The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs AFC Wimbledon Saturday 3rd February 2024 3:00pm

EFL LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE #30

Saturday 3rd February 2024 15:00
Bradford City (18th) vs AFC Wimbledon (9th)
University of Bradford Stadium (AKA Valley Parade)

22/23 & 23/24 Results:

24 Sep 2022: Bradford City 2 – 2 AFC Wimbledon
14 Jan 2023: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 0 Bradford City
14 Oct 2023: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 1 Bradford City

Head-to-Head Form: WDDDW (most recent result first)

Won: 6
Drawn: 3
Lost: 5

Current League Form:

Bradford City: LDDLL
AFC Wimbledon: WLLDW

AFC WIMBLEDON

Johnnie Jackson’s AFC Wimbledon have exited both the FA Cup and the EFL Trophy since the turn of the year. A 3-1 defeat against Premier League hopefuls Ipswich Town in the FA Cup 3rd round was certainly no disgrace, nor was their defeat by the same score on Tuesday night against Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy Quarter Finals. As the old cliché goes, AFC Wimbledon can now focus all their attention on the League Two table, where they currently sit in 9th place just 2 points off the play-offs.

A recent defeat to existential rivals MK Dons was a sickener for AFC Wimbledon fans, however, particularly as it extended the Bedfordshire side’s advantage over the London-based Dons to 6 points and forced a gap between the top 6 and the rest of the division. Only 1 play-off place is currently within arm’s reach for sides like AFC Wimbledon (Harrogate Town, Gillingham and Accrington Stanley all feature in that bracket), and that is the 7th place spot currently occupied by a faltering Notts County.

If the window of opportunity appears to be narrowing, then, at least AFC Wimbledon look to be in with a legitimate shot at promotion – unlike Saturday’s opponents Bradford City.

A win at Valley Parade is a must for AFC Wimbledon with City having not won any of their last 7 league games and crashing to a dismal 2-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Swindon Town last weekend. That said, AFC Wimbledon failed to pick up all 3 points in an away day at Forest Green Rovers (1-1) on New Year’s Day and have suffered 4 defeats in their last 6 games in both league and cup. Those defeats have included the previously noted cup defeats to Peterborough United and Ipswich Town, as well as Wrexham and MK Dons in the league, all high-ranking opponents in their respective divisions. Mansfield Town, however, succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, as did League One outfit Oxford United in the EFL Trophy.

The Cherry Red Records Stadium did not, however, bring victory over Bradford City earlier this season. A 1-0 defeat saw the now-departed Bantam Emmanuel Osadebe score his only league goal of the season so far, as The Dons endured a mini-drought that saw them score just 1 goal across 4 league games in early October. AFC Wimbledon generally haven’t struggled to score goals like that, particularly at home, but credit to Bradford City for striking while the iron was hot and coming away with all 3 points.

In fact, AFC Wimbledon have scored 4 or more goals in a game on no fewer than 7 occasions this season. Tranmere Rovers, Cheltenham Town (FA Cup), Notts County, Ramsgate (FA Cup), Swindon Town, Portsmouth (EFL Trophy) and Colchester United all ran into a rampant version of an AFC Wimbledon side with the ability to turn it on in front of goal.

That top scorer Ali Al-Hamadi (13) has completed a switch to Ipswich Town will be a painful one for AFC Wimbledon fans and will leave James Tilley (7) leading the way in terms of league goals. Omar Bugiel (5), Armani Little (4), and Josh Davison (4) are the other players to have scored more than 2 league goals this season, while Crystal Palace forward John-Kymani Gordon joins on loan following a fruitless spell at League One Cambridge United. Palace team mate and defender Kofi Balmer joins Gordon on loan, while Stockport County centre back Joe Lewis joins on an undisclosed fee following a loan spell for the first half of the season. Irish winger Ronan Curtis (ex-Portsmouth) joins on a short term deal, and duly scored the winner against Mansfield Town after coming on just after the hour mark.

Adapting to life in a post-Al-Hamadi world will be the big test now for Johnnie Jackson and his men, and a new striker signing before the window slams shut is a possibility that cannot be accounted for at the time this article was written.

BRADFORD CITY

While AFC Wimbledon have lost their main striker, Bradford City will be hoping they have inherited a game changer of their own. Jake Young is back and playing for the Bantams, a fact that effectively rules out a move elsewhere (at least domestically) as he has now played for the maximum number of EFL sides this season. The 16-goal forward had an extremely productive spell at Swindon Town and looked lively in his first start for his parent club on Tuesday night.

While Young didn’t score, he was able to trouble the Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper on multiple occasions. It was Harry Chapman, though, that grabbed the winner with a superb free kick that served as a timely reminder of why the ex-Blackburn Rovers attacking midfielder had only plied his trade at higher levels prior to arriving at Valley Parade.

Andy Cook’s late dismissal for a second yellow card didn’t spoil the party as Bradford City advanced to the EFL Trophy semi-finals with a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Doncaster, who continue to sink closer and closer to the dreaded bottom 2 under Grant McCann and are now out of all cup competition. For Graham Alexander, the competition represents by far the most likely opportunity to salvage something from a hugely disappointing season for the Bantams, though the semi-finals are likely to yield a very tough opponent once the draw is made on Friday evening. It’s also worth factoring in that Cook will be suspended for that EFL Trophy semi-final, as opposed to the league game this Saturday.

Despite being 9 places behind AFC Wimbledon, the gap remains comparatively slim with just 6 points between the 2. While the play offs are a further couple of points away, victory on Saturday could lift the Valley Parade fan base amid growing discontent. In truth, though, City remain one of the division’s lowest scoring sides and have looked off it in recent league games. Unless players like Jake Young and Tyreik Wright can galvanize the Bantams, the club may have run out of options unless something surprising happens late in the transfer window.

This is certainly not how the season was expected to go, but that does not rule out a recovery in terms of league form. Players like Lewis Richards, Jake Young, Harry Chapman, and Matty Platt all returned to the starting XI on Tuesday evening and could provide a welcome boost this weekend – but in terms of salvaging anything from the league campaign, and not just the oft-overlooked EFL Trophy, it’s pretty much now or never for Graham Alexander’s Bantams…

 

THE BREAKDOWN

13/10: Bradford City
13/5: Draw
15/8: AFC Wimbledon

It’s hard to be too confident that Bradford City will follow up their EFL Trophy victory on Tuesday night with a positive result at home on Saturday. While the EFL Trophy win over Barnsley was the catalyst for what would become a six-game winning streak with plenty of goals scored, Bradford City have since reverted back to their old ways of scoring just under a goal-per-game on average. Blanks against all of Stockport County, Crewe Alexandra and Swindon Town and single goal-per-game efforts against Doncaster Rovers, Salford City and Derby County have meant that in order to win, Graham Alexander’s City side must produce a shut out at the other end.

For a team that have conceded 39 goals in 29 games in League Two this season, that does not seem like a feasible or sustainable path to victory. All hopes then fall squarely on the shoulders of Andy Cook, who has come in for criticism on several occasions this season, and the bevy of attacking options that have returned to action of late.

Graham Alexander now has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal in terms of unlocking opposition defences. Harry Chapman scored a sublime free kick that secured Bradford City an EFL Trophy semi-final, and the one-time divisional top scorer Jake Young is back in the mix and looking sharp. Out-of-favour Bobby Pointon can be relied upon for an all-action display, while Tyler Smith, Clark Oduor and Adam Wilson offer alternative options from the bench. Tyreik Wright is back at City after departing in January 2023 and a lot will be expected from the goal-hungry winger, and while there has been no news on the return date for mercurial attacking midfielder Jamie Walker, once he is back, City will be at full attacking strength for possibly the first time all season.

Since he cannot rely on his defence as completely as he might like, making the most of his attacking options is critical for Graham Alexander. Alexander must find a formation, a style of play, and the tactics to harness the speed and ability of his attackers. There have been signs Graham can produce the goods, but the 5-1 win over Barnsley and the 3-0 away win at Forest Green Rovers now seem like a distant memory. City were pathetic going forward against Swindon Town. That all 3 of Alexander’s forwards were withdrawn with quarter of an hour still to go speaks volumes, with Cook and Smith withdrawn at half time no less.

It's time now for Alexander to show his worth as both tactician and motivator. Getting the starting XI right against AFC Wimbledon could not be more important at a time where City are fast running out of games to produce anything other than an EFL Trophy success, and when many Bantams fans have already thrown in the towel.

On the other side of the coin, Johnnie Jackson’s AFC Wimbledon side will be out for revenge following a 1-0 home defeat against Bradford City earlier this season, a game they (in all honesty) probably didn’t deserve to lose. Jackson’s side must try to harness the malaise that hangs over Valley Parade at this moment in time, and really try to turn the screw on not only Alexander and his players, but those in the board room as well. While City played reasonably well on Tuesday night, the question is do these players have the fire in their bellies for a fight on Saturday afternoon against a side seeking to break back into the play offs and push on towards promotion?

Perhaps the absence of now-departed centre forward and top scorer Ali Al-Hamadi will level the playing field somewhat, and City fans will be hoping the return of Jake Young to the starting line up will even sway the balance the other way. But one man does not make a team, and that serves as a cautionary tale in terms of underestimating AFC Wimbledon and over-stating the impact Jake Young could have. This is a team game, and City haven’t exactly looked like a great unit of late.

Arguments on the pitch between teammates, frequent poor body language, and a miserable form book all suggest this is a game that might be beyond Bradford City. Fortress Valley Parade never materialised this season, and AFC Wimbledon sit fifth in the ‘Away’ league table, having only lost 4 times on the road in the league this campaign. City, meanwhile, occupy almost the exact opposite position in the ‘Home’ league table, sitting 19th and having won only 4 times at home in the league this season.

Unless Bradford City can somehow prove they have the Indian sign over AFC Wimbledon (Wimbledon haven’t beaten City in 5 straight games now), the pick must be a narrow AFC Wimbledon win.

PREDICTION:

Bradford City 1 – 2 AFC Wimbledon