The Voice - Match preview #43: Barnsley vs Bradford City Saturday 18th April 2026 12:30pm

EFL League One Fixture #43
Saturday 18th April 2026 12:30
Barnsley (12th) vs Bradford City (4th)
Oakwell Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 38
Games Drawn: 32
Games Lost: 41

Last 5:
11 Aug 2018: Bradford City 0 – 2 Barnsley
13 Nov 2018: Barnsley 2 – 1 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]
12 Jan 2019: Barnsley 3 – 0 Bradford City
21 Nov 2023: Bradford City 5 – 1 Barnsley [EFL Trophy]
18 Oct 2025: Bradford City 2 – 2 Barnsley

Barnsley:
Barnsley played out a 0-0 draw at relegation near-certainties Port Vale on Tuesday night, a result that should make little difference to either side’s season. While neither club’s season is mathematically over, Barnsley’s midtable fate seems sewn up, while Port Vale will almost certainly be playing in League Two next campaign. For his part, Tykes manager Conor Hourihane will soon begin making plans for next season, and topping the agenda could be veteran striker David McGoldrick.

Barnsley’s top goalscorer with 15 goals so far this season (plus a hattrick in the EFL Trophy), the former Ipswich Town and Sheffield United hitman has hit a rich vein of form since the turn of the year, contributing 13 league goals since mid-January. Now 38, McGoldrick still has the class and ability to be a big player for Barnsley, and despite a slow start to the season in terms of goal-getting, it’s clear the veteran has come good now.

Behind McGoldrick in the scoring charts are Davis Keillor-Dunn (13), Adam Phillips (7) and Reyes Cleary (6), with Luca Connell (4), Vimal Yoganathan (3), Tom Bradshaw (3) and Scott Banks (3) all players with more than 2 goals this season. Indeed goals haven’t been the biggest issue for Barnsley this season, with the Tykes having netted 63 times, which is 11 more than the Bantams (52). It’s been at the back where Barnsley have really struggled, their Goals Against tally of 65 representing the second highest in the division. Only Leyton Orient (66) have conceded more, but even then Barnsley could be in the running for the worst defence in League One by the team the season comes to a close.

Hourihane will have to improve that next campaign if Barnsley are to be anything more than also-rans, while maintaining high expectations of his attacking players. Already there are signs Barnsley’s goal-scoring prowess is waning, perhaps due to their uninspiring midtable standing and the likelihood of the season having already petered out, with Barnsley uncharacteristically firing 3 blanks in their last 5 games – 2 of those games coming at home.

That will be just what visitors Bradford City want to hear, especially with Barnsley falling to South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster Rovers (0-1) and being hammered by Plymouth Argyle (0-3) on home soil in their last 2 outings. Still, as Barnsley showed in their 3-1 win at now-relegated Rotherham United, they do have the players to hurt the opposition. The question is, is it a coincidence that the goals have started to dry up just as the season is looking like a dead rubber?

Port Vale 0 – 0 Barnsley


Rotherham United 1 – 3 Barnsley


Bradford City:
Bradford City could only watch on Tuesday night as Bolton Wanderers reclaimed 3rd place, crushing Stevenage by 5 goals to 1, a feat that proved beyond Graham Alexander’s Bantams at the weekend. Bradford City will certainly feel they should have had at least a point against Stevenage, particularly as Joe Wright’s disallowed goal for a ‘foul’ on Boro ‘keeper Filip Marschall looked extremely soft, but a lack of general firepower came home to roost against a stubborn defence. The polar-opposite results achieved by the two clubs vying for 3rd place may ultimately matter little as Bradford City still have a game in hand and the potential initiative over Bolton, but it certainly underlines how much better equipped the Trotters are when it comes to overwhelming opponents.

While City’s best work has involved hassling, harrying, and narrowly dispatching sides, particularly at Valley Parade, the other teams in the top 4 have been able to give themselves more breathing space more often across the 25/26 campaign. That Bradford City have scored 25 fewer goals than second place Cardiff City, for example, shows the wide margin in terms of goalscoring prowess. Bolton Wanderers, for their part, have scored a full 12 additional goals, while conceding 1 fewer than City. None of that, though, will matter in the mini lottery that is the playoffs, a format that has proved to be a great equaliser time and time again.

Now the focus is on who finishes where, with the top 6 close to being finalised. There are outside chances for other sides – but with Stevenage now 4 points clear of Huddersfield Town and Plymouth Argyle, neither of whom have a game in hand, Luton Town are probably the biggest remaining threat to the playoff places – and even then, there’s a huge amount of work for the Hatters to do!

In short: we may already know our final 4, but what order they finish in is anyone’s guess.

Stockport County have 2 games in hand over Bradford City, and 3 over Bolton Wanderers, making them a genuine threat to take 3rd place, though there is something to be said about having so many games to cram in before the game week 46. That in itself could make or break Stockport’s chances come the playoffs, as there’s a possibility of either incurring injuries and suspensions, or, on the other hand, generating real momentum.

Whatever the other sides do, Bradford City’s destiny is their own to write. Across the next 4 games, Graham Alexander will be tasked with elevating the ties beyond mere play off preparation. It’s an unusual – if welcome – position for the newly promoted Bantams to be in, but having witnessed Barnsley’s dour 0-0 draw with Port Vale on Tuesday night, it’s important the regular season isn’t allowed to simply peter out in that same way. With Vale all but relegated and Barnsley earmarked for midtable mediocrity, this Saturday’s fixture could be a good gauge of how motivated the Bradford City players are ahead of a huge end-of-season finale.

Whether we get a good ol’ Yorkshire derby or a glorified friendly will be dictated by the 11 players on the pitch, the make up of which won’t include either Bobby Pointon or Tyreik Wright. A late chance, then, for someone else to make their mark in that left-sided attacking midfield role…

Bradford City 0 – 1 Stevenage


Wycombe Wanderers 1 – 2 Bradford City


Prediction:
Can lightning strike twice?

After beating Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 away in a massive win for the Bantams, Graham Alexander’s men look to have secured a playoff place already. While not mathematically safe inside the top 6 just yet, it’s asking a huge amount of those sides chasing them to catch them at this stage. A similar win at Barnsley would be a good tonic after the disappointment of the 1-0 home defeat against Stevenage, a game that lacked a certain something even if City ultimately deserved to take away a point.

While the major doubts around City’s playoff aspirations centre around a general lack of firepower and their struggles on the road at times this campaign, some of that can be allayed with a win here. Barnsley, for their part, have goals throughout their team, and a very dangerous player on great form in David McGoldrick – so I fancy them to get back on the scoresheet after drawing a blank at Port Vale.

That said, I do back City to get a morale-boosting win that shows they aren’t prepared to phone in the final 4 games of the season and do still carry a threat on the road. How both sides approach this game will be a critical factor but there should be a certain amount of pride on the line. Ultimately, Barnsley’s creaky defence is a cause for optimism, though I think a repeat of the 2-2 at Valley Parade is asking a bit much.

Final Score:
Barnsley 1 – 2 Bradford City