The Voice - Match preview #38: Bradford City vs Mansfield Town Tuesday 17th March 2026 7:45pm

EFL League One Fixture #38
Tuesday 17th March 2026 19:45
Bradford City (4th) vs Mansfield Town (15th)
University of Bradford Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 29
Games Drawn: 19
Games Lost: 26

Last 5:
04 Feb 2023: Bradford City 1 – 1 Mansfield Town
02 Sep 2023: Mansfield Town 0 – 0 Bradford City
16 Mar 2024: Bradford City 1 – 5 Mansfield Town
17 Sep 2024: Mansfield Town 0 – 3 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]
01 Jan 2026: Mansfield Town 3 – 0 Bradford City

Mansfield Town:
While Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough would be dismissive of the idea his side’s season is over with 11 games still to play, it appears that the Stags’ excellent FA Cup run may end up being their crowning achievement for the 25/26 campaign. Having seen off League Two outfits Harrogate Town and Accrington Stanley in the competition’s opening two rounds, and requiring penalties to eliminate the latter, few likely expected Clough’s men to dispatch Sheffield United 4-3 having raced into a 4-1 lead come the hour mark. If that upset wasn’t impressive enough, Mansfield Town would then head to Turf Moor where they would dispose of Premier League outfit Burnley 2-1, before giving a fabulous account of themselves in a losing effort at home to the Premier League champions elect in Arsenal. Indeed in that most recent game, played on March 7th, Will Evans would send Field Mill into raptures after cancelling out Noni Madueke’s opener, only for Eberechi Eze to come off the bench and rifle the ball into the top corner from just inside the area to claim the winner.

Those heroics “caught up” with Mansfield Town in their most recent home game against Barnsley, at least according to Clough, as the Stags were forced to come from 2-0 down to secure a point and extend their unbeaten league run to 4 games. They only just managed it… Lucas Akins netted a 57th minute penalty to give them a chance, before Stephen McLaughlin powered home an equaliser in the last minute of the game. Clough admitted he toyed with the idea of making changes and bringing in “fresh legs” but opted instead to field a similar team with just 3 changes from the side that beat Reading 1-0 the Tuesday prior.

“We didn’t want to tinker too much,” Clough admitted, but conceded that “maybe with hindsight we should have done”. Goalscorers Akin and McLaughlin, with a combined age of 72 years, showed that experience is hard to beat, both the 37 year old and 35 year old playing all 90 minutes. Now, with another quickfire Saturday-Tuesday to contend with, Nigel Clough – like his counterpart Graham Alexander – will have to don his thinking cap and surmise the best way to maximise his players’ fitness levels against high-flying Bradford City.

The Stags thrashed Bradford City on New Year’s Day this year, Rhys Oates grabbing two and Lucas Akins grabbing the other, for a side that don’t have a runaway top scorer. Oates (6) and Will Evans (6) lead the charge in terms of league goals, with Tyler Roberts, Stephen McLaughlin and Lucas Akins all on 3. It speaks to an underwhelming league campaign for Mansfield Town, whose total goal return of 42 very much represents lower midtable fare. Their defence, however, is one of the best in the division. Just 39 conceded means Mansfield Town have the joint 4th best defensive record in the division, better even than 4th place Bradford City, and joint with automatic promotion near-certainties Cardiff City.

That would be more of a reason to celebrate had Mansfield Town not drawn so many games, especially recently. Their FA Cup run aside, the Stags have recorded just 1 win in their last 11 league outings, drawing a full 7 times, and losing a further 3. Definitely not an easy team to beat, then, Mansfield Town will come to Valley Parade – one of the division’s toughest away grounds to visit – looking to rely on that defensive backbone and the sheer will to avoid defeat that saw them rescue the tie at the weekend.

Had they converted even a few of their 12 total league stalemates into wins this campaign, Mansfield Town might have been fancied to trouble the playoffs – but they just haven’t been ruthless enough to really challenge, at least to this point.

If they are to make a run, it will have to start now. Mansfield Town do have the players and the squad to cause Bradford City problems even at Valley Parade, but a win seems a stretch for a side who have an overall win-draw-loss record of 4-6-6 away from Field Mill. It’s not bad… but it’s not great, either.

Mansfield Town 2 – 2 Barnsley


Mansfield Town 1 – 0 Reading


Bradford City:
Disappointment has followed the Bantams in their quest for away performances several times this campaign, and Saturday was no different. Wigan Athletic eased their immediate relegation concerns somewhat with a 2-0 win over the high-flying Bantams, leaving Graham Alexander to bemoan the state of the pitch – ironically churned up during a Rugby League tie between Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls the night before – although he also admitted his side “shot themselves in the foot”.

Caylan Vickers was allowed multiple bites at the cherry before he slammed the ball past Sam Walker, the Wigan midfielder picking up good positions unmarked on more than one occasion. Bradford City tried to get back into it but rarely showed the quality to really put the Wigan backline under pressure, while Joe Taylor hit the post before doubling Wigan’s lead and finishing City off.

The Bantams again looked some way off the levels of their performances on home soil this campaign and were a lick of paint away from a 4th 3-0 away defeat of the season. Bolton Wanderers started that particularly dismal trend in the EFL Trophy, with Lincoln City and Mansfield Town inflicting away day batterings of their own on City. As it was, Graham Alexander’s men narrowly escaped with a 2-goal margin of defeat, though it will be little consolation to concerned City fans wondering what their awful away form might mean come the playoffs.

The positive is that Bradford City should make those playoffs. Still 8 points clear of 7th place (now occupied by a stuttering Stockport County), there remains some breathing room for a side that continue to ruthlessly dispatch all and sundry at Valley Parade. It seems that regardless of the form of the opposition on any given game at the University of Bradford Stadium, this side elevates their performance in a bid to take all 3 points. Cardiff City are the only side to avoid defeat at Valley Parade this calendar year, and before that it was Burton Albion back in November.

Certainly Mansfield Town could cause Bradford City problems, but the Bantams will hope that their packed recent schedule will feel less severe than Mansfield’s. Putting in huge performances against bigger sides is something City fans will be familiar with from seasons past; and just like in City’s 2013/14 season, it did begin to take its toll on the Bantams’ league performances. When all was said and done, though, Bradford City were able to put together a good run and make the playoffs – just.

Mansfield Town will have designs on doing the same this year, but beating Bradford City on home soil is something only 2 sides have managed to do all season. Bradford City need to ensure that remains an extremely exclusive club, shutting their door on all future membership. If they can’t rely on their home form, what can they rely on?

Wigan Athletic 2 – 0 Bradford City


Port Vale 0 – 2 Bradford City

 

Prediction:
Every time Bradford City lose away – which has been all-too-frequent, at least since the start of 2026 – the pressure mounts on these home games. Mansfield Town will come on decent form and in high spirits. They have enjoyed cup success and have proven hard to beat despite drawing too many league games. They came from 2-0 down to thwart Barnsley at the weekend and have an added psychological advantage over their opponents on Tuesday night after hammering the Bantams 3-0 at Field Mill.

All that makes for grim reading for a Valley Parade faithful all too used to turning teams over at home. Whatever the cause of City’s mental block on the road, it hasn’t really affected performances in front of their 20,000+ crowds. Even quote-unquote “bogey” sides like Doncaster Rovers lost at Valley Parade this year, as did playoff rivals like Stockport County. Struggling sides? Bradford City have shown no generosity towards Rotherham United or Leyton Orient, either, perhaps dispelling clichéd assumptions City struggle against poorly performing sides. Even a Peterborough United side, just 2 games removed from a 6-1 drubbing of Wigan Athletic, were confidently dispatched.

In some sense, then, it hasn’t really mattered what the context of the visiting sides season has been when it’s come to playing at Valley Parade. Only Burton Albion sprung a real surprise, and they have managed to do that on quite a few occasions, picking up wins over all of Stockport County (3-0), Huddersfield Town (3-1), Bolton Wanderers (3-0), while drawing against the likes of Cardiff City (2-2). Perhaps Burton Albion are just well-equipped to shock the top-performing sides.

Are Mansfield Town in that bracket? It doesn’t seem so. Cup upsets aside, Mansfield Town haven’t upset many other top-performing sides other than the Bantams. The only other side in the top 7 Mansfield have beaten this season is Bolton Wanderers, 1-0 away, and they duly lost the reverse fixture by the same score earlier in the season. Their record against the better performing sides is nothing to write home about, which coupled with their poor attacking output suggests that if this tie is problematic to the Bantams, it will likely be because the Stags are well equipped to keep the scores down.

Based on that analysis, the pick will be an edgy and somewhat unconvincing 1-0 win – but one few will bemoan just so long as the good times continue to roll at home, a luxury that will afford Graham Alexander yet more time to conjure some answers to their dreadful away form. You simply cannot win the playoffs on home form alone.

Final Score:
Bradford City 1 – 0 Mansfield Town