The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Sutton United Monday 10th April @ 3:00pm

League Two Fixture #40

Monday 10th April 2023 15:00
Bradford City vs Sutton United
Valley Parade (AKA University of Bradford Stadium)

Most Recent Results:

1: Newport County 1 – 1 Bradford City
2: Bradford City 2 - 2 Hartlepool United
3: Bradford City 0 – 0 Carlisle United
4: Bradford City 3 – 2 Grimsby Town
5: Crawley Town 0 – 0 Bradford City

Form: DWDDD

1: Barrow 0 – 0 Sutton United
2: Sutton United 0 – 1 Grimsby Town
3: Mansfield Town 0 – 0 Sutton United
4: Walsall 1 – 1 Sutton United
5: Sutton United 0 – 1 Stockport County

Form: LDDLD

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form: DWW

11 Dec 2021: Bradford City 2 – 2 Sutton United
30 Apr 2022: Sutton United 1 – 4 Bradford City
12 Nov 2022: Sutton United 0 – 2 Bradford City

Head-to-Head Results (All Time):

Won: 2
Drawn: 1
Lost: 0

Biggest Margin of Victory:

30 Apr 2022: Sutton United 1 – 4 Bradford City

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

Hartlepool United: WIN followed by DRAW
Carlisle United: DEFEAT followed by DRAW
Grimsby Town: DRAW followed by WIN
Crawley Town: DRAW followed by DRAW
Sutton United: WIN followed by ???

Results so far: The second half of the season has seen an improvement by 1 point



Sutton United 2022/23:
No away defeats in 7 for a Sutton United side with a recent track record of draws

Away from home, Sutton United have managed just 4 wins this season. That is one key reason the South London side look set to miss out on the League Two play offs this season, despite a few periods of very impressive form – including a period between Boxing Day and March 11, where Sutton lost just 1 of 14 League Two fixtures.

Wins, during that spell, were most often achieved at home – but their away form, riddled with stalemates, has not made up the requisite ground following a couple of poor patches earlier in the season. Still, the 2022/23 campaign has been another relatively successful season for Sutton United, who finished 8th last term, and look set to follow that with another top 10 finish in only their second ever season as an EFL club.

Matt Gray will certainly want to go one better next year, but the way Gray has managed to establish the minnows as a competitive League Two side remains a great personal achievement.

Against Bradford City, though, it has been a different story. Whether the side, or manager, or fan base have been overawed by their wealthy West Yorkshire opponents remains to be seen, but with no wins in any of their first 3 attempts, Gray might have to look to set up his Sutton side with a slightly different set of tactics come Easter Monday.

Last season, Mark Hughes oversaw a comfortable 4-1 win to snap a 19-game unbeaten home run for Sutton United, before the Bantams returned again this season with a 2-0 win. Sutton might be buoyed, though, by their claim to have never lost at Valley Parade, albeit against only 1 try! And that particular game, a 2-2 draw from last season, saw Sutton United awarded a penalty and Bradford City centre back Niall Canavan receiving a red card after only half an hour's play.

That City still managed a draw could rankle with Gray and the Sutton United supporters that braved that particular trip, but turning that performance into a win at Valley Parade this season looks a big ask.

7 points adrift of the play offs, and having played a game more than three quarters of the sides currently making up the play off picture, Sutton United's season is, realistically, very nearly over. That is not to say anyone playing for Matt Gray will down tools, however.

Neither play off chasers Barrow, nor recent play off breakthrough side Mansfield Town were able to beat Sutton United on home turf, and with both sides managing only 1 shot on target each, it's clear to see that Sutton United aren't a side that are easily carved open. Defensive resoluteness is very much a feature of Sutton's recent performances, where the only 2 sides to beat them since January 14 are Grimsby Town and Stockport County – and both only managed narrow 1-0 wins.

Momentum may no longer be on Sutton United's side; but expect a defiant defence to look to overturn their poor record against Bradford City to date, as Sutton United look for a very, very late charge up the table.

Bradford City 2022/23:
City's recent penchant for stalemates could not have come at a more frustrating time

5 draws from 6 games, now, for a Mark Hughes side that have been too heavily reliant on hot shot Andy Cook this season, and without any kind of reliable back up in the goalscoring stakes. It has been a frequent feature of these articles to gripe about the lack of goals from the back 4 in particular, and while the defenders do seem to be getting closer lately, that statistic alone is the one that most probably separates Bradford City from the current top 3.

Bradford City, simply, have to score more goals, more regularly.

That said, the automatic promotion places aren't quite over and done with, but too many more draws and even the play off picture might come under threat. A goalless draw at struggling Crawley Town was unusually frenetic, but still, not enough at this stage of the season. Even as Crawley fight for their EFL future, there simply needed to be a little more class coming from promotion-chasing Bradford City – and ultimately, it just was not there.


This tie, and this cannot be said often this season, Andy Cook was primarily at fault. His wayward finishing, combined with a couple of splendid stops from the Crawley 'keeper, left Bradford City frustrated – and in even greater need of a last gasp string of wins if they're to get ahead of the likes of Stockport County, Stevenage, and Carlisle United.

Frankly, it is beginning to look like a big, big ask.

That said, Bradford City are very, very hard to beat, and will realistically fear nobody in the play off picture, home or away. Sutton United this Easter Monday will provide no cause for intimidation, but plenty in terms of the prospects for frustration. City will have to be at their ruthless best to get a win here.

Highlights:

Crawley Town 0 – 0 Bradford City



Sutton United 0 – 1 Stockport County



Sutton United 0 – 2 Bradford City



Outlook:

Bradford City are at the stage of the season where they cannot afford any misfortune. There's no time for poor refereeing, poor defending, or glaring misses in front of goal. There is certainly no time for any more red cards, such as the one Matty Platt picked up against Crawley Town.

A win is all that will be acceptable, as Bradford City have the opportunity to continue to assert their EFL dominance over Sutton United, as well as revive their push for the automatic promotion spots.

An enforced reshuffle at the back due to Platt's suspension could provide a great opportunity for the likes of Romoney Crichlow, while the chance to become a late-season hero remains for City's 'other' forwards. While Scott Banks remains the club's second highest goalscorer with 4, Jamie Walker (3) and Matt Derbyshire (1) could yet write their names into the annals of Bradford City history with a flurry of activity in front of goal.

That, or the club continue to rely all too heavily on 23-goal star Cook.

Whatever the manner of Bradford City's attacking exploits, it is vital that The Bantams win this one and consign Sutton United to an 'on the beach' mentality by effectively ending their play off push. One less potential contender for a play off spot, and the increased likelihood of a top three finish, will be a fantastic double-outcome from this particular tie. But can Mark Hughes' men end their run of draws, against yet another side that seem all too inclined towards a stalemate themselves...?

Odds:

5/4: Bradford City
9/4: Draw
12/5: Sutton United

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Bradford City 2 – 1 Sutton United