The Voice - Match preview #42: Bradford City vs Stevenage Saturday 11th April 2026 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #42
Saturday 11th April 2026 15:00
Bradford City (3rd) vs Stevenage (6th)
University of Bradford Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 8
Games Drawn: 3
Games Lost: 2

Last 5:
17 Aug 2021: Bradford City 4 – 1 Stevenage
08 Feb 2022: Stevenage 0 – 1 Bradford City
17 Sep 2022: Bradford City 3 – 0 Stevenage
11 Feb 2023: Stevenage 2 – 3 Bradford City
25 Oct 2025: Stevenage 1 – 1 Bradford City

Stevenage:
Like Bradford City, playoff hopefuls Stevenage’s major flaw, if one exists, has been a lack of firepower. Indeed, Saturday’s game at Valley Parade will feature the two lowest scoring sides in the top 11 – not that that has prevented either City or Stevenage from laying down markers as two of the division’s top performing sides overall.

The similarities don’t stop there. Both sides have suffered 12 defeats each, though Stevenage’s propensity to draw (particularly at home) has – to this point at least – left them trailing a little bit behind the Bantams. Not to worry too much though, as Easter Monday’s 1-0 win over struggling Blackpool lifted The Boro into the playoff places, displacing Reading and leaving them with a 2 point gap to 7th place Plymouth Argyle. What’s more, Stevenage have a game in hand over the teams directly below them, as well as over both Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City in 4th and 3rd place respectively.

The scene is set, then, for Stevenage to potentially challenge either the Trotters or the Bantams in the playoff semi-finals, although much could still change in that regard. Alex Revell’s men come to the University of Bradford Stadium on decent form with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat from their last 5 outings, and true to their low-scoring form, 4 of those games finished 1-0, with the sole draw – away at relegation near-certainties Rotherham United – ending 0-0.

There is a further parallel to draw between Stevenage and Saturday’s hosts: Stevenage find themselves sat 11th in the League One ‘Away’ league table, both themselves and Bradford City having posted near-identical away statistics. Both have won 6 and lost 10 on their travels this season, though Stevenage have drawn 1 fewer game – a stat that could also yet achieve parity as Stevenage happen to have played 1 fewer away tie!

Goals For and Against on the road are also somewhat similar, though with Stevenage’s stats a little bit leaner on both fronts. While City have scored 22 and conceded 31 on their travels, Stevenage have netted 19 and let in 27 – a similar state of affairs, with Stevenage continuing to struggle for goals away from home in the run-in, having failed to score in either of their last 2 outings outside of the Lamex. Worse, Stevenage have won just one of their last 10 away games, having endured a particularly rough period from January through February where they lost 4 straight away games, conceding 3 goals in each. All of Exeter City, Barnsley, Northampton Town and Wycombe Wanderers achieved that feat, without any of those sides enjoying particularly good form or standing at the time.

Still, like City, Stevenage have managed to forge a successful season in spite of their lack of firepower and mediocre away form, and had it not been for an 8-game winless run between late December and late January, The Boro might have been looking at mounting a challenge even further up the table.

Wherever they finish, Stevenage certainly can’t blame top goalscorer Jamie Reid (13) for not playing his part. Reid’s decent form has seen him score in 3 of Stevenage’s last 5 outings, the striker being the sole Stevenage goalscorer on each occasion. That said, Reid did not score in either of Stevenage’s recent 1-0 home wins over Reading or Blackpool, with Dan Kemp (4) and the talented Harvey White (4) deputising on the scoresheet. Kemp and White represent Stevenage’s joint second highest goalscorers, joint with Chem Campbell (4). Carl Piergianni (3) is the only other Stevenage player to score more than 2 this campaign, the impressive centre back proving less lethal at this level as when he scored 8 in League Two – but still very much an aerial threat if allowed.

Stevenage 1 – 0 Blackpool


Rotherham United 0 – 0 Stevenage


Bradford City:
Bradford City scored arguably the most significant win of the season on Easter Monday, completing a 6-point Easter weekend after also beating Northampton Town at home on Good Friday. Heading to Wycombe Wanderers, City’s poor away form gave Bantams fans little indication they would run out winners, but they did so even having fallen behind after just 6 minutes. Bobby Pointon grabbed a 52nd minute leveller after latching on to a blocked Stephen Humphrys effort, before Aden Baldwin got himself on the end of a Max Power free kick to make it 2-1.

The victory gives Bradford City a massive advantage over the sides still vying for a playoff place, putting them 9 points clear of 7th place Plymouth Argyle. None of the teams between 7th and 11th have a game in hand over City, and those that do – Mansfield Town and Barnsley – are too far back at this point to realistically overtake them. It’s a wonderful position to be in, and one built on the back of a fantastic home record. The away win over Wycombe Wanderers is a very welcome augmentation to what has already been a terrific season for Graham Alexander and his players.

It should be no surprise, then, to hear that Graham Alexander has been nominated as a candidate for the League One manager of the year accolade, while Jenson Metcalfe is in the running for young player of the year. While Lincoln City’s Michael Skubala is favourite for the managerial award, there’s no questioning the size and scale of Alexander’s achievement this campaign. Taking a newly promoted side who finished 3rd in League Two last season and guiding them to 3rd in League One with a handful of games to go is quite something. That he has achieved this in spite of the struggles of the other promoted sides speaks volumes – League One isn’t an easy division to succeed in, especially as games are often decided by the slimmest of margins.

That’s also the case for Saturday’s opponents Stevenage, whose manager Alex Revell is similarly in contention for the award. As outlined above, City and Stevenage have shared more than a few similarities this season, with City performing marginally better across most metrics. One metric where City have enjoyed a significant advantage, however, is xG. Bradford City are, perhaps surprisingly, 3rd in the xG table, with Stevenage as low as 20th. That said, Stevenage top the table for xGA (goals against), with City behind in a very respectable 5th place. While the dream of a goalscoring striker appearing in January didn’t come to pass, it’s to Graham Alexander’s – and the players – immense credit that they have achieved what they have achieved as a team, all in it together, and sharing the goals out among themselves.

Whatever happens between now and next season, and wherever City are playing in 26/27, one thing’s for sure: Bradford City fans can be very proud of the club’s efforts this campaign.

Wycombe Wanderers 1 – 2 Bradford City


Bradford City 1 – 0 Northampton Town


Prediction:
Bradford City have a great record against Stevenage, especially at home where the Bantams have netted 15 goals in 6 outings, winning 5 and losing just once since their first meeting in 2010. As City’s 1-1 draw at Stevenage showed, however, this is a very different incarnation of The Boro, Alex Revell forging a hardened and competitive side with the second best defence in the division. Don’t expect them to roll over at Valley Parade, either.

What we can expect is a competitive, potentially physical game between 2 sides who have posted good defensive statistics this season in line with their xGA (although underachieving slightly in Stevenage’s case). Another reason to suspect a low-scoring game is the lack of firepower both teams bring to the table. As mentioned above, these are the 2 lowest scoring outfits in the top 11, although City have more reason to bemoan that fact having notched the 3rd best xG.

While fans might wonder what might have been on that score, one must remember that signing a goalscoring forward in a January transfer window is often beyond the abilities of even the richest sides in football, let alone a League One outfit on a budget. It’s just not that simple, and so it has proven.

Still, even without a lethal hitman, the most optimistic of City fans have been allowed the opportunity to cast an eye on stuttering Cardiff City in 2nd place – although the chances of catching them at this stage, especially considering Cardiff have a game in hand on the Bantams, are slim at best. Still, it’s happened before in football, and similarly unlikely feats have been achieved by City as recently as last season, when Walsall completely capitulated allowing City to sneak in at 3rd place. Can lightning strike twice…? Surely not, but who knows!

Back to Saturday: 1-0 will do very nicely indeed. Stevenage aren’t a side renowned for netting away goals, especially of late, and their string of 1-goal maximum scorelines now stretches back 5 games. I have a feeling Bradford City will look to replicate the kind of performance they put in against Northampton Town, only Stevenage will be an even more difficult side to break down. 0-0 is certainly a possibility, as is 1-1 – and if there was an outside bet, perhaps it would be worth looking at a 3-1 Bradford City win, in line with the defeats Stevenage were taking away from home as recently as February – but I’ll stick with the minimalist scoreline more in keeping with City’s recent outcomes.

Final Score:
Bradford City 1 – 0 Stevenage