The Voice - Match preview #7: Luton Town vs Bradford City Saturday 19th September 2026 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #7
Saturday 19th September 2026 15:00
Luton Town (12th) vs Bradford City (4th)
Kenilworth Road

Record:
Games Won: 6
Games Drawn: 6
Games Lost: 9

Last 5:
24 Jan 2009: Luton Town 3 – 3 Bradford City
27 Nov 2018: Luton Town 4 – 0 Bradford City
12 Mar 2019: Bradford City 0 – 1 Luton Town
16 Aug 2025: Bradford City 2 – 1 Luton Town
07 Feb 2026: Luton Town 2 – 1 Bradford City

Luton Town:
Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town have made as average a start as you could make to a league season, sitting in 12th place with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats to their name. 1 cup win (3-0 over Gillingham) and 1 cup defeat (Chelsea 2-0 away) continued the theme of absolute outcome-equality, going exactly as expected based on where each club sits in terms of divisions.

At the weekend, Luton Town suffered a disappointing defeat to local rivals Stevenage, a game in which Wilshere himself was sent off for foul language following the Stevenage opener. Dan Kemp fired home from range, but not until after a rather obvious-looking foul was ignored by referee Andrew Humphries. Liam Walsh was clearly held back by Dan Phillips, allowing Kemp to nip in, burst forward unopposed, before drilling home from outside the area to open the scoring. To add to Wilshere’s frustrations, Luton Town had been the better side until that point, and statistically, they dominated from thereon in, too. Boasting over 70 % possession, Luton Town controlled the ball, but ultimately didn’t use it well enough against a typically stubborn Stevenage side still punching above their weight.

Josh Magennis made it 2-0 to Stevenage in the second half, albeit somewhat fortunately, as Ben Broggio’s cross appeared to hit him en route to being bundled home – they all count, though, right? Luton Town would get a goal back though when Kasey Palmer’s deflected effort beat Arsenal loanee, 20 year old Dutch goalkeeper Tommy Setford. There wasn’t to be any further joy, though, as Luton Town were left questioning their use of the football and relative ineffectiveness once Stevenage had got into the swing of things in terms of their high press.

Still, 70 % possession isn’t the ‘norm’ for Luton Town this season. Stevenage’s propensity to play long, direct balls probably helped (aside from the moment when Luton stopper Josh Keeley completely missed a particularly aimless hoof, almost conceding a free kick in a dangerous area…), but Luton have generally their possession percentage stat in the high 50’s. Stockport County at home was the notable exception, when it was the away side enjoying the majority of play (62.4%). Ironically, on that day Luton Town actually won!

Former Bradford City legend Nahki Wells has started the season superbly, with 4 goals in 4 league starts, plus a goal in the 3-0 EFL Cup win over Gillingham on the first game of the season. Wells was rested at Stevenage Thursday last (10th September), perhaps suggesting he will be in the starting line up against City this Saturday. Another former City player in Harrison Ashby could also be set to start, though he too was absent against Stevenage. Beware Luton Town’s second-highest goalscorer, the man that seems to be earmarked as Wells’ direct competition, Callum Marshall. The 21 year old Northern Irishman will probably only be seen if or when veteran Wells is withdrawn, but his £1,500,000 Summer signing from West Ham United looks like an investment that might pay off in the long-run – he has already scored twice despite having started just 2 games. Marshall and Kasey Palmer are the two ‘money’ signings for the Hatters this campaign, and both have shown they look capable at this level. Palmer has also netted twice.

Stevenage 2 – 1 Luton Town


Luton Town 1 – 1 Leyton Orient


Bradford City:
Bradford City recorded their third 1-0 league win of the season after adding Notts County to a growing pile that already accounted for Sheffield Wednesday and Mansfield Town. They also made it 3 wins in a row if you factor in the 3-1 away win at Leyton Orient in the EFL Cup. While the 1-0 wins in particular haven’t been the most convincing this season, there’s little argument against the excellent defensive record City have enjoyed early on.

Bradford City have the joint-best defensive record in the division, alongside West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, though they have been unable to match the Terriers in terms of attacking prowess. Just 6 goals in 6 league outings is a slightly worrying statistic, but don’t let that remove the shine from a really impressive start.

Sat in 3rd place, the Bantams are once again hoping to mount a promotion challenge, ideally this time avoiding the playoff scene and going one better for the autos – but it’s still early days on that front. In terms of performances, outside of their superb defensive efforts, City still have some work to do. Finding a settled forward line must be top of Graham Alexander’s ‘to do’ list, but there’s also the issue of a central midfield area that doesn’t quite look up to the standard of last season. Callum Connolly has done a manful job picking up where Max Power left off, and Antoni Sarcevic contributed a much-needed winner in the home game against Mansfield Town, but heading into another game where another high quality side will look to dominate the ball, it feels City might just be lacking a little in that particular area.

Still, squad players have shown glimpses lately, with Stephen Humphrys shining in the 3-1 EFL Cup win over Leyton Orient, and players like Corey O’Keeffe getting an increasing number of minutes. Bobby Pointon and Jake Beesley still command starting berths, at least for now, though the competition does seem to be hotting up in that particular area.

Unfortunately for City, Adam Phillips took a whack to the hip against Notts County and was withdrawn in the first half, but it doesn’t look too bad – and he could feature again this weekend, but perhaps more likely off the bench. That could also be the case for Bobby Pointon who is having another issue with his foot, though Graham Alexander suggested it was a different part of the foot than it has been previously – fingers crossed that isn’t a big problem going forward.

So it’s selection headaches for an apparently sought-after manager, the most welcome headaches a football manager can have. Things are going well – and there’s room for improvement still.

Notts County 0 – 1 Bradford City


Bradford City 1 – 0 Mansfield Town


Prediction:
The pressure is on Jack Wilshere to restore Luton Town to English football’s second tier, particularly after splashing the cash to reinforce an already talented squad. Nahki Wells is keeping the 7-figure Summer signing Callum Connolly out of the first team – for most of the time and for now – and he will no doubt relish the chance to score against the side that very successfully gambled on him all those years ago.

Meanwhile, in the other dugout, Graham Alexander has overachieved by comparison, assembling a more modest-looking squad but getting the most out of them season after season. His success has apparently caught the eye of Preston North End, one of Graham Alexander’s old clubs as a player, but there is just a hint those strong early rumours are dying down a bit. That new should be well received among the Bradford City fanbase, but they might feel like they were due a little more assurance than they got when Alexander first addressed the situation in an interview. Coy was the word, but I’m sure City fans will be right behind Graham should he continue in the Bradford City hotseat.

All focus will surely have been on Luton Town on the training ground this week, the first time City have had a full week’s prep in nearly 3 weeks. This will be a tough trip, and while theoretically Luton Town’s style should suit City, the two sides traded 2-1 home wins last season – and something similar doesn’t seem out of the question here, either.

Luton Town are scoring goals, and their forwards are doing so reliably. That’s not something you can say for City, but it’s also not something that has mattered overly, either. 4 wins from their first 6 league games is stellar stuff, and while there was a mini-blip when the Bantams lost back-to-back games to Plymouth Argyle and Cambridge United, City have shown that reliable resilience that Alexander can take a lot of credit for fomenting.

Like the Notts County game, I do feel this is a tricky tie for City, and I would be lying if I said (at this stage) I expected the Bantams to go on a tear away from home. I think while wins at Hillsborough and Meadow Lane have been fantastic (neither Sheffield Wednesday nor Notts County have lost to anyone else this season), I think Luton Town’s quality might show on Saturday. I can certainly see Nahki Wells adding to his tally of 4, and there are other quality players in the mix for the Hatters too. City will be competitive, as always, but I do feel they have rode their luck a little bit at times, though not necessarily when they have been able to really slow games down to a near-grinding pace – that’s when the Bantams seem least likely to concede.

I will pick a 1-1 draw here, an outcome that would represent City's first stalemate in league competition this season. But again, if City can win here as well, things really are looking good early doors for the Bantams!

Final Score:

Luton Town 1 – 1 Bradford City