The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs AFC Wimbledon Saturday 24 September @ 3:00pm

League Two Fixture #11

Saturday 24th September 15:00
Bradford City vs AFC Wimbledon
Valley Parade (AKA University of Bradford Stadium)

Most Recent Results:

1: Hartlepool United 1 – 3 Bradford City
2: Bradford City 0 – 0 Crewe Alexandra
3: Bradford City 2 – 1 Walsall
4: Tranmere Rovers 1 – 2 Bradford City
5: Bradford City 3 – 0 Stevenage

Form: WWWDW

1: Crawley Town 0 – 2 AFC Wimbledon
2: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 1 Barrow
3: Stockport County 1 – 0 AFC Wimbledon
4: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 2 Northampton Town
5: Carlisle United 2 – 1 AFC Wimbledon

Form: LLLLW

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form:

22 Apr 17: Bradford City (McMahon Pen 29, 85, Marshall 45+3) 3 – 0 AFC Wimbledon
23 Dec 17: AFC Wimbledon (McDonald 7, L. Taylor 70) 2 – 1 (P. Taylor 47) Bradford City
27 Jan 18: Bradford City 0 – 4 (Abdou 14, Barcham 59, McDonald 65, 80) AFC Wimbledon
02 Oct 18: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 1 (Payne 45+1 Pen) Bradford City
04 May 19: Bradford City 0 – 0 AFC Wimbledon

Head-to-Head Results (All Time):

Won: 5
Drawn: 1
Lost: 5

Biggest Margin of Victory:

25 Aug 12: Bradford City 5-1 AFC Wimbledon
27 Jan 18: Bradford City 0-4 AFC Wimbledon

Spoiler: Historic Results Analysis

It's all even between Bradford City and AFC Wimbledon in terms of historical outcomes, with Bradford City able to nose slightly ahead on goal difference. However, when factoring in results against the now defunct Wimbledon FC, it's (AFC) Wimbledon (FC) that have the upper hand.

Still, both fixtures are relatively modern, with Bradford City first playing Wimbledon FC in 1978, and then starting again against AFC Wimbledon in 2011. The 4-0 hammering endured by Bradford City in 2018 will not be one for Bradford fans to savour, coming straight off the back of a vote of confidence in then-manager Stuart McCall. However, fans might still enjoy the memory of the 5-1 achieved by Phil Parkinson's City side, the highlights of which can be enjoyed here.

Another one of the most important fixtures in Bradford City history saw a 3-0 home win over the Wimbledon FC of old back in April 2000, a victory that took the Bantams out of the bottom three in the Premier League with just two games remaining. Paul Jewell's side would go on to secure their Premier League survival, but it was this game against their relegation rivals that stood out most prior to that game against Liverpool. Peter Beagrie scored twice, Dean Windass got the other, as Egil Olsen's men (Wellington boots and all) were sent packing in astonishing fashion.

AFC Wimbledon 2021/22:

Disaster befell AFC Wimbledon last season, as the club finished second bottom of League One and thus relegated to League Two. AFC Wimbledon deserved their fate, winning fewer matches than any other club in the division – despite finishing 8 points above rock bottom Crewe Alexandra.

Part of the reason for AFC Wimbledon's tally of 37 points after picking up just 6 wins was their astonishing propensity to draw games. AFC Wimbledon finished the division's draw kings with 19 stalemates. While this made sure AFC Wimbledon endured the lowest number of defeats out of the relegated quartet, it will have been of scant consolation to their fans.

Scoring goals was not AFC Wimbledon's biggest deficiency either, notching 12 more than Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra, whom they also surpassed defensively, conceded 7 fewer – but an inability to turn draws into wins eventually came home to roost for the Dons.

In fact, AFC Wimbledon failed to win a single one of their final 26 league games, posting a truly astonishing run of bad form dating back to 11 December 2021.

Unsurprisingly, that horrendous run winless run cost manager Mark Robinson his job, with Mark Bowen taking charge for the final month of the season. He would not be retained in his position, however, as former Charlton Athletic boss Johnnie Jackson was brought in during the Summer to try to steady the sinking ship.

Jack Rudoni (12) ended up AFC Wimbledon's top league goalscorer last season, but he has since completed an £800,000 switch to Bradford City's neighbours Huddersfield Town – though second top scorer Ayoub Assal (8) has stayed on. Luke McCormick (7) moved to Bristol Rovers upon the club's relegation, and Ollie Palmer (5) finished as the club's fourth highest league goalscorer despite completing a free transfer to Wrexham in January that year.

AFC Wimbledon lost another key player in defender Ben Heneghan (41 starts) to Sheffield Wednesday, while ever-present goalkeeper Nik Tzanev (46) and defender Will Nightingale (33) stayed on.



AFC Wimbledon 2022/23:

Johnnie Jackson's AFC Wimbledon put a quick end to their 26 game winless run on the opening day of the season, dispatching Gillingham at home 2-0, but have added just one more victory in League Two since then, besting Crawley Town away by the same score in August.

In between those two victories, Jackson's AFC Wimbledon drew twice and lost twice, including a 5-2 rout at Mansfield Town. Goals have not come easily for AFC Wimbledon since the Crawley victory either, as a run of four straight league defeats accounted for just 1 goal scored.

Top scorer Nathan Young-Coombes, on loan from Brentford, has notched 3 this season, although he has unfortunately been sidelined with a knee injury ahead of the game at Valley Parade. Forward Josh Davison and midfielder Ethan Chislett both have 2 goals each, while attacking midfielder Ayoub Assal and defender Jack Currie have 1 apiece.

Following a 2-1 defeat against Carlisle United last Saturday, AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson accused too many of his squad of 'not doing enough', and called on them to end their four game losing streak against Bradford City. He issued a rallying cry of 'we'll get through this', having said he felt his side were unfortunate to have earned just 8 points from their opening 9 games.

Losing Young-Coombes, then, could not have come at a worse time for the Dons.

Bradford City 2022/23:

Mark Hughes' Bradford City side brushed aside high-flying Stevenage 3-0 at Valley Parade last Saturday, chalking up their third successive league win – bringing a welcome end to unpopular manager Steve Evans' unbeaten run against Bradford City sides.

Battling wins over Walsall and Tranmere Rovers ensured Bradford City knew the scale of the task against their physical and direct opposition, and the Bantams did well to avoid getting dragged into a battle in a fine performance. Andy Cook scored 2 more goals, taking his tally this season to an extremely impressive 11 goals from 11 appearances in all competitions. Cook has also scored 5 goals in his last 3 outings. Tyreik Wright also got on the goal sheet, a just reward for a very strong full debut in claret and amber.

A full week's break will have been welcome for manager Mark Hughes, while their opponents this weekend battled to a midweek win over Crawley Town in the Football League Trophy.

With captain Richie Smallwood enjoying a fine game against Stevenage, putting in a true captain's performance, the omens are not good for AFC Wimbledon. With City's star players finding great form, and new arrival Wright adding to the growing list of potential dangers faced by City's opponents, things are looking bright indeed. The performance of Timi Odusina on his full league debut will also fill City fans with confidence.



Outlook:

With Bradford City on a three game winning streak, and opponents AFC Wimbledon on a four game losing streak, it's no surprise the oddsmakers have installed the home side as odds on favourites. AFC Wimbledon find themselves more than 3.5 to 1 for the victory, but football is nothing if not unpredictable at times.

While it will be easy for City fans to feel confident ahead of the home tie with AFC Wimbledon, it's worth noting that Huddersfield Town loanee Kyle Hudlin (6'9) opened his Dons account in 3-2 win over Crawley Town in the Football League Trophy – albeit from the spot. Ayoub Assal also scored, and is likely to be a nuisance for Bradford City defenders, as he also scored in the league defeat to Carlisle United at the weekend.

Still, Bradford City will be sure to be focussed on their own performance ahead of a very winnable tie. Veteran wideman Chris Gunter and opposite number Jack Currie will likely have their hands full with Bradford City's wingers – whichever configuration Hughes chooses to employ – and Andy Cook looks a player reborn this season. The only downside for City will be the absence of ever-present right back Brad Halliday, who must serve a one match ban after a late dismissal for two yellow cards.

Odds:

3-4: Bradford City
13-5: Draw
18-5: AFC Wimbledon

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Bradford City 4-0 AFC Wimbledon