The Voice - Match preview Mansfield Town vs Bradford City Tuesday 8th November @ 7:45pm

League Two Fixture #17

Tuesday 8th November 19:45
Mansfield Town vs Bradford City
Field Mill (AKA One Call Stadium)

Most Recent Results:

1: Bradford City 0 – 1 Stockport County
2: Salford City 0 – 1 Bradford City
3: Grimsby Town 0 – 0 Bradford City
4: Bradford City 1 – 1 Swindon Town
5: Bradford City 1 – 1 Crawley Town

Form: DDDWL

1: Barrow 0 – 1 Mansfield Town
2: Mansfield Town 2 – 1 Walsall
3: Crawley Town 3 – 2 Mansfield Town
4: Mansfield Town 0 – 0 Newport County
5: Mansfield Town 2 – 5 Swindon Town

Form: LDLWW

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form: LWWWL

25 Jan 2020: Mansfield Town (Rose 7, Maynard 43, Cook 77) 3 – 0 Bradford City [League Two]
17 Oct 2020: Mansfield Town (Lapslie 78 RED, Cook 85) 1 – 3 (Stech 8 og, Wood 14, Donaldson 69) Bradford City [League Two]
02 Mar 2021: Bradford City (Rowe 32) 1 – 0 (O Clarke 90+5 RED) Mansfield Town [League Two]
21 Aug 2021: Mansfield Town (Hawkins 37, 52) 2 – 3 (P O'Connor 19, Vernam 61, Cook 87) Bradford City [League Two]
26 Feb 2022: Bradford City 0 – 2 (Oates 44, Longstaff 48) Mansfield Town [League Two]

Head-to-Head Results (All Time):

Won: 27
Drawn: 17
Lost: 24

Biggest Margin of Victory:

10 Mar 1962: Bradford City 6 – 1 Mansfield Town

Spoiler: Historic Results Analysis

Draws are the least common outcome of a Bradford City-Mansfield Town encounter, and none of the 7 meetings have ended in a stalemate. During that time, Bradford City hold a slender advantage of 4 wins and 3 defeats in a tie that has historically been extremely competitive.

In recent decades, the clubs have been infrequent opponents, clashing for the past 3 seasons after an 11 year gap. Prior to the ties in the 2007/8 season, the two had not met for a further 14 years.

The highest concentration of meetings per decade came in the 1950's – the two clubs played 23 times, with Bradford City amassing 9 wins, 7 draws and 7 defeats. Even back then, the odds did not favour a stalemate.

While Bradford City have enjoyed a narrow lead in the 'all time' stakes against Mansfield Town, neither side has ever really asserted their dominance over the other. This is a classic back-and-forth encounter, with both sides able to score victories over the other without ever establishing a significant pattern or sense of momentum.

Mansfield Town 2022/23:

Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town have hit a rough patch of form in the league, picking up just 1 point from the past three league games. A 1-0 win away at Barrow in the FA Cup is unlikely to gloss over the problems Mansfield Town have faced, particularly defensively, with Swindon Town rattling in 5 at Field Mill, and Crawley Town netting 3 in the away fixture on the 22nd October.

Those two defeats came either side of a 0-0 draw at home to Newport County, which marked the first time Mansfield Town have failed to register a goal since a scoreless draw at home to Carlisle United in early September – but while goals have not been much of a problem for Mansfield Town this season, they are far from water-tight at the back.

In fact, Mansfield Town's tally of 25 league goals scored is the third highest in the division – an achievement for a club presently sitting in 9th place – and yet only 7 teams have conceded more than the 21 goals they have let in. Needless to say, Mansfield Town fans have not exactly been starved of goals. In fact, only Northampton Town (48) have seen more goals overall than Mansfield Town (46)!

Mansfield Town's home games in particular have been abundant in terms of goalmouth excitement. In just 8 games, Mansfield fans have been treated to 25 goals (14 for, 11 against), more than 3 goals per game on average. Yet the 5-2 defeat at Field Mill to Swindon Town remains their only home defeat of the season, and saw Town reduced to 10 men whilst already trailing 3-2. Perhaps, then, the result (and performance) is something of an anomaly. By contrast, Mansfield Town have notched up 4 wins and 3 draws at Field Mill, putting them 10th in the table for home games alone.

Goals, then, will be expected when Mansfield Town entertain Bradford City – only for Bradford City fans, goals have dried up somewhat rapidly of late.

The question for Mansfield Town fans, then, will revolve around whether to expect a goal-fest like the Swindon Town home game, or a goalless encounter like the home game that preceded it against Newport County...

A lot of that might depend on whether Nigel Clough's side are able to dictate their own style of play successfully or not. Clough's men like to enjoy the majority of possession, much like their West Yorkshire opponents, frequently recording possession percentages of higher than 60 % - particularly at home. If they can do the same against The Bantams, the game will be played according to their own script – unlike the Swindon Town game, where possession was surrendered for the majority of the game, at great expense.

Bradford City 2022/23:

A first round FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two strugglers Harrogate Town was more than the Valley Parade faithful could endure on Saturday, as the boos rained down for the first time this season. A 1-0 loss against a team Mark Hughes' men defeated in the league just last month was made all the less acceptable by the fact Bradford City didn't manage a single shot on target.

A massive response, then, will be expected in this rearranged fixture at Mansfield Town – but whether or not Bradford City are capable of such, given their increasingly poor output, is another question.

Having scored just 3 goals in their last 7 games across all competitions, Bradford City find themselves at the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum compared to their Nottinghamshire-based opponents – and that's something that simply will not be allowed to continue as far as Bantams fans are concerned.

Will City snap out of their pedestrian pace and poor goal return? Will Hughes make changes to a starting XI that has, lately, consistently disappointed? Or will the manager expect his chosen starting line up to dig themselves out of the hole they now find themselves in?

For all the negativity in those questions, however, the fact remains City are still 6th in the table – albeit on the same points as 9th placed Mansfield Town. The automatic spots are still far from a distant dream, with Northampton Town 5 points ahead but having played a game more, and on stuttering form with just 1 win in their last 5 games. A win at Field Mill, and things will still look remarkably rosy.

Everything, then, depends on City's ability to turn the corner in front of goal.

Defensively, Bradford City remain resolute; they have not conceded more than a single goal in a league game since a 2-2 home draw against AFC Wimbledon in late September, and Barrow are the only other side to have managed to score more than 1 in the league against Mark Hughes' men in the second game of the season.

Nobody else has managed – or even threatened – to blow City away.

Gauging the confidence of a gun-shy City side is imperative when it comes to making a prediction for the upcoming game. If the boos and negativity have had an effect on the mindset of Bradford City's players, perhaps we can expect them to draw further into their shells; however, if the players are more determined than ever to make a mark in front of goal, perhaps a morale-boosting win is on the cards after all...

Recent Highlights:

Bradford City 0 - 1 Harrogate Town



Bradford City 1 - 1 Crawley Town



Barrow 0 - 1 Mansfield Town



Mansfield Town 2 - 5 Swindon Town



Outlook:

Possession will be key in this game. Mansfield Town are least effective when starved of the ball, so even if Bradford City fans have grown weary of extended periods of possession, Tuesday night is not the night to give up on that style of play.

That said, Bradford City have looked at their best on the road, with 4 wins and a draw from their opening 7 away league fixtures, a superior points-per-game haul than they have managed at Valley Parade. Perhaps that is a result of teams attacking Bradford City more; certainly City have been good on the counter this season, and if Mansfield Town get stuck in to Bradford, perhaps that will suit the boys in Claret and Amber.

Either way, the table is set: both sides are looking to respond to recent poor league form, one with an eye on their defensive capabilities, the other looking to address their impotence in front of goal.

It's a tough one to call for various reasons, but given that Mansfield Town have won just 1 of their last 5 home games, Bradford City may represent great value at odds of 3-1 – but perhaps a draw is the more likely outcome...

Odds:

19/20: Mansfield Town
5/2: Draw
3-1: Bradford City

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Mansfield Town 1-1 Bradford City