The Voice - Match preview #45: Doncaster Rovers vs Bradford City Saturday 26th April 2025 12:30pm

EFL League Two Fixture #45
Saturday 26th April 2025 12:30
Doncaster Rovers (1st) vs Bradford City (3rd)
Eco-Power Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 36
Games Drawn: 26
Games Lost: 29

Last 5:
25 Feb 2023: Doncaster Rovers 0 – 1 Bradford City
22 Dec 2023: Doncaster Rovers 1 – 3 Bradford City
30 Jan 2024: Bradford City 1 – 0 Doncaster Rovers [EFL Trophy]
05 Mar 2024: Bradford City 1 – 1 Doncaster Rovers
26 Oct 2024: Bradford City 1 – 2 Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers
Unlike Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers have hit form as the season draws to it’s close. Their reward? Top spot as the table stands and an excellent chance to claim the League Two title. Unbeaten in 9 games, although 5 of those were draws, Doncaster Rovers nonetheless convincingly beat both Tranmere Rovers and Colchester United 3-0 recently as they took full advantage of the stuttering form of both Bradford City and Port Vale, while Walsall’s dismal run has seen them drop out of the automatic spots.

The job isn’t quite done though, either in terms of lifting the League Two trophy or securing automatic promotion given that 4th place Walsall are only 4 points behind. Doncaster Rovers most likely won’t feel comfortable until promotion is a mathematical certainty, and victory at home to fellow promotion-chasers Bradford City would make it so. If Port Vale were to lose away at AFC Wimbledon as well, the silverware would be theirs regardless of the efforts of the Saddlers, who face Accrington Stanley at home.

It's all to play for, then, for a side that must now feel their destiny is entirely within their own hands. Not only are they the form team, they are one of the few sides to beat Bradford City at Valley Parade this season. What's more, they won rather comfortably too despite the 2-1 scoreline. Luke Molyneux and Billy Sharp both netted once each, with Andy Cook getting a late consolation goal for the Bantams.

That absolutely does not mean Grant McCann’s side will be taking anything for granted here, and nor should we expect anything of the kind given the way they dismantled on-form Colchester United to follow up a convincing away win at Tranmere Rovers – and oh, what Bradford City fans would give to be able to watch their side claim a victory on the road like that!

The truth is, Doncaster Rovers deserve to be where they are. They are the third highest goalscorers in the division, behind only Walsall and Swindon Town, and have the joint second best Goal Difference. While Luke Molyneux hit a hattrick at Tranmere Rovers, they were able to call upon 3 separate goalscorers in the crushing home win over Colchester United: Harry Clifton, Jordan Gibson and Patrick Kelly contributing a goal a piece as they killed off the Essex-based side.

Having numerous goalscorers to call upon is not a new thing for Doncaster Rovers. Luke Molyneux (16) may lead the way, but Rob Street (9), Billy Sharp (8), Jordan Gibson (6) and Harry Clifton (6) all have very creditable tallies. Joe Ironside (4) may have had a disappointing season, but there’s also defenders Owen Bailey (5) and Joseph Olowu (3) to call upon. That leaves a lot of problems for this Bradford City side to resolve, and the fact is, the Bantams’ back line has been very porous lately with 8 goals shipped in their 2 away games.

That said, Doncaster Rovers’ defensive record isn’t particularly daunting either, and City themselves might fancy a goal or two themselves. We could be in for a thriller at the Eco-Power Stadium, when in reality both sets of fans would really rather some closure to an exhilarating season than yet another emotional rollercoaster!

It should be a cracker, and we can no doubt rely on Grant McCann’s men to play their part.

Doncaster Rovers 3 – 0 Colchester United


Tranmere Rovers 0 – 3 Doncaster Rovers


Bradford City:
There’s no getting around it, results have deteriorated at the exact wrong time for the Bantams. Defeat at Port Vale, a disastrous capitulation at Swindon Town, a rare home draw against Notts County, and the surrender of 2 separate 2 goal leads at Chesterfield have left Graham Alexander’s men on the cusp of settling for a playoff place rather than an automatic promotion spot.

That cusp of course relies on this weekend’s results. Bradford City have a monstrously difficult away day at new leaders Doncaster Rovers, while Walsall, just 1 point behind in 4th place, have an ‘easier’ tie at home to Accrington Stanley. The word easier sits within quotation marks for one simple reason: no game looks easy for the Saddlers at the minute, with a string of ‘easier’ games against the likes of Newport County, Harrogate Town, and Barrow producing a grand total of 2 points…

The issue now facing City is that even another draw at home to Accrington Stanley could see them leapfrog the Bantams at such a crucial time if Bradford City lose at on-form Doncaster – which seems feasible given City’s torrid time away from Valley Parade this season. Walsall would then hold the advantage going into the final game of the season with a superior Goal Difference of at least 3.

Neill Byrne is the latest personality to come out and tell the media that Saturday’s early afternoon fixture against Doncaster Rovers is ‘just another game’, but it’s an unconvincing narrative. There’s certainly no need for panic, the table is still in the Bantams favour after all, but for a fanbase that has just witnessed this City side show all kinds of second half nerves and throw away points in the dying moments of multiple games, I’m not sure anyone is buying this purported calm. If it settles the minds of the players somewhat, though, that will certainly do for now.

Assuming Walsall cannot suddenly materialize a win from their appalling run of form, Saturday’s fixture is less a ‘must win’ fixture and more a ‘must draw’ fixture – but if Walsall are able to win (and we won’t know until hours later), then City absolutely must match them. Scheduling dictates, then, that a win for the Bantams will be euphoric; a draw will make for a nervy late afternoon; and defeat will feel like a Bonafide disaster.

We know the stakes. Now it’s over to the players to stem the tide of not only their own mediocre form, but also the champagne football that Doncaster Rovers fans might expect after back-to-back 3-0 wins.

Chesterfield 3 – 3 Bradford City


Bradford City 1 – 1 Notts County


Prediction:
As much as the temptation is to make a morale-boosting prediction of a Bradford City win, it does seem slightly naïve to do so. Doncaster Rovers come in sizeable favourites with a price tag of just 6/5, while an away day success for the Bantams is priced at 11/5 – these odds implying they are expected to win less than 1 in every 3 fixtures under these circumstances. Worse, the draw odds of 12/5 suggest that’s even less likely.

Everything points to a Doncaster Rovers win. Veteran striker and perennial thorn-in-City’s-side Billy Sharp returns from his 3 match ban while City Captain Richie Smallwood does not. His catastrophically ill-timed red card can be argued to have cost City 7 points from the last 3 games, and victory without him seems like a distant fantasy now.

Whether we accept Smallwood is the lynchpin of this City midfield or not, the sheer lack of options available to Alexander in his absence are shocking. Khela has done a sterling job at times, but the young midfielder has not been trusted enough by Alexander to complete regular 90 minute games, and the players deputising for the Birmingham City loanee have been a combination of more attack-minded midfielders, centre backs, or even full backs – none of worked effectively.

But City must find a way to be competitive against a side that aren’t just top of the league, they are the third highest goalscorers overall, they are top of the xG table, they are top of the xGA table, and they are 1 of just 2 sides to beat City at Valley Parade in the league. The omens are dismal, they are glum, it’s miserable reading – but in City’s favour stands the fact they have been red hot front runners in recent games and have been rattling in plenty of goals of their own, even if they haven’t been able to prevent them going in at the other end later in the game. Of course, if Doncaster get off to a flyer themselves, there’s every chance City fall victim to some champagne football from the Champions elect – in which case, no scoreline is truly off the table.

The prediction, though, will be a 2-2 draw, a game of huge significance and immensely high stakes should produce some scintillating and terrifying moments at both ends. What happens after that is something City cannot influence at all, as all eyes will be fixed firmly on goings on at the Bescot for a 3 pm kick off. Will it be enough?

Final Score:
Doncaster Rovers 2 – 2 Bradford City