The Voice - Match preview Rochdale vs Bradford City Saturday 15th April 2023 @ 3:00pm

League Two Fixture #41

Saturday 15th April 2023 15:00
Rochdale (24th) vs Bradford City (6th)
Spotland Stadium

Most Recent Results:

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

Form: WDWDD

1: Rochdale 4 – 4 Swindon Town
2: Crawley Town 2 – 0 Rochdale
3: AFC Wimbledon 0 – 1 Rochdale
4: Rochdale 4 – 2 Walsall
5: Mansfield Town 1 – 1 Rochdale

Form: DWWLD

Head-to-Head Results:

Head-to-Head Form: LDWLW

29 Dec 2018: Rochdale 0 – 4 Bradford City
12 Nov 2019: Bradford City 1 – 2 Rochdale
02 Oct 2021: Bradford City 2 – 0 Rochdale
22 Jan 2022: Rochdale 0 – 0 Bradford City
10 Jan 2023: Bradford City 1 – 2 Rochdale

Head-to-Head Results (All Time):

Won: 48
Drawn: 22
Lost: 29

Biggest Margin of Victory:

29 Nov 1958: Bradford City 7 – 1 Rochdale
21 Sep 1968: Rochdale 6 – 0 Bradford City

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

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

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



Rochdale 2022/23:
Beware the 'New Manager Bounce', as Jimmy McNulty takes 7 points from a possible 9 in his first 3 games

Rochdale were dead and buried 3 weeks ago.

A limp defeat in a crucial game against relegation rivals Crawley Town left Rochdale 6 points adrift, and a full 10 points from safety with only 8 games to go. The fact Rochdale managed only 1 shot on target in a game of such magnitude told it's own tale.

Jim Bentley, the club's manager for just under 7 months, paid for his side's failure with his job. It wasn't entirely unexpected: not only were Rochdale bottom, but Bentley himself had accrued a win percentage of just 19.4 %. A horrible statistic for the former Morecambe and AFC Fylde boss, who might struggle to gain a foothold at another EFL club going forward.

Step forward Jimmy McNulty. Installed (for the second time) as the club's caretaker manager, the 8-season Rochdale veteran defender (still technically registered to play) took the reins on April 1st and served up anything but an April Fool's joke for the travelling Rochdale faithful, who saw the club record their first away win since they beat Bradford City on January 10, with a 1-0 victory at AFC Wimbledon.

Too little, too late?

Perhaps... but under McNulty, Rochdale have a renewed sense of purpose, and have achieved an 'us against the world' mentality. If they're to go down, they will go down on their shields. If the victory at Wimbledon was built on defensive determination (again, Rochdale only managed 1 shot on target), the following games was anything but: a 4-2 win at home against midtable Walsall saw Rochdale winning 2 in a row for the first time since October, and even when they travelled to in-form Mansfield Town for their third game under McNulty, they overcame the odds and walked away with a precious point.

7 points from a possible 9 under McNulty has reduced the arrears significantly. While they're still a good 5 points behind 2nd bottom Crawley Town, they are now just 6 from safety. The Great Escape, then, is very much on...

While on-form Mansfield Town peppered the Rochdale goal, Dale's equaliser through defender Owen Dodgson meant that Rochdale had converted 6 goals from a total of 7 shots on target across their three-game mini-revival. That's a phenomenal statistic, and one that surely cannot last in perpetuity.

It's been backs-to-the-wall stuff for the Lancashire side, who have leaned heavily on former Bradford City goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell, as well as forward Danny Lloyd lately, while evergreen striker Ian Henderson has also weighed in with a vital goal at Walsall. Resolute defending has been the name of the game, especially under a bombardment of 12 corners against Mansfield Town (compared to Rochdale's 1), while the 1-0 win at AFC Wimbledon was also fairly one-sided in the Dons' favour.

Can Rochdale keep up their 'bounce' and plough an unlikely furrow to safety under Jimmy McNulty? This one, needless to say, is a must-not-lose affair.

Bradford City 2022/23:
City effectively end Sutton United's promotion push with a deserved win – and 3 superb goals!

If Rochdale are fighting for their lives under a talismanic defender, Bradford City have been showing glimpses of stellar attacking form under a megastar forward in Mark Hughes. Sutton United were powerless to resist Bradford City on Easter Monday, with Scott Banks, Harry Chapman, and Andy Cook all scoring superb solo efforts in an entertaining, if one-sided, match.

Sutton would pull one back, a minor blow to City's ambitions in the goal difference column, but the result itself was never in doubt. A professional, educated, modern performance, The Bantams frequently exposed the laboured Sutton United back line, who look like they will welcome the Summer break and another fine achievement with a (potentially) top half League Two finish.

For Bradford City, there is more on the table: much more. With few players putting a foot wrong, save for an irregular error from Sam Stubbs and Harry Lewis that offered Sutton United a way back from the penalty spot while 1-0 down, it was clear The Bantams were in the mood to send a message to their promotion rivals: 'We are contenders'.

27 goal forward Andy Cook notched yet another, but it was the supplementary efforts from Scott Banks and Harry Chapman that underlined the fact that Bradford City were in the mood for more. Both excellent goals from the wingers, both delivered after cutting in from the flanks, the pair finally showed the potential they really do possess.

Chapman, in particular, was on form in terms of both his touch and attacking intent, yet Banks was every bit his match on the opposite side. With Cook in the middle, few defences would have been in for an easy ride, and Sutton United simply weren't up to the task.

This, now, is the mantra for Bradford City: no more focus on the plight of the opponents, no more indulging in narratives that don't apply to themselves. Yes, Sutton United needed a win to retain any hope of a play off finish; no, it did not matter.

More of the same, then, is required on Saturday.

Highlights:

Bradford City 3 – 1 Sutton United



Rochdale 1 – 1 Mansfield Town



Bradford City 1 – 2 Rochdale



Outlook:

Forget storylines, forget narratives, forget aims and ambitions. Forget that this is a 'must win' game for both sides, each desperate to accomplish a goal that remains within reach for either.

This is about ability, professionalism, game management, and desire. With Bradford City putting in arguably their finest performance of the season against a good Sutton United side, now is the time to become the juggernaut this club genuinely can be at this level.

Rochdale will not go down lightly: they are unbeaten under their new manager, Jimmy McNulty, and put 4 past Walsall. They have been extremely efficient up front, and have defended with a resoluteness that was not present in the final games under Jim Bentley. Their chances of bagging a goal, and defending their own, are as good as they have been all season.

That said, Harry Chapman put in a wonderful display and capped it with a superb finish, something he has failed to do all season. In the previous home game, Alex Gilliead netted a rare finish against Grimsby Town. Scott Banks got back on the score sheet, and finally overtook Tyreik Wright as the club's second best goalscorer. Andy Cook, naturally, added a third just for good measure.

Richie Smallwood put in his best performance in some time, and Romoney Crichlow looked superb deputising for the suspended Matty Platt (who remains suspended for this fixture). Had Harry Lewis and Sam Stubbs not made an error for the penalty, wasted by former Bantam Lee Angol, the back four would have earned even more plaudits despite switching off late on as Omar Bugiel netted an inconsequential consolation.

This was a Bradford City side that didn't need masses of alterations in the second half to really get going: they were at it hard, and early.

If they deliver the same level of performance at Rochdale, they will blow them away. Rochdale will do everything in their power to prevent that, and more power to them, but there is a reason they are 24th in the League Two table – and there's a reason Bradford City are unbeaten in 10.

And there's also the fact that when City play Rochdale twice in a season, the result is rarely ever repeated.

A defeat at home could just as easily be followed by a crushing away win – and if the past few seasons are anything to go by, that's not a bad bet.

Odds:

5/2: Rochdale
11/5: Draw
23/20: Bradford City

Predicted Outcome (THE VOICE):

Rochdale 1 – 4 Bradford City