The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Leyton Orient Monday 8th May @ 12.30pm

League Two Fixture #46

Monday 8th May 12:30
Bradford City (7th) vs Leyton Orient (1st)
Valley Parade (AKA University of Bradford Stadium)

Most Recent Results:

1: Rochdale 0 – 3 Bradford City
2: Swindon Town 1 – 0 Bradford City
3: Bradford City 2 – 2 Gillingham
4: Northampton Town 1 – 2 Bradford City
5: Crewe Alexandra 3 – 2 Bradford City

Form: LWDLW

1: Sutton United 0 – 2 Leyton Orient
2: Gillingham 2 – 0 Leyton Orient
3: Leyton Orient 2 – 0 Crewe Alexandra
4: Mansfield Town 1 – 2 Leyton Orient
5: Leyton Orient 0 – 3 Stockport County

Form: LWWLW

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form:
24 Nov 2020: Leyton Orient 1 – 0 Bradford City
23 Feb 2021: Bradford City 1 – 0 Leyton Orient
28 Aug 2021: Leyton Orient 2 – 0 Bradford City
01 Feb 2022: Bradford City 1 – 1 Leyton Orient
03 Dec 2022: Leyton Orient 3 – 0 Bradford City

Head-to-Head Results (All Time): LDLWL

Won: 15
Drawn: 13
Lost: 19

Biggest Margin of Victory:

16 Mar 1991: Bradford City 4 – 0 Leyton Orient [League Division Three]

For Better or Worse:
First Half of the Season vs Second Half of the Season Analysis

Crewe Alexandra: DRAW followed by DEFEAT
Leyton Orient: DEFEAT followed by ???

Results so far: The second half of the season has seen an improvement of 3 points



Leyton Orient 2022/23:
Richie Wellens and his team lifted the EFL League Two trophy despite losing 3-0 at home to Stockport County – will they produce a response?

Richie Wellens has now lifted the EFL League Two trophy for a second time, having replicated his feat with Swindon Town in 2019/20 season. That's a fantastic achievement for the former Leicester City midfielder, and one that earns the 43 year old a great reputation as a longer league winner.

Fancied for a play off berth by the bookies prior to the first game of the season, Leyton Orient were (predictably) overlooked in favour of the division's more glamorous outfits: Stockport County, last year's National League Premier winners, Bradford City, and money bags outfit Salford City. Instead, Orient overcame all 23 other sides to win the league at a canter, with none of the bookies' favourites destined for an automatic promotion place – unless, of course, Stockport County can dislodge Northampton Town for third on the final day.

Key to Leyton Orient's success has been a blistering start to the season, in which they won 9 of their first 10 league games, drawing the other 1. While other teams needed time to get up to speed, Orient were out of the blocks and leading the pack without a second thought. Boasting the tightest defence in the division with just 30 conceded, it took 4 League Two fixtures before they conceded their first goal – at the hands of SPL new boy Harry McKirdy of Swindon Town.

Going forward, Orient have been clinical. While quite a few teams have actually outscored Orient, Richie Wellens' men have put away their promotion rivals time and again with ruthless efficiency. Wins over all of Mansfield Town, Salford City, Stockport County, Bradford City, and draws with Stevenage and Northampton Town in the first half of the season outlined Orient's superiority over the play off pack in particular, while sacrificing nothing against their championship rivals currently occupying the automatic spots.

Put simply, Leyton Orient have been extremely tough to beat all season.

Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux has earned rave reviews, while Omar Beckles (40), Tom James (40), and Rob Hunt (31) have been regular features of the aforementioned best defence in the division. In front of them, veteran midfielder Darren Pratley (39) has outshone most in League Two alongside one of the most settled midfields in the EFL. George Moncur (42), Idris El Mizouni (40), and Theo Archibald (34) have made the most starts and appearances, receiving minimal interruptions. Meanwhile Paul Smyth has hammered home 10 times from the wing – making him the club's top scorer this season.

Other regular names on the scoresheet have been Ruel Sotiriou (9) and Charlie Kelman (7), though this is not a side built on just one or two star players: no fewer than 11 Orient players have chipped in with goals this season, 8 of those on multiple occasions.

Still, the trophy has been lifted by now, and Leyton Orient looked out of sorts in their last home game against Stockport County. An uncharacteristic 3-0 defeat will soon be forgotten, however, as Orient turn their attentions to League One football next season. There's only one question that Bradford City fans will have on their minds now, though: which Leyton Orient will turn up on Monday afternoon?

How they choose to approach this game may be pivotal.

Bradford City 2022/23:
Bradford City stumble yet again at Crewe Alexandra, worrying Bantams fans about the prospect of a 'nearly' season

It was the last thing Bradford City fans wanted: to approach the last game of the season, against the division's champions no less, in need of a result.

And yet, if we're honest, we probably all saw it coming...

Bradford City have flirted with the automatic spots on several occasions this season, only to prove incapable of beating teams like relegated Rochdale at home, Swindon Town away, Gillingham at home, and, most recently, Crewe Alexandra away – all games against opposition they should have beaten, or with nothing to play for.

It would make sense, then, that no Bradford City fan will take anything for granted on Bank Holiday Monday.

Whether Leyton Orient have bathed in champagne all week, or worked diligently preparing for one last hurrah in League Two, it does not really matter. Either Bradford City, in this game, will prove that they are worthy of a League Two play off spot after all, or they won't.

The nerves will all be on the side of the hosts, and nerves aren't something this Bradford City side seem capable of dealing with. The first half of the Crewe game was one of the worst of the season, with Bradford City looking dead and buried at half time, only for the players to wake from their anxiety-induced slumber and level the scores with a full 35 minutes to go.

It wasn't enough, however: a last minute penalty converted by Chris Long consigned Bradford City to the stakes they really wanted to avoid: draw, or face failure.

That said, Mansfield Town are still 3 points behind, so even defeat for Bradford City could still see them entering the play off picture: but limping home with just 1 win in their last 5 games would not be a good omen for such a competitive knock out format.

Highlights:

Crewe Alexandra 3 – 2 Bradford City



Leyton Orient 0 – 3 Stockport County



Leyton Orient 3 – 0 Bradford City



Outlook:

Bradford City simply must approach this game expecting Leyton Orient to explode out of the traps and launch wave after wave of attacks. There is no time to rest on their laurels, and The Bantams must be at it from minute 1 – right up until the final whistle.

A poor half here, whether first or second, could be disastrous; a non-performance simply cannot be tolerated. While it has been a long season, this Bradford City side have shown they are capable of grinding out crucial results – the 2-1 win at Northampton Town was a fantastic achievement – but unless it is backed up at Valley Parade on Monday, all that hard work and endeavour could be worth nothing at all.

That said, Bradford City don't seem to be able to hold their nerve when it most matters. Whether that means this particular game, #46, against Orient – or a play off semi-final or final at Wembley – remains to be seen. But from what we have seen so far, it would be very '22/23 Bradford City' to fluff their lines right at the last.

But let's hope that doesn't happen.

Bradford City currently sit 7th in the EFL League Two table, and are there on merit.

They are above Mansfield Town with a 3 point cushion, and even the most deflated, pessimistic Bradford City fan would rather be in this position than that occupied by The Stags.

It's all to play for, and it's all in Bradford City's hands.

It should be Mark Hughes' time to shine. The veteran manager has been there, done that, seen it all, bought the t shirt, retired, unretired, and entered the play off picture in possibly his last ever managerial role. If he cannot steady the nerves, who can?

Richie Smallwood, club captain, must be at his best driving the play forwards, making the most of the likes of Scott Banks and Andy Cook in attack. Romoney Crichlow and Sam Stubbs must cast to the backs of their mind the recent error-strewn displays, and Harry Lewis might need to be at his brilliant best between the sticks.

If they are, and if they are properly supported by the Jamie Walker's, Alex Gilliead's, Brad Halliday's and Liam Ridehalgh's, there's no reason this Bradford City team cannot be roared to a result by a packed out Valley Parade that recognises just how big an occasion this game is.

It's time to blow away any remaining cobwebs, frustrations, and regrets: the season could now come down to 4 final games – and this could be the start of a frenetic mini-season that could just see Bradford City install themselves in League One next year.

Now wouldn't that be something? The only question now is: do these players have what it takes to become heroes?

UP THE CHICKENS!

​

Odds:

10/11: Bradford City
5/2: Draw
16/5: Leyton Orient

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Bradford City 2 – 2 Leyton Orient
(Nobody said it would be easy)