The Voice - Match preview #14: Bradford City vs Lincoln City Tuesday 28th October 2025 7:45pm

EFL League One Fixture #14
Tuesday 28th October 19:45
Bradford City (4th) vs Lincoln City (6th)
University of Bradford Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 33
Games Drawn: 22
Games Lost: 29

Last 5:
23 Jan 2010: Lincoln City 2 – 1 Bradford City
01 Jan 2011: Lincoln City 1 – 2 Bradford City
01 Feb 2011: Bradford City 1 – 2 Lincoln City
15 Sep 2020: Bradford City 0 – 5 Lincoln City [EFL Cup]
31 Aug 2021: Bradford City 0 – 3 Lincoln City [EFL Trophy]

Lincoln City:
6th place Lincoln City come into another top of the table clash against 4th place Bradford City with 3 players ruled out. Jack Moylan, Dom Jefferies and Adam Jackson have all been discounted as part of manager Michael Skubala’s most recent update, but there was better news for Adam Reach – a former City loanee from his Sheffield Wednesday days – who could be in line to return at left back after rolling his ankle in training late last week. Ryley Towler, deputising in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Leyton Orient, will hope to keep his place ahead of the 32 year old, but it seems Reach – signed from Wycombe Wanderers on a free transfer in the Summer – is the preferred option.

At centre back, Sonny Bradley and Tom Hamer will make for an imposing partnership. 6’5 Bradley, like Reach, played at Wycombe Wanderers for part of last season having signed on loan from Derby County, and the pair have brought their considerable experience to bear at the LNER Stadium so far this season. Tendayi Darikwa is an ever present at right back. In midfield, Conor McGrandles and Tom Bayliss have missed just 1 game between them with the latter being an ever present so far, while in attack the quartet of Freddy Draper, Ben House, Reeco Hackett and Rob Street have all started at least 10 games each – as has veteran forward and top scorer James Collins, though he found himself on the bench last time out.

Lincoln City do have a decent squad to draw upon, and 21 year old Ukrainian Ivan Varfolomieiev was one that the stattos behind the scenes identified during the Summer, the Imps eventually parting with an undisclosed fee for his services, but he has been limited to just 1 league start so far as he beds in. Francis Okoronkwo, a forward on loan from Everton, has played the exact same number of league games with again just 1 start and 6 substitute appearances, while Justin Obikwu has done well to bag a pair of league goals so far this season despite having made zero starts and 5 sub appearances.

All in all, things have been fairly consistent for Lincoln City in terms of personnel, and indeed results. Both the 5th best ‘Home’ side and the 5th best ‘Away’ side, Lincoln City are no pushovers wherever they play. Indeed, in Lincoln City’s last home game they bested Stevenage 1-0, although they have lost games either side of that with defeat at home to Exeter City and away at Leyton Orient, both by that same scoreline: 1-0.

Goals have been few and far between when Lincoln City have travelled, and to their credit they have the second best away defensive record having shipped just 4 goals. Having scored 6 going forward, Lincoln have perhaps overachieved especially based against an xG metric that is, frankly, underwhelming.

Sat 20th in the xG table, Lincoln City are attacking achievers this campaign, with the joint second highest “xG vs Actual” stat in the division – their +0.24 matched by Bradford City, and beaten only by Stevenage. It’s a stat that, while impressive for Lincoln, is even more so for the Bantams considering they already have an xG of 1.53 compared to Lincoln’s 1.14. Put simply, Bradford City are averaging close to 2 goals per game (1.77), while Lincoln are, in reality, closer to a goal a game (1.38). An excellent defensive record, again the 2nd best in the division overall, has kept Lincoln City in the promotion hunt, and they could go as high as 2nd in the League One table should they beat the Bantams on Tuesday night. They will fancy it, for sure, but getting that victory seems like it might be heavily reliant on shutting out the most potent attacking force in the division. Not an easy task by any stretch!

Leyton Orient 1 – 0 Stevenage


Lincoln City 1 – 0 Stevenage


Bradford City:
Injuries have really started to take their toll on Graham Alexander’s Bradford City, and yet remarkably the Bantams remain the best attacking side in the division, as well as the side with most league losses – only Doncaster Rovers have turned City over this season. After 3 draws in a row, though, it almost feels like Alexander’s accusations that the ‘levels are dropping’ is a bit unfair. With all of Aden Baldwin, Stephen Humphrys, Alex Pattison, Matthew Pennington, Bobby Pointon, Nick Powell, Antoni Sarcevic and Curtis Tilt unavailable for selection, and with both Lewis Richards and Andy Cook being slowly introduced after long-term absences, it was left to the likes of Joe Wright, Ciaran Kelly and Neill Byrne to provide cover at the back, while Calum Kavanagh – himself an absentee until recently – played up front alongside Tyreik Wright and Will Swan.

Without being too disparaging to any of those 6 players, all of whom battled well in an extremely credible draw at Stevenage, with City becoming the first side to hold their own in terms of outcomes, it remains unlikely many City fans will have earmarked them in their first choice first XI. Football, however, is a game that rarely cares for an individual’s ideals, especially a manager’s – so perhaps it’s only right that Alexander demands the same intensity from a team drawn largely from squad players.

Bobby Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic’s absences were particularly unfortunate, the pair being the club’s joint top league scorers having collected double figures’ worth of goals between them, while Humphrys had just started to threaten to show better form after scoring in back-to-back games. Will Swan, the club’s third highest scorer with 4, has now gone 6 games without a goal perhaps indicating a regular starting berth has brought a pressure of its own having been in and out of the starting lineup during his most potent spell so far this campaign.

In truth, the starting XI that came away from the Lamex with a rare point had scored just 8 goals between them – shared out among just 3 different players. Swan, Neufville and Joe Wright where the only players to have opened their league accounts this season, and in truth it showed. Neill Byrne’s 3rd minute deflected effort was 1 of only 3 total efforts on goal in a highly competitive but ultimately middling quality affair that neither team truly deserved to win.

But, few will complain heading back to Valley Parade to face Lincoln City on Tuesday evening, especially if one or two faces are back in contention. Antoni Sarcevic and Stephen Humphrys were ruled out on Saturday but could be back in contention according to Graham Alexander, while Bobby Pointon was quoted as having been back in light training last week. Key centre back Matthew Pennington was a question mark for Saturday but could be more likely for Tuesday night. Any of the injured quartet returning to fitness would be a welcome boon for a threadbare Bantams squad still waiting for multiple players to return to 100 %.

Stevenage 1 – 1 Bradford City


Bradford City 2 – 2 Barnsley


Prediction:
The question of whether City’s current all-action, high pressure, rather intense style is taking its toll on the squad might need to be examined in the future, but for now things are going rather well. 3 draws in a row has hardly taken the gloss off a fantastic start, and while City briefly flirted with top spot before falling to 4th in a tight leading pack, the Bantams remain in touching distance of new league leaders Stockport County, who thrashed Port Vale 3-0 tonight.

This is an excellent achievement no matter how one looks at it, but whether or not it’s sustainable will perhaps depend on the availability of key players who have made City the toughest side in League One to beat, as well as the division’s top scorers. Few clubs throughout English football could afford as many key absentees as has beset the Bantams as late, and Graham Alexander has handled the situation remarkably well.

That could come to an end on Tuesday night, however, against a side with a good away record, one of the meanest defences in the division, and whom have been able to enjoy a remarkable level of consistency in their own team selection.

For whatever reason, whether it’s the style of play or the age of this City squad (consistently the oldest in the division in terms of starting XI’s), players have been dropping like flies, and it is starting to feel unsustainable. Wins have become draws, and while City haven’t played badly in any of those draws and even had credible claims to say they should have won against Rotherham United and maybe even Barnsley, the fact is they didn’t. Plenty will fire back “but we don’t lose at home”, and as true as that has been in recent years, the Bantams will need players like Sarcevic, Humphrys and Pointon back if they’re to maintain their early season promotion push in the immediate future. The City defence has kept just 1 clean sheet this season, and that feels to be a product of a conveyor belt of injuries to their first choice centre backs. Couple that with absentees up front, and it’s only natural to conclude City’s goalscoring prowess will be likewise blunted if the situation doesn’t improve.

Sadly, the pick will be a rare home defeat – the first of the season – as Graham Alexander is forced to wait for reinforcements at both ends of the pitch.

Final Score:
Bradford City 0 – 1 Lincoln City