The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Doncaster Rovers Saturday 20th January 3:00pm - POSTPONED

EFL LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE #28

Saturday 20th January 15:00
Bradford City (14th) vs Doncaster Rovers (20th)
University of Bradford Stadium (AKA Valley Parade)

22/23 & 23/24 Results:

30 Jul 2022: Bradford City 0 – 0 Doncaster Rovers
25 Feb 2023: Doncaster Rovers 0 – 1 Bradford City
22 Dec 2023: Doncaster Rovers 1 – 3 Bradford City

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

Won: 35
Drawn: 25
Lost: 28

Current League Form:

Bradford City: DLLDD
Doncaster Rovers: LLWDL

DONCASTER ROVERS

Doncaster Rovers overcame Wigan Athletic in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night to set up a quarter final against Bradford City, a game scheduled to take place on Tuesday 30th January. That will make it 3 games between the 2 sides within a 5-and-a-half week period, after the clubs met for the first time this season in late December. To say the clubs will be familiar with one another come the EFL Trophy quarter finals will be an understatement.

At the moment it’s advantage City, with the Bantams recording a 3-1 win at the Keepmoat Stadium, and likely coming into the reverse fixture at Valley Parade confident of manufacturing a repeat scoreline. For Doncaster Rovers, that defeat at home to Graham Alexander’s men came in the middle of a 3-game ski that saw then concede no fewer than 11 goals: Morecambe smashed 5 past them, City then recorded their 3-1 win, before Notts County heaped on further misery with a 3-0 in Nottingham.

Doncaster Rovers needed a response against Mansfield Town, then, another high-flying team that would have fancied their chances – but Grant McCann saw some much-needed improvements, and the South Yorkshire side came away with a share of the spoils after a 1-1 draw. A resounding 3-0 win followed against MK Dons, but that result now appears to be the anomalous one given Doncaster Rovers have lost both of their subsequent league fixtures, 3-1 at Harrogate Town and 1-0 at home to Newport County. Tuesday night’s penalty shoot out victory over Wigan Athletic is welcome respite for Donny’s increasingly dejected fans, who haven’t seen a top half finish in any division since the 2019/20 season, when they finished 9th in League One.

Relegation to League Two in 21/22 hasn’t sparked a turn around in any sense of the word, as Doncaster Rovers finished 18th last season, and again hover above the relegation zone this term, currently occupying 20th place. Doncaster find themselves a full 7 points behind Bradford City, and haven’t managed to win more than 2 league games in a row since February 2023.

Joe Ironside is the club’s top scorer with 11 goals, having already matched last season’s golden boot winner George Miller, though his increased strike rate has made little difference to the club’s performance on the whole. Mo Faal (7) is second-highest in the scoring stakes, while Ben Close (3) is the only other player to have scored more than twice in the league this campaign.

As for the aforementioned George Miller, a former two-time Bradford City player, things are looking bleak. Despite surgery on a long-term knee injury that was expected to fix his fitness problems, Miller has seen repeated flare ups and swelling that have continued to keep him sidelined long after his initial six-week prognosis. There is currently no timeline on his return.

Joe Ironside should feature alongside the likes of Billy Waters and Luke Molyneux up front, with second-highest goalscorer Mo Faal returning to West Bromwich Albion following a successful loan spell at the Keepmoat. That will be great news for Bradford City fans, though they may meet the striker later on in the season as he has since switched to Walsall – much to the chagrin of Doncaster Rovers fans.

On the plus side, Grant McCann has spoken of ‘creating iBooks’ for potential signings, insisting that his research gets down to fine tacks about how each potential target will play, where they will fit into the team, and what they are like socially and mentally. So far, 21 year old Bolton Wanderers striker Conor Carty has been brought in on loan, while 20 year old defender Jay McGrath has signed on a free transfer from St Patrick’s in Ireland. Both started against Wigan Athletic, in a tie that opposition manager Shaun Maloney had earmarked for his ‘strongest possible XI’ – a morale boost, then, for Grant McCann who might look to use the competition as a springboard to better things, just as Graham Alexander did earlier in the season.



Doncaster Rovers 0 - 1 Newport County

BRADFORD CITY

For Graham Alexander, iBooks might not have been necessary ahead of signing players like experienced goalkeeper Sam Walker and returning loanee Tyreik Wright, both of whom are well-known to some of the key faces down at Valley Parade. Sam Walker made his Bradford City debut in a disappointing 1-1 draw at Colchester United, and has played alongside the likes of Colin Doyle and Ash Taylor at Kilmarnock. Tyreik Wright, meanwhile, will need no introduction to many, including Bradford City fans who were disappointed to lose him last January.

Wright, who scored 4 goals in 15 league appearances for the Bantams before joining eventual League One promotees Plymouth Argyle for an undisclosed fee from parent club Aston Villa, was a big hit at Valley Parade. A relatively unsuccessful year at Plymouth, now in the Championship, has seen him chomping at the bit for more game time, and a return to Bradford City might just suit both parties perfectly.

Rumours that Jake Young might follow Harry Lewis out the door at Valley Parade are bound to continue until he is either played or the January transfer window slams shut, but Tyreik Wright’s signature is bound to soften the blow should Young leave. Whether the popular winger can regain his form remains to be seen, but his popularity is not in question.

Whether there is more movement ahead of the Doncaster Rovers game or not, Graham Alexander might limit the number of signings he makes having already stated he intends to trim down the squad. So far, with 2 in and just 1 out, that strategy hasn’t played out: in other words, there might be a few departures yet that don’t get replaced.

How Tyreik Wright fits into the current set up is uncertain, meaning all eyes will be on Graham Alexander’s team selection on Saturday afternoon. Will he persist with 3 at the back and wing backs, or opt for a more traditional wing play? For his part, Wright has said he wants to hit double figures in what is left of the season, suggesting he might play up front alongside Andy Cook – but we’ll have to wait and see!

One thing is for sure, though, it could be a turbulent January transfer window at Valley Parade once more, as another manager tries to get a handle on a squad inherited from a predecessor with whom they don’t share many stylistic similarities. Don’t be too surprised if one or two more players leave before 15:00 on Saturday.



Colchester United 1 - 1 Bradford City

THE BREAKDOWN

4/5: Bradford City
11/4: Draw
16/5: Doncaster Rovers

The bad news for Bradford City is the team that beat Doncaster Rovers 3-1 in December has suffered a couple of injuries. Jamie Walker has been a key absentee, and Bradford City haven’t won a single league game since his injury during that Doncaster Rovers game, while Lewis Richards is also out. Graham Alexander has tried several players in an attempt to find a suitable partner for Andy Cook, including Tyler Smith, Vadaine Oliver, Clark Oduor, Bobby Pointon and Harry Chapman, but none have quite stamped their authority.

Step forward, then, Tyreik Wright, back on loan (this time from Plymouth Argyle) and raring to go. Whether Wright plays out wide in a slightly altered formation or is a straight forward partner for Cook, he will be seen as Graham Alexander’s main attempt to bring in a second player able to score regularly. Cook, of course, leads the scoring charts at Valley Parade once again with 11 league goals, while Jamie Walker was in second with 5 prior to his injury.

If Wright can somehow emulate the busy Scottish attacking midfielder’s attacking role, Tyreik will be a great signing. If he cannot, then Graham Alexander will at least hope Tyreik can top the assist charts, and supply a few for City’s largely misfiring squad.

Doncaster Rovers will be keen, too, to make use of their own signings, a pair of youthful players fresh out of a full campaign in the Irish league. Defender Jay McGrath (20) and loanee striker Conor Carty (21) will be keen to make an impact and show the quality available in the Republic of Ireland, as they did in their upset cup win over Wigan Athletic.

They will now get 2 cracks at Bradford City, all being well, as the 2 sides are now scheduled to meet again in a couple of weeks’ time in an EFL Trophy Quarter Final – a competition both sides will be eyeing having overcome higher level opposition to edge ever closer to a date at Wembley.

And let’s face it: with Bradford City sat in 14th position, and Doncaster Rovers 7 points behind in 20th, it might just be EFL Trophy or nothing for the pair of them. A late, late run up the league table looks increasingly unlikely, with both sides off form and struggling for momentum.

Bradford City will be slight favourites here, leaning particularly heavily on the 3-1 away win over Doncaster Rovers not so long ago, but their home form under Graham Alexander has continued to be a source of frustration long after Mark Hughes left through the Valley Parade exit door. Perhaps they would be more likely to make it a league double over Doncaster if it were played away?

That said, the pick is a 2-1 win for City – and hopefully a Tyreik Wright winner to finally give the Valley Parade faithful some optimism.

PREDICTION:

Bradford City 2 – 1 Doncaster Rovers