The Voice - Match preview #34: Reading vs Bradford City Saturday 28th February 2026 3:00pm

We just don’t have enough firepower to put a game to bed. We’ve scored just 9 goals in the last 10 games. I never expect Wheatley to score,he won’t pick Humphrys and Mullin doesn’t look the part. Our defence is brilliant at home in carving out these 1-0 wins but we will come unstuck at some time at home unless we start scoring more.

 

Just listening to Alexanders post match interview and he's saying it looks like Baldwin has a broken nose and Jackson is seeing a specialist on Monday I thought he saw one last week Thursday/Friday ?.

 

Baldwin injury is really bad news the defence is a lot weaker without him

 

He should be fine but might just have to wear a mask for a couple of games.

 

I was embarrassed by some professional footballers representing the club. Hope this clarifies further for you.

 

Well Alexander has blinkers on with his tactics and team selection

 

We were comfortable against a poor Reading side that offered nothing for 90 mins. We then(not for the first time ) subbed an attacker for a defender which simply invited them to put crosses in our box. From one of these, our defender mistimed his header which set them up for the equaliser. From another, a 40 year old midget scored the headed winner. We had a perfectly good midfielder on the bench who might have been in a position to stop a cross being made. Incidentally, Baldwin has had to leave the field injured on 3 occasions. In each game, we have conceded shortly afterwards. Even if he has to wear a mask, we need him.

 

I just can't see where an away win will come from,I think the best we can hope for is two draws.

 

No need mate , I’ve read the runes already . Knitting wins

 

Agree, he’s made some great saves and won games for us , but commanding his area isn’t his forte.

 

Was cheap and cheerful we could all see it( well some on here couldn’t and still can’t) they’ve blown a fantastic opportunity by bringing in lots of short term rubbish. Could understand if they brought in some players with resale or for the future as that shows a plan. January show incompetence yet again, and a failure to be strategic something this club lacks in abundance on and off the pitch.

 

What have they blown? We sit 4th currently. Stockport spent some cash in Jan and lost 3 out of 4 games in Feb. The same goes for Huddersfield.

 

This should make us all feel better

 

We were poor today going forward.
We were better at maintaining possession but no point if you aren't gonna do anything with it.
Once we scored they were there for the taking but we stopped trying to get forward and when defending dropped 10 yards deeper.
Another waste of a Saturday.
10 hours on the road to just hand 3 points to Reading.
Fuming.

 

I said in the 'Strongest XI after the window' thread that the recruitment in January hadn't improved our best eleven and it was a hill I was willing to die on....thankfully I'm still alive and kicking. I'd go further and say maybe the squad as a whole looks weaker? Maybe that's me talking after just getting home from Reading, but there doesn't seem to be any flexibility with the system with the players that have been bought in?

I feel we're crying out for an extra centre midfielder. Not just as a replacement for either Metcalfe/Power when they're tired, but to play alongside them in away matches to sure up the midfield.

 

I got pelters last week for saying Sam Walker’s form had dipped. He’s not covered himself with glory for their winner has he? (nor did Touray).

pennington and neufville were awful for their leveller too. Both goals were avoidable.

we weren’t bad overall today though and deserved at least a point. But god, there must be a mental block in that dressing room to chuck the game today from the comfortable position we were in.

why are we using Humphrys as a striker though? Bringing on Joe Wright for Pointon was straight out of the Mark Hughes at Carlisle playbook!

 

Regarding that sub, T.Wright went to Bobby's position, Touray to LB, Tilt to LCB and J.Wright in the middle. It was the exact same system, just 4 players moved around. Did that really have any effect in the 2 goals that went in, or was it just really poor defending (maybe as a result of all the switching around?)

 

Did he try/could he tried saving that with his feet rather than trying to get down to it?

 

Touray got out jumped by Ritchie for the second.
If that had been Tilt that would never have happened.
T Wright was really struggling so for me he should have gone off as well meaning Touray LWB, Tilt LCB and brought Mullin on for Pointon and gone 2 up top.
We would have got at least a point then

 

Wheatley a poor mans Bruenkner.