The Voice - Match preview #2: Sheffield Wednesday vs Bradford City Thursday 20th August 2026 8:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #2
Thursday 20th August 2026 20:00
Sheffield Wednesday vs Bradford City
Hillsborough Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 15
Games Drawn: 12
Games Lost: 12

Last 5:
18 Mar 2003: Bradford City 1 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday
23 Oct 2004: Bradford City 3 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday
12 Feb 2005: Sheffield Wednesday 1 – 2 Bradford City
30 Aug 2011: Bradford City 0 – 0 Sheffield Wednesday [EFL Trophy, City win on Pens]
30 Aug 2022: Bradford City 3 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday [EFL Trophy]

Sheffield Wednesday:
Henrik Pedersen’s managerial record at Sheffield Wednesday suffered greatly last season due in no small part to the financial misfortunes headed by owner Dejphon Chansiri. Heading into the new season with a 12 point deduction, City’s South Yorkshire neighbours’ task of trying to survive in the Championship was made even harder when a further 6 points were added for additional late payments. The Dane, besieged as he was, was able to pick up just 2 wins from 50 outings – though Wednesday did enjoy penalty shootout victories against both Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United in the EFL Cup – ending up with a final points tally of… zero.

A transfer embargo limited Wednesday’s ability to improve, and though the club was eventually sold to Arise Capital Partners LLC in May (after a string of other would-be purchasers had been rebuffed), their miserable final season in the second tier had long since come to an end. Now, with David Bruce as CEO, Sheffield Wednesday are looking to make up for lost time – and make amends to their long-suffering fans – by achieving promotion out of League One at the first time of asking.

Last season’s top scorer, Jamal Lowe (5 in all competitions) has already netted twice this season, including the only goal in a 1-0 EFL Cup win over Championship new boys Bolton Wanderers as well as a 66th minute penalty to clinch victory at Brisbane Road this past weekend. He will now be looking at a home tie with Bradford City – moved to Thursday night for the Sky Sports cameras – as a chance to further cement his status as one of League One’s top marksmen.

He will likely be flanked by Callum Slattery, who also got off the mark at Leyton Orient, and 17 year old Leeds United loanee Harry Gray. In midfield, Tyler Onyango is less likely to start after picking up a knee injury in his first start for his new club, possibly opening the door for 20 year old home grown talent Jarvis Thornton to reclaim his spot. Belgian Jordi Liongola, Owls’ talisman Barry Bannan, and left-sided midfielder Max Lowe will all be vying for a third straight start.

In defence, you can expect 21 year old Gabriel Otegbayo, 22 year old Sil Swinkels, and either veteran Liam Palmer or Yan Valery, with journeyman keeper Joe Lumley in goal. Familiar names off the bench will be Mason Burstow (of Bolton Wanderers last season, now on loan at Wednesday from parent club Hull City), Louie Barry (signed from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee after a loan at Stockport County last season, and a man who made an excellent impact off the bench at Orient), former Leeds United veteran Liam Cooper, as well as perennial back-up stopper Connal Trueman.

How good Sheffield Wednesday turn out to be this campaign will depend on how their blend of youth and experience holds up to the rigours of a full campaign, but Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens was full of praise for the Owls: “They suffocated us [in the last 15 minutes], making good decision after good decision”. He added: “Every time we were trying to get a pass in, they put it back in or made a foul to break the game up. They slowed the game down.”

Wednesday would love to do that against Bradford City, too, though a jam-packed Hillsborough Stadium and all the promise of a full-blooded Yorkshire derby may make efficient and effective game management just that little bit tougher. If Wednesday do get ahead, though, they have some extremely experienced players who know exactly what to do to see out a game of football.

Leyton Orient 1 – 2 Sheffield Wednesday


Sheffield Wednesday 1 – 0 Bolton Wanderers [EFL Cup]


Bradford City:
Bradford City have made a perfect start to the 26/27 season with back-to-back 2-0 wins over League Two Rochdale and last season’s 18th place League One finishers Peterborough United. Caveat that, however, with the likelihood that neither side will represent City’s toughest challenge of the season and it is important City’s players and fans alike keep their feet firmly on the ground!

This Thursday evening will, by contrast to those aforementioned openers, represent a massive challenge to this Bantams side in more ways than one. Not only are the former Premier League and Championship giants off to a good start themselves, but the prospect of playing in front of the biggest crowd of the season with more than 31,000 fans in attendance will represent its own challenge even to City’s most experienced stalwarts – a figure that only Wolves, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City could match out of all 12 Championship games this past weekend.

While daunting, City’s new boys will have relished playing in front of more than 19,000 Bantams fans on Saturday afternoon, and such fixtures are the reason we all love this game so much. With serious Yorkshire bragging rights on the line, this will be one to savour whether in the stand, on the pitch, or in the pub – and while City’s away record hasn’t always been as reliable as their home record under Graham Alexander, one can certainly expect this City side to give it their all. After all, the Bantams relished early season away days at Blackburn Rovers [EFL Cup], Stockport County, Stoke City [EFL Cup], and Cardiff City, winning all 4 by mid-September.

While certain other results and performances (Northampton Town away, Doncaster Rovers away, and Rotherham United away, for example) were much less impressive, there’s no denying Alexander’s ability to raise the levels of his players in those key ties against the big boys. Expect more of the same, then, with City likely to give as good as they get and seek to hurt Wednesday with – hopefully – a more balanced front line.

The temptation to bring Bobby Pointon back into the starting line up must be sorely tempting after disappointing outings by both Will Swan and Kayden Jackson, though whether Adam Phillips is deemed ready for his first competitive start remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, we can expect a motivated City side trying their level best to live up to their billing as one of the division’s most competitive sides. Getting a result at Wednesday would go a long way to showing last season was far from an anomaly, and that time and money has been invested wisely in astute signings in key areas of the pitch. Even so, one wonders if this might be an evening for 24/25 promotion heroes Bobby Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic, who have taken to life at the top end of League One like ducks to water.

Bradford City 2 – 0 Peterborough United


Bradford City 2 – 0 Rochdale [EFL Cup]

 

Prediction:
It’s perhaps surprising that the 2 sides that will clash on Thursday night have only met 39 times in their respective histories, with Bradford City enjoying the lion’s share of success both historically and recently. That said, they haven’t met in league action since 2005, again in League One, when City managed a home-and-away double despite Wednesday finishing 5th to City’s 11th and achieving promotion via the play offs.

The likes of Michael Symes, Nicky Summerbee, Dean Windass and Owen Morrison all conspired to enact Wednesday’s downfall across both games that season, and City fans would love a repeat 21 seasons later – though this time they would no doubt prefer if the final league positions were reversed!

That will be easier said than done, though. While City have enjoyed a perfect start with a pair of 2-0 victories over Rochdale and Peterborough United (both at home), this one promises to be an altogether different challenge. Sheffield Wednesday, like the Bantams, have won both their opening outings so far this season – including a 1-0 cup win over Championship Bolton Wanderers, and a 2-1 win away at Leyton Orient. Now, they will host City at an expected full-to-capacity Hillsborough Stadium, where over 30,000 tickets had been sold heading into the weekend just gone, and another 1,500 expected to go in the coming days.

Optimism is at an all-time high among Wednesday fans who have collectively snapped up over 24,000 season tickets, and despite some rather expensive away ticket pricing of £35.50, City fans are likely to revel in and contribute to what promises to be an electric atmosphere. Which side can hold it together best? Will Wednesday’s youngsters come unstuck, or will the senior players help them keep their nerve? Likewise, will City’s more tempestuous personalities like Kayden Jackson get a start and contribute positively, and will their higher average age contribute to a mature away performance?

There are many questions to be answered, but I am going to predict an exciting 2-2 draw, with both sides having real periods of good play, but with defensive frailties also rearing their heads. City were lucky to come away from their league opener against Peterborough United with a clean sheet, and that’s despite looking comfortable for large portions of the game. Harry Leonard was unlucky not to score when his shot was deflected onto the crossbar by Jon McCracken, and there were other scrambles to boot – and while City did hang firm, they didn’t look the most comfortable when stretched by the pace of Peterborough’s attackers. Against Sheffield Wednesday, those tests will be even more severe. I think the defence creaks and eventually cracks, but I do think City can give as good as they get. A win here for a side who haven’t been the most comfortable on the road under Graham Alexander will have things looking really positive for a side looking to go one better than last season and achieve automatic promotion.

Final Score:
Sheffield Wednesday 2 – 2 Bradford City