The Voice - Match preview #39: Accrington Stanley vs Bradford City Saturday 29th March 2025 12:30pm

EFL League Two Fixture #39
Saturday 29th March 2025 12:30
Accrington Stanley (20th) vs Bradford City (2nd)
Wham Stadium (AKA Crown Ground)

Record:
Games Won: 8
Games Drawn: 5
Games Lost: 8

Last 5:
01 Jan 2019: Bradford City 3 – 0 Accrington Stanley
08 Aug 2023: Accrington Stanley 1 – 1 Bradford City [EFL Cup]
25 Nov 2023: Bradford City 1 – 0 Accrington Stanley
09 Mar 2024: Accrington Stanley 0 – 3 Bradford City
11 Feb 2025: Bradford City 1 – 0 Accrington Stanley

Accrington Stanley:
Just a couple ago, Accrington Stanley thumped 5 past a beleaguered Newport County defence at the Wham Stadium, recording the big result of the season either win or loss in the process. The majority of the goals were nicely worked and expertly taken, a far cry from what one might expect from a side that routinely enjoys just 35-40 % of the possession. No hoofball here.

That said, the Newport County defending was woeful, and the turnover of possession far too high from the Welsh outfit. Accrington Stanley haven’t come close to replicating that result all season, either, and a pair of draws (1-1 vs Gillingham (H) and 0-0 vs Swindon Town (A)) don’t suggest a repeat performance is on the cards here, either. Still, Accrington are on reasonable form, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats from their last 7 outings, a significant improvement on their overall performance this season. Sat in 20th place, Accrington Stanley are 10 points from the drop, and with games running out for both Morecambe and Carlisle United, the chances are Stanley are already safe.

Don’t expect manager John Doolan or his players to ease up, however, as they enjoy their best form since early November and seek to cement their EFL status for another season once and for all.

Top goalscorer Shaun Whalley (8) has been an absentee since 1st March, while Tyler Walton (5) and Ben Woods (5) are chased by Josh Woods (4), Kelsey Mooney (4) and Joseph O’Brien-Whitmarsh (3), the latter of whom, a 19 year old on loan from Southampton, has been on hot form with 3 goals in his last 3 games at the Wham Stadium.

For a side now unbeaten in 3 games on home soil, the ‘Home’ league table does not make for particularly pleasant reading. Sat 22nd in that particular table, Stanley have won just 5 of their 18 home league games this season, drawing a further 8, and losing 5. The only 2 worse performing home sides: Morecambe and Carlisle United, explaining why they are the two sides most threatened by relegation as it stands.

Accrington Stanley do have a slightly better xG than their league position indicates, but not by much. The 18th best-performing side in terms of expected goals, Accrington Stanley sit much higher up the table in terms of xGA, suggesting they are not an easy team to break down. Sat 7th in the xGA table, City fans hoping for an ‘easier’ game may need to remind themselves of back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Gillingham and Tranmere Rovers recently.

Accrington Stanley are in no mood to haemorrhage either goals or points, and a low-scoring game might be the expectation here.

Accrington Stanley 1 – 1 Gillingham


Swindon Town 0 – 0 Accrington Stanley


Bradford City:
Bradford City did it.

In front of a pack out Valley Parade with an attendance of 23,381, City put on a performance worthy of the EFL League Two title. Putting 4 past Danny Cowley’s Colchester United, the Bantams turned to Calum Kavanagh up front and rung the changes with Tyreik Wright also starting much further forward than usual. Whether the man of the match was Richie Smallwood or Tayo Adaramola seemed to be the only point of contention as City swept aside their Essex opponents with braces from both Kavanagh and January recruit George Lapslie.

The game marked the second time in 3 home games that Lapslie had score a pair of goals, and his trademark runs into the penalty area were rewarded once more as City launched countless raids down the wings and left Matt Macey and the U’s backline red-faced at the final whistle.

This was a brilliant response to the thoroughly disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Tranmere Rovers the game prior, a result that ended a run of 10 straight home victories, and which also followed an equally disappointing 1-0 away defeat at Gillingham. One question in particular has been answered, then: how will City respond when their home run is brought to an end? The answer: exceptionally well. This doesn’t, however, answer a much longer-standing question that has dogged City all season: where is this form on the road?

A couple of away wins at Bromley (1-0) and Salford City (2-1) had Bantams fans relishing late winning strikes, but performances simply haven’t matched those that we have seen in recent home games against both Colchester United and Cheltenham Town. While the huff and puff has still been there, the quality hasn’t – and that will have to change as City face down a run of away games in their final 8 matches of the season.

What City can start producing away from home could decide whether it’s automatic promotion or the playoffs for Graham Alexander’s men, with crucial games at Port Vale, Chesterfield and Doncaster Rovers still to play – and that’s not to mention City’s next 2 home games are equally tough-looking on paper (Crewe Alexandra and Notts County).

We should be thankful then that Bradford City sit in such an excellent position. While not necessarily “comfortable”, 2nd place, just 1 point behind stuttering Walsall, and with a 5 point cushion on the playoffs regardless of whether Doncaster Rovers win their game in hand, the Bantams are as well-positioned as many of us will remember for the automatic promotion spots and possibly a league championship.

Most City fans now might accept 2nd or 3rd just to escape the division, but the Bantams can perform like they did last Saturday in the majority of their remaining league games, lifting the trophy at the end of the season is a realistic potentiality. Again, though, that ambition hinges on away form that remains, frankly, bang average.

Bradford City 4 – 1 Colchester United


Bradford City 0 – 1 Tranmere Rovers


Prediction:
Accrington Stanley have proven capable of seizing upon opposition mistakes and punishing them of late, so Bradford City’s back line will have to mind their P’s and Q’s in this particular encounter. A skilful side who rely on rapid breaks, needless errors must be kept to a minimum if City’s quality is to shine through.

On that note, the return of Bobby Pointon and Alex Pattison in the 4-1 hammering of Colchester United at the weekend will have buoyed the fanbase yet further. Two of the influential midfield three (alongside the still-injured Antoni Sarcevic) that have been missing in recent weeks came off the bench, with Pointon grabbing an unofficial assist for Lapslie’s second.

Will the feel good factor follow City over the Lancashire border this Saturday? That remains the question, with City’s away form still not at a particularly high level. Just 4 goals in their last 6 games on the road account for 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, showing that when City do win, they tend to be at their most efficient. 0-0’s and 1-0’s have been the order of the day win, lose or draw, aside from an anomalous 2-1 victory over Salford City that saw the Bantams grab a winner in 90+4.

There’s little reason to think this will be any different. 0-0 or 1-0 either way is the most likely outcome, though the pick will be a 1-1 draw that leaves the Bantams just slightly shy of top spot and with just a little bit more pressure on their shoulders than at the start of the game.

Let’s hope for another rousing performance and crushing victory, however.

Final Score:
Accrington Stanley 1 – 1 Bradford City