The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Harrogate Town Thursday 29 December @ 7:45pm

League Two Fixture #22

Thursday 29th December 19:45
Bradford City vs Harrogate Town
Valley Parade (AKA University of Bradford Stadium)

Most Recent Results:

1: Mansfield Town 1 – 2 Bradford City
2: Sutton United 0 – 2 Bradford City
3: Bradford City 1 – 3 Northampton Town
4: Leyton Orient 3 – 0 Bradford City
5: Carlisle United 1 – 0 Bradford City

Form: LLLWW

1: Harrogate Town 3 – 3 Carlisle United
2: Harrogate Town 0 – 2 Leyton Orient
3: Harrogate Town 3 – 0 Mansfield Town
4: Rochdale 1 – 4 Harrogate Town
5: Harrogate Town 3 – 2 Grimsby Town

Form: WWWLD

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form: LWLLL

17 Apr 2021: Harrogate Town 2 – 1 Bradford City
05 Feb 2022: Harrogate Town 2 – 0 Bradford City
22 Feb 2022: Bradford City 1 – 3 Harrogate Town
01 Oct 2022: Harrogate Town 1 – 2 Bradford City
05 Nov 2022: Bradford City 0 – 1 Harrogate Town [FA Cup]

Head-to-Head Results (All Time):

Games Won: 1
Games Drawn: 0
Games Lost: 5

Biggest Margin of Victory:

05 Feb 2022: Harrogate Town 2 – 0 Bradford City
22 Feb 2022: Bradford City 1 – 3 Harrogate Town

Spoiler: Historic Results Analysis

Bradford City recorded their first win over Harrogate Town on October 1, ending a run of 4 straight defeats since the clubs first met in October 2020. A first half Andy Cook penalty was cancelled out by Jaheim Headley shortly after the break, only for loanee winger Tyreik Wright to score his second goal in as many games to earn City all 3 points.

Harrogate Town extended their advantage over their Yorkshire rivals, however, with a victory in the FA Cup on Bonfire Night, at Valley Parade no less. While Mark Hughes was able to arrest the run of 4 straight league defeats with City's sole success in this all-Yorkshire tie, he has been unable to close the gap – and that will have City fans fretting ahead of a crucial game ahead of the New Year.

Harrogate Town 2022/23:
Harrogate Town find their shooting boots with 15 goals in their last 5 league games!

A cursory glance at the table suggests Harrogate Town should be easy pickings for Bradford City this Thursday. A full 10 places and 11 points behind The Bantams, City's North Yorkshire rivals have (on the whole) had a season to forget – even if theiraims of League Two consolidation look strong.

However, the league table doesn't always tell the story of the moment.

With 15 goals from their last 5 league games, Harrogate Town are firing on all cylinders. What's more, Harrogate Town haven't simply feasted on the division's minnows, even though they recorded their best win of the season at lowly Rochdale, they have in fact faced 3 teams in the Top 7, winning 1, drawing another, and losing to the league leaders Leyton Orient.

That's not bad at all, and clearly suggests Simon Weaver's men have turned a corner. A 3-0 hammering of current 6th-placed Mansfield Town is probably the Sulphurites' most impressive win as an EFL club, and they stuck the same number past Carlisle United in a scintillating 3-3 draw.

They are most likely facing Bradford City at the optimal time.

While Harrogate Town's defence is statistically the third-worst in the division, and having conceded 8 goals in their last 5, the North Yorkshire-based side continue to score their way out of trouble – while their upcoming opponents are experiencing a recurring nightmare in front of goal.

Luke Armstrong is the man of the moment for Harrogate Town having scored 2 goals in 3 of his last 4 league outings, marking him as the obvious danger man. 7 goals in his last 5 league games in total is the stuff of dreams for a City fan base starved of their sides' goalscoring antics.

Can City keep him quiet? If they can, their chances will drastically improve, even with second-top scorer Alex Pattison (6) potentially back from a knee injury, although ex-Bantam Matty Daly (5) is out for the immediate future.

Harrogate Town will be coming in brimming with confidence, ready to make a mockery of anyone caught glancing at the table and deciding this should be an easy win for Bradford City.

Far from it.

Bradford City 2022/23:
Mid-Winter blues for The Bantams continue...

Things have gone from bad to worse for a Bradford City side that dropped out of the play offs largely due to multiple postponements in mid-December. The pressure was on Mark Hughes' men to beat the side directly above them, Carlisle United, in their long-awaited return after a dreadful run of 3 straight defeats in all competitions. Unfortunately, things did not go City's way – yet another defeat at Brunton Park now sees them floundering in 9th place, and struggling to score.

How did it all go so wrong for a side flirting with fantasies of the automatic promotion spots just a few short games ago?

Certainly City couldn't have had much of a tougher schedule lately. Northampton Town, Leyton Orient and Carlisle United occupy 3 of the top 4 spots in the League Two table, and every time City have been cited to face a team on desperate form, the game has failed to go ahead.

Now, even facing a team in the bottom half, they run into a Harrogate Town side in fine form.

Have no doubt, this is a nightmarish next match for The Bantams, particularly considering the sheer weight of expectation (and desperation?) that will likely occupy the stands at Valley Parade. Bradford City, given recent form, simply cannot afford to lose this match – but that doesn't mean they have a divine right to win it.

City are on horrible form. 1 goal in their last 4 games in all competitions, all 4 games resulting in defeats, have pushed the Mansfield Town and Sutton United back-to-back away wins to the furthest point of every City fans' mind. Andy Cook spurning multiple chances against Carlisle United as they sought a badly-needed away point didn't help – but in truth, Bradford City got what they deserved from their excursion to the North East: nothing.

Slow, laboured, sloppy in possession, poor in the final third, and far too easy to tackle: just some of the issues plaguing Mark Hughes' side of late

That must change – fast!

Highlights:

Harrogate Town 1 – 2 Bradford City



Bradford City 0 – 1 Harrogate Town



Outlook:

It's hard to look at these two sides and see anything but a frustrating evening for Bradford City fans. Only factoring in the immense pressure and necessity of a result at home in front of the loyal City fan base can theoretically negate the likelihood of a Harrogate Town away win.

This season, the two sides are 1:1 in terms of outcomes, Bradford City defeating Harrogate Town away in the league, before losing in the FA Cup at home. Those results tell us nothing other than, even before Harrogate's recent red hot run, there was nothing separating the two sides in terms of outcomes.

But with Bradford City having stopped scoring altogether, and Harrogate Town scoring for fun, there's a real sense of peril about this game. That last thing Bradford City can afford at this point is a thumping from their local minnow-sized rivals.

Bradford City did look better at the back with the return of Romoney Crichlow, but there were still plenty of chances for their opponents, as Harry Lewis was forced into at least 4 or 5 fine saves. Still, Bradford City have ridden their luck a little at the back all season – and the excellent form of their goalkeeper is nothing new.

If Bradford City can rely on keeping Harrogate Town from scoring no more than 1 goal (which is the most common outcome this season), they can put the focus back on the front line, where it belongs. Andy Cook, Tyreik Wright, and whoever plays in attacking midfield and on the opposite wing (be it Banks or Eisa, Chapman or Walker) will need to be on top form to spring an urgent return to the win column.

But it's all if's and but's, and with City increasingly gun-shy, it would be disingenuous to predict a Bradford City win. If they manage it, and let's all hope they do, it will very much be against the form book.

Someone has to step up and be a hero for the much-maligned Bradford City home faithful, starved of joy, starved of success, starved of celebrations in a season where most of the good work has been done away from home...

Odds:

7/10: Bradford City
11/4: Draw
4/1: Harrogate Town

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Bradford City 0 – 3 Harrogate Town