. A key part of one of the better defences Blackpool have ever assembled, Evatt’s return as coach after largely successful spells at Barrow and Bolton Wanderers (both sides achieved a promotion under Evatt, with Bolton also lifting the EFL Trophy) has been warmly received. After 15 games, Evatt has amassed 8 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats, a significant improvement on the 4 wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats across all competitions under previous manager Steve Bruce.

Most recently, Blackpool embarked on a run of 5 wins and 1 draw starting with a 4-1 demolition of Carlisle United in the FA Cup, and ending with a 4-0 thrashing of Rotherham United in the league – but the Tangerines were brought back to earth with a bump on New Year’s Day courtesy of a 5-1 humbling at the hands of bottom side Port Vale. The dismissal of James Husband for a very hefty challenge had a far bigger impact than could have been anticipated, with Blackpool leading at half time despite Husband’s 45th minute red card. The second half? A completely different story. Jayden Stockley restored parity, before all of George Byers, Jaheim Headley, Devante Cole and Ronan Curtis helped themselves to a goal apiece to round out a true second half rout. Ian Evatt later said he was ‘in disbelief’ about the red card decision, and felt other decisions also went against his side. Evatt refused to criticise his players despite admitting they ‘could have managed the second half better’, instead pointing to the heavy recent schedule and ‘three or four huge decisions’.

One of those decisions was to issue Evatt himself with a yellow card, one he feels he did not earn because he ‘didn’t say anything’, leading him to the inevitable assessment that the referee ‘has killed’ them on the day. Protecting the troops was clearly top of Evatt’s agenda, and ensuring Blackpool prepare for the arrival of 3rd place Bradford City at Bloomfield Road will have to be done with a minimal turnaround time – although that’s true for all of League One teams. James Husband himself may yet be eligible to start if an ongoing appeal is successful, something Blackpool will expect to find out either Friday or Saturday.

Elsewhere, Ashley Fletcher (9) leads Blackpool’s scoring charts, and is the 7th highest goalscorer in League One – just 2 behind the four joint leaders in Salech of Cardiff, Ballard of Leyton Orient, Tolaj of Plymouth, and Keillor-Dunn of Barnsley. Tom Bloxham (5) is in second place for the Tangerines, while Niall Ennis (3), CJ Hamilton (2), Lee Evans (2) and Danny Imray (2) are the other players with more than 1 league goal to their credit. Blackpool have no players that have started every game, and only midfielder Jordan Brown has appeared in every game having made 20 starts and 3 substitute appearances. Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell is their most consistent starter with 22 games under his belt, all starts.

Tom Bloxham is currently an on-form striker, having netted in all of his last 3 starts, while Ashley Fletcher has scored 12 in his last 15. This is indicative of Blackpool’s overall turnaround in front of goal, with 19 goals netted in their last 8 games across both league and cup, compared to 7 goals in their first 8 games in league and cup under Steve Bruce. While the ‘Pool did have a wobble under Evatt with a run of 5 games without a win in November and early December, the defeat at Port Vale stands starkly against their most recent form where as well as scoring freely, Blackpool had conceded just 3 goals in their 6 game unbeaten run – quite an improvement, again, for a side that even now have one of the worst defensive records in the division. While much of the damage was done under Bruce, Blackpool’s tally of 35 conceded is the joint fourth worst in the division.

Disconcertingly for Bantams fans, Blackpool have lost just 1 home game since Evatt took charge, that coming in the form of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Reading, while they have inflicted defeats in that same period over the likes of Cardiff City (3-1), Doncaster Rovers (1-0), Rotherham United (4-0), as well as Carlisle United (4-1) and Scunthorpe United (1-0) in the FA Cup. Their reward? A tie at Championship Ipswich Town a week on Saturday, a game that’s perhaps unlikely to prove a major distraction ahead of their tie with Bradford City.

All in all, then, things are looking UP for Blackpool despite that anomalous second half 10-man capitulation at Port Vale.

Port Vale 5 – 1 Blackpool


Blackpool 4 – 0 Rotherham United


Bradford City:
Bradford City, much like Blackpool at Port Vale, were reminded that they have no right to win games as they were well-beaten by Mansfield Town. Brad Halliday had a great early chance for City, but the makeshift wing back failed to convert, before Will Evans slid Rhys Oates through on goal. Oates needed two bites at the cherry, but did eventually score after a fine first save from Sam Walker, and Lucas Akins made it 2 with a powerful and largely unchallenged header on the 37th minute. Bradford City’s heads dropped, and in truth the Bantams never looked like getting back into it outside of a blatant handball from Akins in the penalty area that bizarrely went unpunished, but having got away with it, the Stags never looked back. Oates wrapped up the game with his second on the 67th minute in what has since been described as City’s worst performance of the season.

Max Power, the usually reliable club captain, was himself badly out of sorts, and his failure to deal with a lazy ball from Joe Wright led to Mansfield’s third and compounded a real sense of misery for the Bantams.

The defeat was uncharacteristic, and while obviously disappointing, both Graham Alexander and Max Power pointed out that it’s important not to get too high after a win, or indeed too low after a defeat. Both shifted their focus to the next game, an increasingly difficult-looking trip to Blackpool, one that will require a massive and immediate improvement from whoever Alexander names among his starting XI.

Max Power must lead in the middle, presumably alongside Jenson Metcalfe who continues to work hard, though Brad Halliday, Stephen Humphrys and all of the back 3 could find their positions up for grabs. Calum Kavanagh and Tyreik Wright also failed to impress, and with Antoni Sarcevic and new signing Louie Sibley likely keen to make an impact, City could yet freshen things up significantly. Curtis Tilt is almost certain to start, fitness pending, while Josh Neufville might expect to dislodge Halliday after a particularly poor display from the right wing back. Will Swan may also eye a chance, though he fluffed his lines late with a one on one against former side Mansfield.

Perhaps the most damning statistic from the game at Field Mill comes in the form of Mansfield’s xG – just 1.35 – which was converted to an actual goal tally of 3, indicating a poor defensive effort on City’s part. Too slow, too laboured in possession, as well as sloppy all over the pitch, this was one to forget.

Mansfield Town 3 – 0 Bradford City


Bradford City 1 – 0 Port Vale

 

Prediction:
The form of 6’5 Tom Bloxham and Blackpool’s deadliest hitman Ashley Fletcher will be of massive concern for Graham Alexander’s side ahead of Sunday’s tie, and the defensive performance against Mansfield Town will fill few with confidence. True, Curtis Tilt could be in line to return to the starting XI, bringing a real physical edge against one of his former sides, and equally true his fitness has needed managing – perhaps explaining why he didn’t get on the pitch against Mansfield – but his introduction alone won’t make up the difference. City will, simply put, have to put in a far, far better performance to get anything here.

Louie Sibley will be keen to make an impact after arriving on loan from Championship side Oxford United, the former Derby County player having already achieved promotion from League One with the Rams back in 2023/24. More nous and more attacking threat are chief among Graham Alexander’s plan for any reinforcements, and while hardly a free-scoring midfielder, Sibley’s pedigree at this level should stand him in good stead. His versatility, likewise, should be useful to Graham Alexander, having also been fielded in the past at wing back, as well as central and attacking midfield. In fact, Transfermarkt.com has him down for just about every position on the pitch at one time or another, but City fans will no doubt hope his presence will be felt either alongside Power or further up as a counterweight/competition to Sarcevic and Pointon.

That said, there’s just no ignoring the goal threat coming at City from Blackpool, and the Bantams’ recent struggles on the road. Threatening to revert back to last season’s poor away day form, City have lost 5 of their last 7 away from Valley Parade incorporating cup competitions, making their 9th place position in the ‘Away’ league table look somewhat untenable. Blackpool are – or were – very much on the up, particularly at Bloomfield Road, and they will still fancy their chances after the Port Vale humbling.

They should, however, be prepared to meet a City side preparing to redouble their efforts after a humbling of their own at midtable Mansfield Town. I don’t think either team runs away with this, and margins should be tighter this time around – but the pick will be a 3-1 defeat for City, with Bloxham and Fletcher continuing their fine form and City still struggling to match the top scorers in terms of goals, especially on the road. Things just don’t feel much the same as they did when City beat Blackpool 1-0 at Valley Parade under Steve Bruce.

Final Score:
Blackpool 3 – 1 Bradford City