The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Accrington Stanley Saturday 25th November @ 3:00pm

EFL LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE #19

Saturday 25th November 2023 15:00
Bradford City (19th) vs Accrington Stanley (7th)
University of Bradford Stadium (AKA Valley Parade)

23/24 Result:

08 Aug 2023: Accrington Stanley 1 – 1 Bradford City [EFL Cup]

Head-to-Head Form: DWLLL (most recent first)

Won: 4
Drawn: 6
Lost: 8

Current League Form:

Bradford City: LLLLD
Walsall: WLLWW

ACCRINGTON STANLEY

A 2-0 victory over Wrexham ended a two-game losing streak in league competition and saw Accrington settling into the final play-off position ahead of game week #19. That’s a creditable effort for an Accrington Stanley side that were relegated from League One last season in 23rd place. A run of 5 straight wins in October included 4 league victories over the likes of Forest Green Rovers, Grimsby Town, MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon, with defeats to Colchester United and Crawley Town sandwiched in between the triumph over Ryan Reynolds’ much-hyped Welsh side.

So far, so good then for John Coleman’s men, who had to overcome a miserable September that bagged them just 3 points from a possible 15. After a slew of recent cup games that have seen them qualify for the knock out stages of the EFL Trophy (despite a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest U21’s on Tuesday night) and eliminated from the FA Cup by League Two rivals Doncaster Rovers after a replay and extra time, Accrington Stanley now travel to Bradford City to face them for the first time in the league this season – but the second time overall having been knocked out in the first round of the EFL Cup by the Bantams on penalties following a 1-1 home draw.

While Accrington’s overall recent form has seen them pick up 1 win, 2 draws and 3 defeats, Stanley’s bread-and-butter league performances have generally been pretty good. Even in defeat to Colchester United and Crawley Town, Stanley had most of the possession and the greater number of chances. Possession isn’t something Coleman’s men rely on for the sake of it, however, and Accrington have ceded the majority of play several times this season – most recently against Wrexham, MK Dons, Grimsby Town and Forest Green Rovers – yet they were able to defeat all of those teams.

We can expect an adaptable strategy, then, when Stanley head to Valley Parade on Saturday afternoon.

Boasting better-than-average stats in terms of goals scored (27 scored, 8th best) and goals conceded (24 conceded, 8th best), Coleman’s Accrington are nothing if not competitive. A side that shares goals out among several scorers including Josh Andrews and Tommy Leigh (5 each), Jack Noland and Shaun Whalley (4 each), Joe Prichard (3), and Rosarie Longelo and Sean McConville (2 each), the Lancashire outfit have turned increasingly to Korede Adedoyin as sole striker ahead of joint top scorer Josh Andrews lately.

Adedoyin might be remembered by Bantams fans for that penalty earlier in the campaign, but the former Sheffield Wednesday man has since scored a hat trick in an EFL Trophy game against Harrogate Town, and netted again on Tuesday night against Nottingham Forest U21’s in the same competition. In the league, though, it has been slimmer pickings, and it might not be a surprise to see Birmingham City loanee Josh Andrews restored to the starting XI at Valley Parade.

That line up could also feature former Bradford City players Kelvin Mellor and Omari Patrick, though with Coleman’s tendency to tinker, little is certain.

Speaking of John Coleman, the bookies have installed the long-time Accrington Stanley chief as the 5/4 favourite to replace Derek Adams at Morecambe, though Bradford City fans will know exactly how much stock to place in such odds after a drawn-out recruitment process of their own that ultimately led to Graham Alexander being placed in charge.



Accrington Stanley 2 - 0 Wrexham

BRADFORD CITY

Having conceded 12 goals in their last 4 league outings, Graham Alexander must work quickly to address an unfamiliar problem for Bradford City. Their newly leaky defence has been hit for 4 twice since the partnership of Sam Stubbs and Ash Taylor has been pieced together, leaving many fans asking for change. They got it on Tuesday night as Matty Platt stepped in for the out-of-form Sam Stubbs, with Ciaran Kelly also stepping in to form a back 3.

Bradford City ran out surprising 5-1 winners against fellow group qualifiers in the form of League One Barnsley, whose fans were positively apoplectic in witnessing their chosen XI ripped to shreds time and again. A very youthful back line will likely get the flack for that scoreline, but for Bantams fans it was nice to see their team hitting the target with such regularity!

Matty Platt, Andy Cook, Tyler Smith, Lewis Richards and ex-Barnsley man Clark Oduor all helped themselves to a goal apiece, while Brad Halliday and Harry Chapman also took plaudits for decent performances. A team that, on paper, appears to have a decent balance to it, could this be the starting XI that faces off against John Coleman’s men (or former men, if the bookies are correct) this Saturday afternoon?

If so, players like Bobby Pointon, Jamie Walker and Adam Wilson will provide a very solid offering from the bench, with Vadaine Oliver making his long-awaited return to action in addition. Alex Gilliead, Sam Stubbs and Harry Lewis (likely to be restored to the starting XI) round out probably the best line up of substitutes in many a season.

Reasons to be positive, then, even if Graham Alexander does ring one or two changes, as a growing sense of dissatisfaction at the running of the club takes hold.

One thing is for sure, Bradford City will need to put in a significantly better first half performance than the one that saw them 4-0 down at Meadow Lane against Notts County last Saturday. While the Bantams rallied in the second half to halve the deficit with a final 4-2 scoreline, few will have been celebrating – and even the 5-1 win on Tuesday night has the caveat that it was a ‘dead rubber’ game between 2 sides already qualified, as well as a first XI the Bantams will never face again.

But, with 135 minutes of positive football under their belt, is there hope that Bradford City can put in a solid league performance for the first time since picking 4 points against AFC Wimbledon and Wrexham over a month ago? Certainly the ‘shackles’ appear to be off, as was one of the main criticisms of Mark Hughes’ tenure – can the Bantams now go on to utilize their new-found attacking freedom more effectively, or do such tactics just leave the defensive floodgates more open than ever?

One thing is for sure: predicting Bradford City outcomes and performances has never been more tenuous…



Notts County 4 - 2 Bradford City

 

THE BREAKDOWN

19/20: Bradford City
5/2: Draw
13/5: Accrington Stanley

Bradford City may be surprising favourites against play off-positioned Accrington Stanley, especially given their abysmal league form. 4 straight defeats and prior to that, only a draw prevented them leaving 5 straight games with absolutely nothing. Such a run of results is the stuff of nightmares even considering comprehensive wins in the EFL Trophy against Manchester City U21’s and Barnsley. Winning when it matters, when the points are up for grabs against full-strength opposition, is something that hasn’t happened since back-to-back victories over Swindon Town and AFC Wimbledon had Bantams fans all-too-briefly looking up the table rather than over their shoulder.

Since that mini-new manager bounce under caretaker Kevin McDonald, things have gone sour once more as City endure their worst league run since the 21/22 season (when City lost 5 straight) – a period during which Mark Hughes would take over and ensure no such run would repeat itself under his guidance.

All of that said, there won’t be a Bradford City fan in attendance at Valley Parade this weekend who won’t have been pleased to note their side rattling in 5 goals for the first time since a 7-0 win over non-league Tonbridge Angels all the way back on 7th November 2020 (another feat that never occurred during Hughes’ tenure).

Needless to say, we are in uncharted territory in terms of recent performances, for good and bad reasons, and Accrington Stanley will certainly try to look beyond the superb (but largely meaningless) win on Tuesday night in order to pile on the pressure where it matters most: league competition.

Bradford City currently sit 19th, 6 points above the dreaded drop zone, and casting an eye on opposition results at the foot of the table rather than further up. With points coming in dribs and drabs, and with a terrible run of form matched only by Swindon Town, this is not a time to take anything for granted. Bradford City are still the 3rd worst scorers in the division, and recently their defensive form has dropped off a cliff.

Still, they can begin a turnaround by picking up a narrow win over Accrington Stanley – a side that, while 7th, have hardly been immune to surprising defeats. A 1-0 defeat at home to City’s fellow strugglers Colchester United was followed by a 3-1 loss at midtable Crawley Town, and though John Coleman’s men bettered Wrexham, one still wonders if this might not be the worst time to play them.

On the other hand, Coleman has always been one to raise his side’s game against ‘big’ opposition – perhaps explaining all 3 of those somewhat surprising results. Taking their eye off the ball against Colchester and Crawley, but beating sides like Wrexham and MK Dons might tell its own story: and Coleman’s record against Bradford City remains stellar, despite the early season FA Cup exit.

All of that considered, the pick is a hugely significant and morale-boosting victory for the Bantams. Yes, there are significant teething problems at the moment, but there are signs Alexander may have stumbled upon a workable formation in a 3-4-3 that employs attacking full backs and a front 3 that can accommodate any of Cook/Smith/Walker/Oduor or even Wilson – with Vadaine Oliver likely chomping at the bit to get involved, too.

Even if a sense of rejuvenation seems extremely precarious, and if a bad start on Saturday could hammer City’s confidence once more, there is a sense that as players come back to fitness (including Harry Chapman), Bradford City’s options are as good and varied as they have been all season.

PREDICTION:

Bradford City 3 – 1 Accrington Stanley