The Voice - Match preview Doncaster Rovers vs Bradford City Friday 22nd December @ 7:45pm

EFL LEAGUE TWO FIXTURE #22

Friday 22nd December 2023 19:45
Doncaster Rovers (19th) vs Bradford City (14th)
Eco-Power Stadium (AKA Keepmoat Stadium)

22/23 Results:

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

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

Won: 34
Drawn: 25
Lost: 28

Current League Form:

Bradford City: WWWLL
Doncaster Rovers: LDWLL

DONCASTER ROVERS

Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann pledged to make his players rewatch their ‘shocking’ 5-0 defeat at home to out-of-form Morecambe rather than give them their usual Sunday off, such was the strength of feeling after getting ‘absolutely battered’. McCann accused his players of pulling out of challenges, a red line he deemed ‘not acceptable’ from any of his football teams, but the ex-Peterborough United manager also said his side would start afresh on Monday – with, he will no doubt be hoping, a new zest for the battle that awaits them on Friday afternoon.

That shocking result may be their heaviest defeat of the season, but Doncaster Rovers have at least been good enough to pull away from any imminent sense of relegation danger after making a woeful start that saw them lose 5 of their opening 7 league games. Since then, Doncaster have rallied, getting the better of sides either floundering in the bottom half of the League Two table, or at least struggling for form.

Doncaster Rovers’ home form has been cause for some optimism, losing just 4 of their opening 11 league games at the Eco-Power Stadium, while away from home the Dons have picked up just 7 points from a possible 30. Still, the Eco-Power Stadium was the site of their most humbling defeat of the season so far, surpassing even an early-season 4-0 hammering at Newport County. The good news for eagle-eyed Doncaster Rovers fans is that after each of their heaviest league defeats of the season, including both the 4-0 defeat in North Wales as well as a 3-0 bruising at home to Salford City, the Rovers have managed to avoid defeat in the following fixture.

While McCann has been man enough to admit his side can beat anyone in the division but are also capable of getting battered by pretty much anyone, so far the club have managed to keep a lid on things. No string of hammerings has yet happened, but Bradford City will certainly have designs on compounding McCann’s misery as they enjoy their best form of the season.

Perhaps that is one reason why Grant was so determined to ‘debrief’ the 5-0 thrashing as soon as possible. Any similar level of performance at home to a born-again Bradford City might see Graham Alexander’s men repeating the feat of Morecambe last Saturday afternoon…

Certainly Doncaster Rovers have 2 good attacking options in forwards Joe Ironside (8) and Mo Faal (7), both have whom have enjoyed respectable form in front of goal so far this season, but it is more steel that is being demanded right across the pitch. Ever-present players such as Luke Bailey, Luke Molyneux, and Joe Ironside will be eager to put last weekend’s performance behind them, as will players like Mo Faal and George Broadbent who have both missed just one league game this season.

Defensively, though, things haven’t been great for Doncaster Rovers this season despite a relatively settled midfield and front line. Doncaster have, in truth, had a heavily disrupted campaign thus far, and at one point Grant McCann was keen to play down the absence of no fewer than 14 first team players. Never one to feel sorry himself, McCann has fielded the best players available to him, and as some returned from injury, prospects improved.

That Morecambe result, though, will sting for as long as it remains in the back of the Doncaster Rovers’ players’ minds. Putting it right against Bradford City on Friday afternoon is imperative, and McCann will be demanding far more backbone from his players. The question is, does he get that much as he has after heavy defeats previously this season, or will his players be suffering a hangover of that demoralising battering?



Doncaster Rovers 0 – 5 Morecambe

BRADFORD CITY

Bradford City have now won 5 straight games, which was almost unthinkable under the far more conservative reign of former manager Mark Hughes. While Hughes had made his side difficult to beat at times, the players look to be enjoying a new lease of life under Graham Alexander, evidenced not only by 4 consecutive clean sheets, but also by scoring with far greater regularity.

There was a time when Bradford City were almost guaranteed to score 1 goal – and only 1 goal – in a game. Now, though, they have smashed in 15 goals in their past 5 outings across both league and cup, and even taking the EFL Trophy games out of the equation, they have managed 6 goals without reply against all of Accrington Stanley, Forest Green Rovers, and Gillingham.

The 2-0 win down in Kent was perhaps the most impressive so far under Graham Alexander; while there was little wrong with the 1-0 home win over Accrington Stanley or the 3-0 trouncing of struggling Forest Green Rovers, this was a result that evidenced a combination of grit and determination at the back and a genuine killer instinct going forward. Goals for Jamie Walker and Andy Cook will be extremely welcome, given both also scored in the previous league game against Forest Green – but moreover, Andy Cook has now netted in all 3 of his previous games, and 4 in his last 5 outings.

While Cook has had his share of critics, there are signs that last season’s golden boot winner is getting back to his best form. Last term there was almost an inevitability that Cook would get his name on the scoresheet, and certainly now it’s hard to look past him once again. An even more promising sign, though, is that not only is Cook back to scoring almost a goal a game across his last 5 appearances, that isn’t detracting from other players finding the net – something that hampered Bradford City last season, and ultimately probably cost them automatic promotion.

It's one thing to have a reliable hot shot leading the forward line, but unless others are also able to chip in, there’s simply too much reliance on having a watertight backline. While Bradford City weren’t defensively hopeless under Mark Hughes by any means, something that Graham Alexander and his players have openly talked about recently is the collective responsibility for scoring goals, arriving in the box at the right moment, and making the most out of set pieces.

So far, so good then for Graham Alexander’s style of play. Gillingham certainly had their chances, and Macauley Bonne in particular was brilliantly thwarted by a back-to-form Harry Lewis in the City goal, but the at-times brusque defending of the Bantams ultimately paid off – much to the chagrin of the home crowd!

A back 3 of Matty Platt, Ciaran Kelly and Jonathan Tomkinson was almost inconceivable prior to Graham Alexander’s arrival at Valley Parade, but the early signs are that it looks as good as any backline City have fielded all season – particularly given they are playing to their strengths, as opposed to a defensive-possession based style more suited to Premier League and Championship-level players.

The question now is, can Graham Alexander keep the feel good factor going? Certainly City have the momentum, but as Grant McCann pointed out, anybody can beat anybody at this level, and a run of 5 wins can be snapped in any given game – but for now, things are looking up, and Bantams fans once again point to the ever-shrinking gap between themselves and the play offs. City may be as low as 14th in the League Two table, but being just 3 points of 7th is certainly an exciting new reality for a team freshly imbued with attacking intent and goalscoring prowess – as well as defensive solidity.



Gillingham 0 – 2 Bradford City