The Voice - Match preview #25: Bradford City vs Rotherham United Saturday 10th January 2026 3:00pm POSTPONED

EFL League One Fixture #25
Saturday 10th January 2026 15:00
Bradford City (3rd) vs Rotherham United (22nd)
University of Bradford Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 29
Games Drawn: 14
Games Lost: 38

Last 5:
07 Nov 2017: Bradford City 0 – 3 Rotherham United [EFL Trophy]
23 Jan 2018: Rotherham United 2 – 0 Bradford City
19 Nov 2024: Bradford City 0 – 1 Rotherham United [EFL Trophy]
04 Feb 2025: Rotherham United 0 – 1 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]
02 Oct 2025: Rotherham United 2 – 2 Bradford City

Rotherham United:
Rotherham United’s season has been one of prolonged stretches of form, both good and bad. Despite winning their opening day fixture against (now relegation rivals) Port Vale 2-1, the Millers managed to win just 2 of their opening 10 league fixtures. They then achieved a turnaround in form that began, somewhat ominously, by collecting a point in a 2-2 draw against Bradford City on October 2nd, and Matt Hamshaw’s Rotherham would then embark on a 9-game unbeaten run. That particular period of positivity stuttered to a halt with a run of 3 straight draws, before their form fell off once again. Six straight defeats bring us up to date, with Rotherham United sitting in 22nd place in the League One table with a very definite relegation battle on their hands.

Now 4 points from safety after the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool hauled themselves out of the doldrums, The Millers must now try to chase down Leyton Orient in 20th place, while battling against local rivals Doncaster Rovers (23rd) and Burton Albion (21st) to stave off the drop. Rotherham will also be looking over their shoulders for a possible recovery from bottom side Port Vale – though the Vale Park outfit find themselves 5 points adrift of Doncaster, albeit with a game in hand.

The joint second-lowest scorers in the division, Rotherham United’s lack of potency in front of goal has been at a season-long low of late, the Millers managing just 4 goals in their last 9 league outings – underlining why they’ve managed to acquire just 3 points since November 15th. One man that can’t be blamed for Rotherham’s dire form, however, is the unfortunate Sam Nombe. Nombe, who set the Millers back a cool £1 million in 2023, has netted 5 times in the league this season (including both Rotherham’s most recent 2 goals), despite making just 4 starts and 5 substitute appearances. The injury hampered forward should be available on Saturday, however, if he has recovered from a hamstring/quad injury as Hamshaw expects (and hopes). His return would be invaluable to the Millers, being the club’s top scorer despite such limited game time. Denzel Hall (3), Jordan Hugill (2), Martin Sherif (2), Kian Spence (2) and Josh Benson (2) are the only other Rotherham players to have scored more than 1 league goal this campaign.

With the January transfer window open, there is also scope for new signings between now and then. Sheffield United forward Ryan One has been strongly linked with a loan move by local media, but no deal has yet been completed. With pressure mounting on Hamshaw, though, there might be proponents in the Rotherham United camp intent on a ‘wait and see’ approach before bringing in any major captures. Defeat at Bradford City could theoretically be Hamshaw’s last in charge of the Millers, though it’s worth noting the vote of confidence Hamshaw received from COO Paul Douglas this week. Pointing to a number of injuries to key players, Douglas suggested he believed Hamshaw could still do a decent job with competition for places and players back from injury; but also admitted that at some point there would be a ‘time of reckoning, as there is with any manager’. While Douglas’ preference would be to judge Hamshaw’s overall season in May, a 7th straight defeat would be hard for any authority figure to shy away from.

Rotherham United 0 – 2 Peterborough United


Blackpool 4 – 0 Rotherham United


Bradford City:
At one point, the prospect of a side coming to Valley Parade after 6 straight defeats would have had the cynics among the City fanbase decrying certain defeat, but City don’t seem to be the same generous outfit they once were – especially at home. That’s not to say this is a guaranteed win, far from it. The prospect of Rotherham United being able to field their elusive key striker Sam Nombe is food for thought, as is the fact City failed to beat the Millers at the AESSEAL Stadium earlier this season on the back of another poor run, but City have hit differently at Valley Parade once again this season.

Rarely giving any side a genuine ‘shoeing’, City have nonetheless managed to consistently pick up wins and cause opponents genuine problems on their home patch. Exeter City, Reading, Wigan Athletic and Port Vale represent a varied set of opponents across City’s last 4 home league games, and the Bantams saw off each side with a (narrow) victory.

Away from home, City haven’t looked the same side, but there is a big positive in that the Bantams haven’t lost more than a game at a time in the league this season. Mansfield Town may have humbled Graham Alexander’s men in an all-too-comfortable 3-0 win at Field Mill, but even with a tough trip to Blackpool to follow, City ensured they didn’t suffer back-to-back league defeats, picking up a hard-fought 2-1 win. Ashley Fletcher got his customary goal continuing his fine season from a personal standpoint, but excellent finishes from Aden Baldwin (for his first City goal, no less) and Will Swan ensured the Bantams returned to West Yorkshire with maximum points.

Now back at home, City will be expected to extend their 4-match winning run at Valley Parade with another game over another struggling side who might put up more of a fight than one might think.

No problem. City are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with any hard-working, highly-motivated side in League One this season, and so it has proven. Currently 3rd in the ‘Home’ league table but with a higher points-per-game rate than 2nd place Lincoln City, only Cardiff City can boast a legitimately superior home league record. Factor in, also, that all of Cardiff, Lincoln and Bradford City feature in the top 5 of the ‘Away’ league table, and it feels like there’s good reason they are part of a breakaway top 3.

Exciting times.

Now with the January transfer window upon us, it’s time to see which sides can put together a seriously successful period. City have seen Alex Pattison depart for League Two promotion hopefuls Walsall on a permanent transfer, while bringing in Louie Sibley from Oxford United on loan until the end of the season. It feels like there will be more movement, too, although Alexander is bound to be tight-lipped on the specifics. So far, so good, though, as despite Pattison’s obvious quality, injuries have dogged the former Harrogate Town man since he joined the club. Best wishes go to him, and of course newcomer Sibley.

Blackpool 1 – 2 Bradford City


Mansfield Town 3 – 0 Bradford City


Prediction:
Will Swan’s 17-game dry spell came to an end with a decisive second goal for the Bantams at Blackpool, hopefully heralding a return to form for the former Crawley Town and Mansfield Town man. His goal was still more expected than that of Aden Baldwin, however, who rifled into the roof of the net as though he was a seasoned goalscorer! Despite the finality of his finish, Baldwin hadn’t scored since 9th December 2023, when he netted for Notts County in a losing effort at home to Walsall – but it sure didn’t look like it last Sunday afternoon.

Given that competition for places has been key to City’s success overall this season, especially when injuries have bitten, to have both Swan and Humphries on the scoresheet already in 2026 is great news. Rotherham United will wish they could say the same, but for the Millers, injuries have really got on top of them and hampered Matt Hamshaw’s plans. Having suffered double figures-worth of injuries at points this campaign, Rotherham fans will hope the return of Sam Nombe can usher in another more successful spell, something akin to the run across all of October and November – that started with a 2-2 draw at home to Bradford City.

Thus far, City have played just one of their League One rivals twice, and history repeated itself as the Bantams secured a league double over Blackpool; they will be hoping for a different outcome this weekend, however, and will feel confident in racking up a 5th straight home league win. One of the lowest performing sides in terms of xG (21st), xGA (21st), goals scored (23rd) and goals against (19th), Rotherham can at least say they matched City on home soil, and with one of the division’s lowest possession ratings, find themselves among several other sides that have taken at least a point off City this season (Mansfield Town, Burton Albion, Stevenage, Northampton Town, Rotherham United and Lincoln City are all in the bottom 7 for possession and all got at least a draw against City). Only Wigan Athletic among the bottom 7 for possession have lost to the Bantams this season, indicating a legitimate weakness.

It feels like it could be a long slog, made even more difficult if Rotherham United do indeed have their often-injured star striker back available for selection. The pick will be a conservative one: 2-1 to City, as they continue to churn out results and keep up the pressure on their rivals at the top of the table.

Final Score:
Bradford City 2 – 1 Rotherham United