The Voice - Match preview #25: Carlisle United vs Bradford City Saturday 18th January 2025 12:30pm

EFL League Two Fixture #25
Saturday 18th January 2025 12:30
Carlisle United (24th) vs Bradford City (8th)
Brunton Park

Record:
Games Won: 24
Games Drawn: 15
Games Lost: 22

Last 5:
26 Dec 2022: Carlisle United 1 – 0 Bradford City
21 Mar 2023: Bradford City 0 – 0 Carlisle United
13 May 2023: Bradford City 1 – 0 Carlisle United
20 May 2023: Carlisle United 3 – 1 Bradford City
07 Sep 2024: Bradford City 2 – 1 Carlisle United

Carlisle United:
It’s not that Carlisle United are a bogey team for Bradford City, exactly… it’s just that Brunton Park is a ground Bradford City haven’t won at since 1985, and where the Bantams have picked up just 1 point from a possible 18, have seen an elimination in the League Two Play Off semi-finals, and exited both the League Cup and EFL Trophy during that same period. A total absence of success at Carlisle’s home ground, though, has not prevented yet another sell out, and this time surely Bradford City are the favourites.

Carlisle United, under Mike Williamson, have seen only a marginal improvement after a disastrous start to the season. 13 defeats from their first 17 games across all competitions is eye-wateringly bad. Hopeless in the league, out of every cup competition going at the very first hurdle and hurtling towards a second straight 24th place finish that would see them out of the EFL for the first time since 2004/05, things could scarcely look more bleak for the Cumbrians.

Williamson, however, appointed on September 19 2024, has at least offered up a few rays of hope. The former MK Dons manager, whose tenure at Stadium: MK was short lived after being plucked from non-league obscurity at Gateshead, steered his club to a run of just 1 defeat in 8 games throughout November and most of December. Caveat that, however, with the fact that improved run of form contributed just 1 league victory, and it’s still not much to write home about. That Carlisle United have now lost 4 of their last 6 league games, and survival is clearly still looking problematic. 7 points from safety, unable to keep up even with Morecambe, and Carlisle United are in deep, deep trouble.

That the club have yet to reach the 20 goal mark across 24 league games is a dire sign. A recent 1-0 defeat in a true relegation 6-pointer against Tranmere Rovers is an even worse omen. But that said, Carlisle United’s owners aren’t giving up quite yet. The arrival of the January transfer window has ushered in a wave of new signings. Whether that amounts to anything more than desperation remains to be seen – one thing is for sure, the likes of Will Patching (Derry City), Elliot Embleton (Blackpool), Callum Whelan (Gateshead), Cedwyn Scott (Notts County), Paul Dummett (Wigan Athletic) and Stephen Wearne (MK Dons) have no time to waste if they are to contribute to Carlisle’s ‘Great Escape’. Sean Fusire also joins the recovery drive on loan from Sheffield Wednesday.

How many of those players might start against Bradford City remains to be seen. Embleton did start in the defeat at Tranmere Rovers, though many of the others have been brought in since then. One thing is for sure, they have their work cut out for them.

Carlisle United have only one player among their ranks who has contributed more than 2 goals this season: Luke Armstrong, who has managed 3 in all competitions. Incoming forward Cedwyn Scott hadn’t bagged any league goals at all for Notts County this term despite 10 appearances, while former Bantam Charlie Wyke was ruled out for the season back in late October with a serious ankle injury. Fan favourite Jon Mellish has now departed, and he was one of 6 players to have nabbed 2 goals this term.

All of that should make for good reading for Bradford City fans – but shaking off the Brunton Park hoodoo might be easier said than done, and the more recent shoots of recovery and influx of players could add a spanner to the works. Much will depend on how deeply ingrained the culture of failure already is at a club facing down a second straight relegation – one where they are, again, not even close to safety.

Tranmere Rovers 1 – 0 Carlisle United


Crewe Alexandra 3 – 2 Carlisle United


Bradford City:
Bradford City continued their winning ways in their EFL Trophy campaign, breezing past an overmatched Aston Villa U21’s side 3-1 at Villa Park. Aside from a few bright passages of pacy attacking play, the young Villains looked uncomfortable throughout their learning experience against a near-full strength City. Graham Alexander seems extremely keen to compete in the Trophy once again, but what will matter far more to Bradford City fans is getting out of League Two.

Callum Johnson not only managed 45 minutes for the side he signed with in the Summer, but he also bagged his first goal for the club! Jack Shepherd and Calum Kavanagh also contributed, with new loan signings Michael Mellon, George Lapslie and Tommy Leigh all cup tied. That will not be the case this Saturday afternoon, as all 3 likely push for a start, but Graham Alexander may prefer to reward his existing players that have won their last 4 home league games on the bounce. That said, City’s away record remains sketchy at best, with a demoralising 3-0 defeat at Notts County followed by a disappointing 2-2 draw at Barrow. In fact, for an away win, one has to go all the way back to October 12, when City beat strugglers Tranmere Rovers 2-0 at Prenton Park. Prior to that, City’s only other away league win came on the opening game of the season against MK Dons… in other words, take nothing for granted with this fixture.

One major positive has been City’s ability to pick things up in terms of goalscoring despite an injury to crucial star striker Andy Cook. City have scored 8 goals in 3 games since Cook hobbled off injured in the 6th minute at Barrow, with Lewis Richards the top scorer during that short spell with 2 goals.

Now seemingly sharing the goals out across the team and buoyed perhaps by the return to fitness of midfielders Alex Pattison and Antoni Sarcevic, Bradford City will be hungry for more. Whether Michael Mellon or Tommy Leigh start at Carlisle or are introduced from the bench, both will be hungry to make their mark early. George Lapslie, perhaps the most settled of the trio, is a player renowned for making late bursts into the opposition penalty area and has himself had a decent goalscoring record at times. That’s more firepower added to a squad that, for far too long, were reliant on one single player for the majority of their output.

Graham Alexander’s men have adapted well – but it’s still early days since losing a talismanic player.

Bradford City 3 – 1 Grimsby Town


Barrow 2 – 2 Bradford City


Prediction:
Carlisle United have been hopeless this season. Isolate Bradford City’s away record, though, and things aren’t much better. The Bantams are, of course, having a far, far better season than the Cumbrians, but almost all of that success has been predicated at Valley Parade. Runaway leaders Walsall aside, nobody in League Two has been better than Bradford City in the ‘Home’ league table. ‘Away’, though, and City have recorded just 2 wins. A full 5 draws and 5 defeats mean they sit 15th in this respective table, just 3 points off the worst-performing travellers in the EFL League Two, Tranmere Rovers.

While this Bradford City side beating Carlisle United seems like almost a no-brainer, Graham Alexander’s men simply haven’t been good enough on the road – and that makes a win at a bogey ground less likely than one might assume.

Add in that the January transfer window has seen Carlisle United frantically reinforcing their numbers, and we have a further wildcard to add to what might look like – at a glance – a foregone conclusion. Both teams will have decisions to make on how best to bolster their misfiring sides, although again, for City, that only applies to their performance away from Valley Parade.

So what will the prediction be here?

Well Carlisle United had shown improvements even before the January influx. A 3-2 defeat to Crewe Alexandra saw promotion-chasing Crewe net twice in injury team to steal a win, while before that Carlisle racked up a vital 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley at home. Before that, neither Crewe nor Doncaster were able to win at Prunton Park, showing there was still some steel left. All four performances evidenced that Mike Williamson’s men haven’t given up yet, but it was that defeat at Tranmere – that hammer blow to the Cumbrians’ survival hopes – that seems most pertinent. How can Williamson pick his men up after that and face down an (at last!) full strength Bradford City side, even one that travels so poorly?

I don’t think he can, much less when so many potentially have to fit into his plans at such short notice. The pick will be a 3-0 win for Bradford City, and an end to the misery in Cumbria - and on the road.

Final Score:
Carlisle United 0 – 3 Bradford City