The Voice - Match preview Colchester United vs Bradford City Saturday 13th January 2024 3:00pm

EFL LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE #27

Saturday 13th January 15:00
Colchester United (22nd) vs Bradford City (14th)
Colchester Community Stadium

22/23 & 23/24 Results:

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

Won: 11
Drawn: 14
Lost: 16

Current League Form:

Bradford City: LDDWW
Colchester United: DLLLW

COLCHESTER UNITED

Late drama has become something of a regular occurrence in Colchester United games.

In the last 9 league games, Colchester United fans have witnessed a full 12 goals either scored or conceded after the 85th minute mark, with only the recent 1-0 defeat at home to Gillingham not having a late, late strike. The other 8 can be broken down as follows:

Against Swindon Town, Colchester’s most recent game, the U’s scored a last minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw. In the 5-3 defeat at AFC Wimbledon a week prior, both sides scored in the 90th minute, and Cameron McGeehan was shown a red card in the 89th minute. On Boxing Day, MK Dons scored an 89th minute winner, and the only goal of the game. Against Salford City, Colchester scored in the 89th minute to go 2-0 up, only to concede an even later goal courtesy of Conor McAleny – a consolation strike only, mind. Against Wrexham, Jayden Fevrier netted an 89th minute consolation for the U’s in a 2-1 defeat, and prior to that Joseph Taylor managed something remarkably similar with a 90th minute consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat at home to Crawley Town. Doncaster Rovers scored an 87th minute third in a 3-1 win over Colchester United at home, while Barrow scored a full 3 goals in the closing stages to run out 4-1 winners at the Colchester Community Stadium back in late November.

That’s a remarkable run, all things considered, and shows that Colchester United games aren’t done until the final whistle has been blown. Bradford City fans, then, might not want to leave this one early…

Sifting through the data from such a noteworthy and consistent run of late drama, Colchester United have scored 5 and conceded 7 goals in the dying embers of a game, suggesting the frenetic action is just as chaotic and uncontrolled as our imaginations might imply. Bradford City, then, will do well to stay switched on – and possibly capitalize from – this astonishing run of form in the latter stages of the game.

All of that said, the other remarkable run of consistent outcomes is far less flattering for Danny Cowley’s new charges: 1 win in their last 11 league games is a record Cowley will want to end as soon as possible, though they will have had fewer better chances than last weekend’s tie against another side on ice cold form: Swindon Town. Cowley’s first and only game in charge to date, Colchester United came away from Wiltshire with just a point, one they rescued in the last minute. Still, a 2-2 draw certainly beats yet another defeat, of which Colchester United had suffered 8 in their previous 9 league games. The sole win during that period came against another side on truly dreadful form, Salford City.

It looks like Danny Cowley will have his work cut out for him, then, with his relegation-threatened Essex-based side. As far as the table goes, Colchester United are sat 6 points above the drop zone in 22nd place – but have also played 2 games more than both Sutton United and Forest Green Rovers, potentially diminishing that buffer entirely. Results are required right away, then, with just 19 games left to play.

Cowley, who turned the manager job at Bradford City down after Mark Hughes’ departure for geographic reasons, has landed a gig that looks to be an even bigger challenge in terms of turning results around. Can Danny and his brother, Nicky, steady the ship for Colchester United? Bringing in Conor Wilkinson from Motherwell has been an early piece of business in the January transfer window, the 28 year old arriving for an undisclosed fee. Wilkinson made his Colchester United debut in the Swindon Town game, coming on for Tom Hopper in the 68th minute, and setting up (sort of) fellow substitute Bradley Ihionvien for his dramatic equaliser on 90+4 (see video below).

While it’s hard to know exactly what to expect from Colchester United so soon after installing the Cowley brothers at the club, if their fight back from 2-0 down at Swindon Town shows us anything, it’s that there is some spirit still left in the camp. Colchester enjoyed the majority of possession (to the tune of 64 %), and the majority of the chances, and duly earned their point.

Don’t expect them to go down easily come Saturday afternoon. Do expect late drama, and do expect Cowley to try and improve on the horrible run of form under predecessor Matthew Etherington.



Swindon Town 2 – 2 Colchester United

BRADFORD CITY

Bradford City were booed off at home against Crawley Town following a 4-2 defeat, though in truth many had already filed out of the stadium long before the final whistle. It was a sour end to a run of 3 home ties from 4 games in the league, during which City failed to win any of them. A pair of draws against Morecambe and Stockport County weren’t so bad in isolation, but coupled with a dismal defeat and capitulation against Crawley Town, as well as an away defeat at Crewe Alexandra, it appears to have left a sour taste in the mouths of the Bradford City faithful.

This was probably not the best time, then, to sell first choice goalkeeper Harry Lewis, but time waits for no man in the January transfer window, and when Carlisle United swooped, CEO Ryan Sparks was keen to accept their as-yet-undisclosed offer. Graham Alexander quickly replaced him with 32 year old Sam Walker. Walker will be expected to take his place between the sticks for Bradford City having briefly provided cover for Charlton Athletic due to injuries this season, though he has had minimal game time since leaving Kilmarnock in the Summer, where he was a regular starter for the SPL side.

Sam Walker is no stranger to goalkeeper player-coach Colin Doyle, who played with him at Kilmarnock, also alongside City’s veteran centre back Ash Taylor.

At 6’6, Walker will cut an imposing figure in goal, and will line up against a former side: Walker managed a full 210 games in the blue and white of Colchester, and might be due a positive reception upon his return to the Colchester Community Stadium.

Aside from the change between the sticks, rumours continue to hover over the future of want-away striker Jake Young, who returned from his prolific loan spell at Swindon Town only to declare himself injured in training and apparently unfit to play. Whether Ryan Sparks and Stefan Rupp have a specific fee in mind for the 22 year old remains to be seen, but it seems unlikely that he will feature in this weekend’s game – or any other ahead of a permanent move elsewhere (or prior to the closing of the transfer window).

It's probably not the way Bradford City fans would prefer it, but it seems to be the reality of The Bantams’ current situation. Their best players are being sought by clubs further up the EFL pyramid, and Sparks and Alexander are all but powerless to resist – all Graham can do is line up replacements and hope for the best.

Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding recent results and players departing, Bradford City did pull off something of an upset over League One’s fourth-placed Derby County in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening. A 1-0 win was of great credit to a team that saw 7 changes from the 4-2 defeat at home to Crawley Town, and the likes of Harry Chapman, Sam Stubbs, Colin Doyle, Ash Taylor, Kevin McDonald, Bobby Pointon and Vadaine Oliver did their prospects of game time no harm at all with creditable performances. It was Stubbs that got the goal nodding home from a set piece, while Derby County failed to muster a single effort on target.

If Bradford City can replicate that performance on Saturday afternoon, they will every chance of coming away with a result – but trying to guess the line up Graham Alexander will go with is a tough prospect indeed. Will any of Tuesday night’s triumphant players get a start following the contrasting performances against Crawley Town and Derby County? Some City fans will certainly hope so…



Bradford City 2 – 4 Crawley Town

 

THE BREAKDOWN

11/4: Colchester United
11/4: Draw
10/11: Bradford City

Conceding 4 goals at home to Crawley Town and losing 4-2 after going 2-1 up in the 79th minute is, frankly, ridiculous.

Graham Alexander might have known that changes would need to be made to his starting XI going forward, but making so many for the Derby County EFL Trophy game looked like a bit of a risk. Even if Graham Alexander had prioritised league games, the players he selected on Tuesday evening certainly had no intentions of writing the Trophy competition off, and duly progressed to the quarter finals with a competent (and at times comfortable) 1-0 win.

Will that result be indicative of what we can expect on Saturday afternoon? Frankly, it’s too early to tell – and this isn’t just a Bradford City story, either, because there will be Danny Cowley looking for his first win as Colchester United boss in the home dug out. It looks like the kind of game where the form book might go out the window, or it might simply be that Colchester United’s poor run of form recently is more than just a managerial issue, and more a case of simply having a poor quality squad by League Two standards.

Whatever the case, both sides come into this clash on poor form, with fresh-faced managers no doubt keen to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. Bradford City come in as the bookies favourites despite being the away team, illustrating little confidence in Cowley’s work to turn the season around at this stage. That said, City were also significant favourites for the mid-table clash against Crawley Town, and yet their capitulation has seen them sink as low as 14th in the table.

Instead of being a top half team facing a relegation-threatened side, this game is now one between two struggling to make an impact on the league table. Both sides flounder in the wrong half of the table, though Bradford City remain 10 points above Colchester, and 16 above the relegation zone. The play offs, meanwhile, are just 5 points away, but could have been so much closer without the recent run of poor results.

Bradford City will need to find a way to replace the still-absent Jamie Walker (City haven’t won a game since his injury) and will be hoping Sam Walker can make a positive impression as he returns to face his old club. Other than that, recent results imply a low-scoring affair. Colchester United’s almost preternatural penchant for late goals adds a slight wrinkle of intrigue to the prediction, which will be a 1-1 draw that has the potential to disappoint both sets of fans equally.

PREDICTION:

Colchester United 1 – 1 Bradford City