The Voice - Match preview #4: Stockport County vs Bradford City Tuesday 19th August 7:45pm

EFL League One Fixture #4
Tuesday 19th August 2025 19:45
Stockport County (4th) vs Bradford City (6th)
Edgeley Park

Record:
Games Won: 37
Games Drawn: 30
Games Lost: 50

Last 5:
08 Oct 2022: Bradford City 0 – 1 Stockport County
24 Jan 2023: Stockport County 0 – 0 Bradford City
15 Aug 2023: Stockport County 1 – 1 Bradford City
29 Dec 2023: Bradford City 0 – 0 Stockport County
10 Dec 2024: Stockport County 2 – 3 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]

Stockport County:
Stockport County’s season had got off to a perfect start prior to Saturday afternoon’s away trip to Leyton Orient, with league wins over Bolton Wanderers (2-0, H) and Wycombe Wanderers (2-1, A), as well as a 3-1 triumph at Edgeley Park over League Two hopefuls Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Cup (3-1, H). During the course of these three successive victories, Stockport County scored 7, conceding just 2, an undoubtedly impressive return.

Forward Kyle Wootton has made a blistering start to the campaign netting in all 3 victories, with supporting goals from Jamaican international Malik Mothersille, a £900,000 summer signing from League One rivals Peterborough United, as well as winger Jack Diamond, highly sought after striker Nathan Lowe, and Lewis Fiorini. At Leyton Orient, things seemed to be trending in the same direction, with Nathan Lowe opening the scoring after being brought on for injured Callum Camps after just 17 minutes (goal came in the 29th minute), before Joseph Olowu doubled the advantage after 36 minutes. What happened thereafter had manager Dave Challinor fuming, to put it lightly.

Challinor lambasted his troops for “giving up at half time”, telling some of the players that they might be “at the wrong club under the wrong manager”. Aaron Connolly halved the deficit for Orient, before a late, late equaliser from Ollie O’Neill in the 90+6th minute left the coaching staff red faced with a combination of embarrassment and fury. Challinor would further deride some of his players’ “negative attitudes”, suggesting that may have held them back from playing at a higher level.

The question now is, after one slip up, was Challinor’s reaction too strong? How will his players react in their next game, coming up on Tuesday night against in-form divisional newcomers Bradford City? And who will Challinor select?

Surely Challinor must give prolific hitman Nathan Lowe his first start for the club after the 6’4 teenage loanee hit 2 goals in his past 2 sub appearances – but who else makes the cut remains to be seen, as well as how the players respond to Challinor’s rage. Then there’s the small matter of ‘the law of the ex’ with influential Bradford City players Ibou Touray and Antoni Sarcevic returning to Edgeley Park for the first time since both left on free transfers. They surely will have added incentive to perform under the floodlights and show their old gaffer what he’s missing.

That said, if Stockport County’s players do take their tongue-lashing the right way, there’s no question of the quality at their disposal. A squad studded with players who stood out as some of the best players in League Two (Corey Addai, Owen Moxon, Nathan Lowe, Jack Diamond and Kyle Wootton will all be known quantities to Bradford City fans), Stockport County have also shown they can invest large sums, such as with young Mothersille, a 21 year old for whom the Hatters smashed their club transfer record. Other key players include the vastly experienced midfielder Oliver Norwood, defender Callum Connolly, and County youth product Ethan Pye in defence.

There’s a lot of ability there, and it’s obviously not lost on Challinor who has set his sights very high.

Leyton Orient 2 – 2 Stockport County


Wycombe Wanderers 1 – 2 Stockport County


Bradford City:
Luton Town always looked a monstrously tough tie on paper – but in reality, The Hatters (fun fact: the first of two consecutive “Hatters” sides to face the Bantams) seemed overmatched from the first minute. It wasn’t that Luton Town didn’t have their moments, they did, but the die was cast early on when manager Matt Bloomfield withdrew £1.5 million midfielder Millenic Alli after Ibou Touray consistently got the better of him, and two poor challenges in a row could have seen Alli given his marching orders. Better safe than sorry, thought Bloomfield, and full credit must go to the marauding left wing trio of Touray, Pointon and Tilt for causing so many issues early on and forcing Bloomfield’s hand.

Luton Town likewise had no answer for Stephen Humphrys, who opened his City account after hitting the post earlier on, the former Barnsley striker benefiting from some savvy veteran smarts from Sarcevic. Sarc picked Mark McGuinness’ pocket after the defender appeared to lose interest in a ball destined for the dead ball line, only for Sarc to emerge, ball at his feet, before rolling it to Humphrys for the easiest of finishes. Bobby Pointon then continued his fantastic start to life as a League One player with his second goal of the season, sweeping home a pinpoint cross from wingback Josh Neufville, a player who like Touray looks an extremely astute signing.

Substitute Gideon Kodua powered home a good header with 4 minutes of normal time remaining, but Luton (minus Nahki Wells, of course) couldn’t muster enough to restore parity despite a succession of changes – and in truth, they could have been even further behind had Josh Keeley not made an excellent save to deny substitute Tyreik Wright one-on-one. Home form continues to be immensely impressive, then, for Graham Alexander’s side, but the fact they now head back out onto the road and what that could mean should be lost on nobody.

An excellent 2-1 away win over Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup could signal a sea change for the Bantams on the road, but City fans will want to see it replicated more regularly in league action with points on the line. Heading to Edgeley Park on a Tuesday night brimming with confidence and optimism, City could produce a defining performance (for better or worse) that signals the shape of things to come. The away day blues will either lift, or City fans could find that the pattern exists for a reason. In a couple of days’ time, we’ll find out for sure.

Until then, it’s a very exciting time to be a Bradford City fan with regular impressive wins over high quality opposition.

Bradford City 2 – 1 Luton Town


Northampton Town 0 - 0 Bradford City


Prediction:
Perhaps part of the reason for Challinor’s fury has been Stockport County’s propensity to leak goals late on in games after making an often-times blistering start. Sound familiar Bantams fans? Both clubs have started the season in a similar vain in that regard, with the 2-1 home win over Luton Town being yet another example of City netting in the first half, this time doubling their lead early in the second, only to concede a late consolation. It didn’t cost Bradford City this time, as it didn’t against either Blackburn Rovers or Wycombe Wanderers, but the tone seems to have been set.

It's perhaps less a case of Bradford City taking their foot off the gas altogether, and more a story of quality shining through a little too late for some of their illustrious opponents in what has been, in truth, a powerhouse lineup in the Bantams’ opening fixtures. Only Northampton Town have managed to thwart City, and they were almost certainly the least fancied to do so, no disrespect intended. Whether Northampton Town were boosted by Bradford City’s poor away record in league campaigns under Graham Alexander, or whether they were the first team who refused to underestimate City, either way the Cobblers got a valuable point in a dour 0-0.

That said, Stockport County, given Challinor’s current disposition, won’t be looking for a ‘valuable’ point on home soil, and that might just play into City’s hands…

If Stockport County are intent on attacking City, they will need to find a way of navigating a well-cultivated high press, and seemingly boundless energy from a very well-organised Bradford City side. Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town both proved incapable of playing under such pressure, melting in front of a bouncing Valley Parade. Then again, that’s another intangible that won’t be present at Edgeley Park. For as good as City’s fantastic away support is, nothing in League One can beat playing in front of 20,000+ fans and delivering performances and results, and perhaps that’s one small reason for the disparity in home and away performances. It was Jekyll and Hyde last season; Graham Alexander will be hoping it isn’t the same this campaign, and in truth, there’s no real reason to expect that it will be.

All that said, two good sides will meet on Tuesday night and neither will be expected to give an inch. Stockport County have a very good team, but Bradford City’s has real balance, an excellent shape, and everyone appears thoroughly versed in their duties. The pick will be a scintillating 3-2 win for City, and hopefully a game to savour. Both sides will look to explode from the traps early, and that could see a handful of goals in the opening half, before settling into a battle of attrition in the second half. Based on what both managers are saying at present, I’d say Bradford City are probably best placed to win that attritional phase and thus deliver a huge victory.

Here's hoping.

Final Score:

Stockport County 2 – 3 Bradford City