The Voice - Match preview #42: Bradford City vs Stevenage Saturday 11th April 2026 3:00pm

When we do it its game management when the opposition do it its time wasting...

 

I’m not too despondent about today. Another day, we score first and that result is totally different. We were the much better team but lack of edge up front and, to be fair to them, some very good goal keeping and defending from their back line lost us the game.

Thought Tilt was class. No arguments with any of subs, just a shame about Bobby’s injury (he really shouldn’t have taken it of Sarce toes - it’s 1-0 if he doesn’t).

Weak decision on the Joe Wright disallowed goal. It’s never a foul but always will be given in favour of the keeping. We would be raging if it were the other way round.

Another weak goal to concede on our part - slow to second ball but fair play on Kemp. Hit the only part of the goal which wasn’t covered.

Disappointed cause of the result, but not one to lose sleep over

 

They play to their strengths and did so today. If we draw them in the playoffs we are gonna have to look at how we approach the game after todays showing.

 

To me, it was the Stevenage player having a kick at Tilt after the whistle had gone. It was sly and that's why Tilt and whoever was nearest to him in a City shirt reacted.

 

Blame the ref
Blame the Stevenage tactics
Blame the small away support

Why simply not blame ourselves for getting sucked into that dark arts shite ........ this is a team that others have had no real issues of beating them at home they aint good at all ...............we got it all wrong by allowing ourselves to be drawn into that crap ................ref cant stop balls being whipped in or shots on goals can he ?????

Could get angry at the ref or the dark arts bollocks but we all knew what was incoming didnt we ??????

 

All football fans are fickle

Shepherd/Tilt throw themselves to the floor - Brilliant way to buy a foul and diffuse an attack.

Opposition do it - Blatant cheating and should be carded.

It will never change.

 

Most pretty reasonable on here these days mind although claiming that Wright didn't foul their keeper is mental. He's literally caught it and then Wright's bundled into him no way near making any contact with the ball yet somehow it's a bad decision. Just seen the replay and it's not even debatable.

 

It was an easy yellow card for getting up and pushing the opponent under unsporting behaviour

 

If we had to play them I would prefer it to be Wembley home and away would be very difficult

 

I can accept it for the last half hour after they scored but they were doing it from the first whistle! Their whole strategy is around breaking up momentum and getting a smash and grab.
Their approach is obviously effective and no doubt they are very good at what they do but Im just glad I dont have to suffer that every week.

 

Yet another so called difficult team to play with a record of 1 win in there last 10 away games before today ..............thats right park 1 win from there last 10 away games so explain if they are so difficult to play why have they not won more than one away game from 10 ...............is it down to other teams not putting up with there shitehouse tactics ?????


Or is yet another case of you making out that yet another team aint that bad when the stats clearly say they are fooking shite away from home

 

Its effective when the odd team gets suckered into it because judging on there away form its far from effective

 

Up until recently you could say the same about us and our away form. Yet they still sit in 6th place with a very good chance of making the playoffs.

 

I do think it's getting worse these days, it seems these days any team that loses the first thought it is to blame the referee, I don't think there's been a loss this season that the Alexander hasn't tried to at least part blame the ref for. Like others have said it was a clear foul by Wright and if that was on Walker and the goal is allowed we are ranging and Alexander suddenly thinks it is a foul.
Decisions go for and against you, recently we've been on the right end of some errors with Baldwin being offside and escaping at least 1 red card against Burton.

 

As I posted when Bobby went off I thought the Lapslie sub was bazar, I would suggest most fans would have thought Jacko was the man to bring on, he was warming up not long after Bobby went down with his first injury so for me a simple sub Jacko taking the Humphry role with Humphrys drooping into the 10 role, if Jacko could not do the minutes which is something us fans would not know then that's different.
Lapslie didn't influence the game in any of his minutes on the pitch that's what was so baffling, I agree if you bring a player in who seen little first team football its difficult to get up to speed and influence the game.
I also agree with your sentiment with regards Sarcevic he can pick up on Bobby game and influence other players.
With regards our play off opponents the reason I prefer Stevenage would be because they have no players who can change a game imo unlike Diamond, Wootton etc, the times I've seen them on TV and against us they are very one dimensional but it works for them, I was hoping today we could have made a third place finish even more certain, there will still be plenty of strange results between now and 2nd May but today was certainly a chance missed.

 

I guess what Im saying is that its effective in that its got them to 6th in the table. Having sat through the game down at their place, they play the same way at home. On another day we win that game 1-0 but it would still be a horrible watch.

 

Our away form is pee poor but i would guess its a bit better than theres but what i hate is when folk mske out that somehow the way they play away from home is effective when it clearly aint ..............

 

Frustrating game. Fair play to Stevenage, they had a game plan and it worked pretty well. Annoying that we seemed to lose the mental battle by changing our approach in response to them, especially the decision to actively avoid putting the ball in the box.

Main positive for me is Jackson returning and looking pretty sharp. Getting him fit and firing for the final few games and playoffs is key.