The Voice - Match preview #12: Bradford City vs Barnsley Saturday 18th October 2025 3:00pm

I thought it was a really good team, they played the better football and looked a threat but we had the better chances although most of them were half chances at most. Both teams looked like they wanted to win the game in particular Barnsley who were running off for subs and when we had a corner late on they were trying to get the ball back to us to take it.
I mentioned this a month or so ago on here but defensively I do worry and if I was the opposition I would be confident of getting at least 1 goal against us every game, we need to start picking up clean sheets if we want to stay in the top 6 as it's not sustainable to be going into every game needing 2 or 3 goals to win.
Overall I think it's another positive result and it shows how far we've come that we are disappointed with only a point. 2 big games coming up and if we can get 2+ points from them I think it's a decent return, it would put us in a good position and should further the confidence that we can compete with anyone in the league. They'll both be the opposite to today with both happy to sit back and playing it longer rather than passes through midfield.

 

I thought the same about the lack of appeal, Swan and the other players nearby barely reacted to it and you can normally tell from a player whether it's a hopeful appeal or a real appeal

 

Just got back and wanted to say what a fantastic game of football. Blood and thunder game, end to end, chances a plenty. A really enjoyable afternoon.

 

Kav plays his first league game , he was out on his feet! Substitutions on far too late.

 

Your bang right but it dont half make for good games .............maybe the reason we are looking more threatening upfront is down to GA not wanting to rely on our defence which lets be right is nothing near full strength yet.
We havd come up against teams that should be in the mix come the end of the season and we have more than matched every one of them.

 

Look at the number of chances we are creating. GA said our XG was 3.5 ish and their 0.8 It's a great time to be a City fan right now. Top 3 with a patched up defence doing the best they can.

Don't forget they are an established league 1 squad and looked average at best overall. I think they literally scored with their only shots on target today.One was a worldy from inside his own half!!

I did note Power and Sarc were bollocking Neufville a lot second half-perhaps not covering enough down the right leaving Wright one on one v their pacy striker.

Great Yorkshire derby atmosphere-really missed that in recent years.

Someone said the ref had a great game-he had a shocker. Missed that forearm smash though at one of our corners later on in the first half-common assault I would call it. Swan was upended in the box late on second half. And their 48 thought we were playing WWF such were the ferocity of his sliding tackles. I counted at least 2 where a decent ref would have had a word of warning.

Onwards to Stevenage.

 

Hi all Bradford fans . Barnsley fan here enjoyed the game today , happy with the point thought it was an entertaining game. You peppered our goal at the end and impressed with your team can’t see you boys not challenging for automatics.
Good luck for rest of season apart from when you play us or if we meet in playoffs.

 

Fully agree on the clean sheets point. Obviously it doesn't help with how often the back 3 are changing, but every single one of them have been given a chance to win a starting shirt and not many string good performances together. If we had some consistent defensive play, we'd be clear top for my money.

 

Entertaining game with the old adage that if you don't take your chances it will bite you on the arse. Credit to Barnsley for coming back but Humphrys miss at 2-1 cost us all three points. Two points dropped really.
Mentions to Power and Touray, consistently up there for motm. decent shift from Kavanagh. And i think it will be a long time before i see a goal like that again, would love to see the view from the Bradford end for it.

 

I thought Barnsley were the best team apart from City that I have seen this season.
It was a great game, but I think Alexander will be fuming about both of their goals.
If only Josh Neufville had scored instead of hitting the bar right at the end the noise would have been unbelievable.
Max Power definitely MOTM, his quick thinking for Humphrys' goal was first rate.

 

I honestly was “asking” for those changes 10 minutes earlier !

 

I was screaming 'yesssss' before he'd even hit it. Looked certain to score. Would've been a perfect end. We came really close! Like others have said it was a really good game. We went completely flat early second half but had loads of chances at the end. We look phenomenal at home.

2 huge games coming up. I'd take 3 points out of the 2 games tbh.

 

Any draw is two points dropped in fairness. We have to give credit to them as well , in equal measure , to ourselves . Not honestly seeing where beating Byrne up comes into it…easy scapegoat I suggest?

 

Great strike from their lad, really questionable choices by Walker. Watching it back, he's in a good position really. It just feels like he didn't backtrack quick enough, then realised he needs to move quicker but completely loses the ball when he turns around, then it looks like he tries catching it on the line rather than try push it over? Again, nothing away from the strike its probably the best hit of his life, but Walker maybe could have at least tracked it better to give himself a better chance.

 

I watched Lincoln v Stevenage this lunch time. Aside from being a complete bore festival, I came to the conclusion that we have nothing to fear from either. Lincoln seem to need 15 shots before they can score. Stevenage likely to be a bit trickier, they will sit in and want teams to attack and hit them on the break, we need to get at them quickly early on.
I'd be looking at 6 points to be honest.

 

Spot on Gaz, I have to keep pinching myself . A great time to be a “City’ fan!

 

I'm not beating on Byrne? My point was I find hard it hard to believe that of the attacks down the right, the plan we'd work on this week in training was not to have Neufville, Sarcevic or a midfielder getting in it, it was Byrne crossing it again and again. Feels like we couldn't get our guys on the ball as much as we'd hoped and the wide CBs were crossing it far too much. McIntyre was similar on the left.

 

Cracking game of football with some great goals, one in particular you won’t see again for many seasons. It ebbed and flowed and thought Barnsley would sneak a winner when it was 2-2 but then we came back in last 15 minutes and had chances to get a winner. A credit to two very good teams and without doubt City belong in the upper reaches of this league.

 

You might not be to that extent , but some are and we have to realise he’s a cover player , covering for injuries. We are getting our fair share at the moment in the back line…others have yet to! Our strength in depth is as good as anyone in this division , Byrne is part of it , not a first choice for sure, but capable cover nevertheless. Take Shep out of Barnsley’s back line and they are nothing …. Take Pergianni out of Stevenage’s back line , the same …. There are many more sides yet to lose critical players for sure.

 

Talking of Shepherd, I thought his show of appreciation for the City fans before kick off was class. Glad it was reciprocated, mostly.
I half think he wishes he was still with us.