The Voice - Match preview #31: Bradford City vs Stockport County Tuesday 17th February 2026 7:45pm

During his prematch interview he mentioned he'd been to Valley Parade last Saturday against Posh and was very critical of our pitch, I personally think we've done well to keep it in the condition it's in, taking into account of the logistics of our stadium, sour grapes Challinor ,you was a nasty piece of work as a player and it doesn't look like you've mellowed as a manager.

 

Can’t see white or Ashby getting much game time unless we have a lot of injury’s ,Wheatley yes but only in short cameo role ,still think Mullin will have a role to play from the bench

 

Yes our pitch is by no means the best but we've all seen it much much worse in recent years!

 

Nor would I, he was a pr1ck as a player and he's still a pr1ck as a manager.

 

Nice one mate, although Saturday and last night games we're like chalk and cheese at this stage of the season it's all about points.
As yourself the Posh fans were very complementary with regards our total dominance, always nice to get a balanced view of the game from an opposition fan.
Looking at your run in I'd be very suprised if you didnt finish 3rd or 4th, Lincoln look like they will make the autos with Cardiff but I haven't written us off, they've had a great run recently but will they get a wobble between now and the end of this season, we know all about wobbles on a run in.

 

great performance last night. Was a bit worried about this one, strong Stockport team, big crowd etc

Think It was a great battling performance. Tilt was excellent. Wright put a shift in. Baldwin held his own against one of the leagues top scorers. Pennington is back to his usual self, as was Neufville

Metcalfe getting better as the games go on. Dare I say it but hes looking like the best CM we've had at this club since Cullen. Great football IQ, range of passing, strong in the tackle, drives the ball forward. Will be a shame to see him go as he will be championship quality in a year or 2s time. Evans played well, a lot of good tackles, picking up loose balls, breaking up play and winning free kicks in important positions. Needs to be less wasteful on the ball, but I'm sure that will come over due time

Great goal by Sarc. we'd be in the shit without him. Pointon with another good game. Jackson played his part. Wheatley didn't get into the game but feel it was the wrong opposition for him

Got a few challenging away games coming up : Wimbledon, Reading and Wycombe. We get through those games unscathed and Im confident we can solidify our place in the Play Offs

 

Watched Alexander in his Bradford City podcast where he mentions Dave Moyes was the biggest influence on his career when he became the Preston manager, I believe that respect may have had some influence on the signing of Metcalfe, managers do remember the good guys and also the bad guys.

 

Yes - they passed it well enough so the pitch did not stop that aspect of the game.

 

I wouldn't be in the slitest shocked to see Metcalfe playing in the the premiership within the next couple of years.For a lad so young he has allthe attributes needed to make it big.

 

That's like saying that PPs management must be working because of Wrexhams success though.

Of course it carries some truth but let's not forget that Stockport have splashed millions on players along the way and have top budgets for every level they've been at.

 

Reputations matter. its only 2-3 years ago that our reputation in the game (to players, managers, coaches) was that of being a basket case, a career killer. We're in a very different place now.

 

If you look at the fellas business dealings he’s been heavily involved in business “ acquisitions” and takeovers/ partnerships etc .
Involved in a third tier Belgian club from memory?

 

I watched several of their games during the run in , so if I ,Joe public, could see his potential , so could any club . What amazes me is why or how we got him , say above the likes of Stockport etc . Maybe it’s because he was circulating in a lower division and they didn’t set eyes on him?

 

Thats what Posh have been doing for 25-30 years . So the blueprint is there. It looks like Sharpe has many many contacts as did Barry Fry?

 

People use Cullen as a benchmark based on what a very good player he eventually became rather than when he was at VP , age v age I honestly think Metcalfe is the better . Cullen was 20 ish , Metcalfe 21 . Cullen had 1 goal for us , already surpassed and he didn’t have a shot nor free kick in him . Cullen was a young “ Power” type defensive midfielder at the time. I’ll say it , pound for pound Metcalf is technically better and ahead in footballing development at the equivalent age .

One for discussion for sure.?

 

Notice how Challenor kept blaming the pitch…….They beat Port Vale 7 days ago on a swamp . Didnt hear him chelping then?

 

Creating a pitch from seed ,and then playing on it within a few weeks is always going to be a problem at VP.The best solution would be to lay turf,with the grass already established.May be more expensive in the short term,but long term it would be a good investment.

 

Cullen stood out a mile as someone who would clearly go on to play at a higher level. Over the years he has proved himself to be a top end Championship player, but perhaps just short of Premier League quality. Probably the reason West Ham released him and he's ended up at a yo-yo club like Burnley.
Jenson is certainly the most exciting midfield talent we've had since Josh, and whilst it's way too early to be making predictions about how high he can go, he most certainly has the edge in shooting ability.
From the clubs perspective, the most important difference is that Metcalfe is ours!!

 

First 30 mins of 2nd half Jackson was very, very good - clever movement, stretching the defence and physically giving their big guys a hard time + his touch was excellent. Got a bit theatrical in the last 15 mins when the ref was obviously not going to give him a decision!
Tilt was immense after a dodgy first 15 mins, Metcalfe is fast becoming a real favourite - but the whole team deserve massive credit for the past 2 matches. Oh and GA has got his mojo back

 

Am I missing summat?.. where's this 'Clint' business stem from?