Match Thread #39: Burton Albion vs Bradford City Saturday 21st March 2026 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #39
Saturday 21st March 2026 15:00
Burton Albion (18th) vs Bradford City (4th)
Pirelli Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 6
Games Drawn: 6
Games Lost: 6

Last 5:
08 Mar 2016: Bradford City 2 – 0 Burton Albion
21 Aug 2018: Bradford City 1 – 0 Burton Albion
26 Jan 2019: Burton Albion 1 – 1 Bradford City
18 Oct 2022: Burton Albion 4 – 0 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]
08 Nov 2025: Bradford City 1 – 2 Burton Albion

Burton Albion:
One of only two sides to beat Bradford City at Valley Parade in league action this season, Burton Albion have been creeping towards League One safety this season, winning 3, drawing 3, and losing 3 across their last 9 league games. Victories over Rotherham United (1-0), Stockport County (3-0) and Northampton Town (2-0) give enough of an indication that Burton can be a threat to most teams in the division, but their inconsistency has been their undoing. Wycombe Wanderers (0-3), Stevenage (0-1) and Reading (1-2) all recorded victories over the Brewers, a side who are as apt to beat a highflyer as they are to struggle with a side at the foot of the table.

Consider that Burton drew home and away against relegation near-certainties Port Vale, but have put 3 past all of Stockport County, Huddersfield Town, and Bolton Wanderers, and you can see that the form of the opposition matters little to Gary Bowyer’s outfit. Indeed Bradford City’s imperious home record, the second best in the division on a points-per-game basis, only holds two blemishes: automatic promotion favourites Cardiff City and… Burton Albion.

Top scorer Jake Beesley (13) has been critical to Burton’s success this campaign, and he duly attracted the interest of several League One rivals in the January transfer window but has stuck to his task at the Pirelli. While Luton Town, Stevenage and, yes, Bradford City have all been linked with the hotshot, none managed to prise him free of Bowyer’s grasp, and the forward remains contracted until at least 2027. Behind him, Tyrese Shade (8), Charlie Webster (4) and Kyran Lofthouse (4) represent Burton’s next best goal threats in a side sat just 2 points above the dreaded drop zone. Every win is crucial for the Brewers, and surprise victories over promotion contenders have contributed significantly to their survival prospects.

One might have expected Burton Albion to have a chance against 6th place Reading last time out, then, and despite the 2-1 defeat, the Brewers had several gilt-edged chances either side of a George Evans screamer that opened the scoring. An equally good goal from Kamari Doyle levelled the scores, however, before Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan profited from some less-than-stellar goalkeeping from on loan Coventry City goalkeeper Bradley Collins, whose attempted punch found nothing but air, allowing the Reading striker to head into an empty net. Burton Albion did still look dangerous at times but ultimately failed to build on their 2-0 away win at Northampton Town.

Failures at home have been a persistent theme for Burton Albion alongside their shock wins over high-flying sides, the Brewers sat 22nd in the ‘Home’ league table. Too many home defeats (9 in 19 games at the Pirelli) has been a real sore spot for Gary Bowyer’s men, who are far from safe at this late stage of the season. A double over Bradford City would perhaps be par-for-the-course for this Burton Albion side, but having failed to follow up a comprehensive 3-0 win over Stockport County on home soil, the Brewers have now lost 2 straight at home – Stevenage and Reading both sides chasing a playoff place, and both coming away with maximum hauls.

Burton Albion 1 – 2 Reading


Northampton Town 0 – 2 Burton Albion


Bradford City:
Bradford City’s 1-1 draw at home to Mansfield Town represented their first stalemate since November, with the Bantams going on an astonishing draw-free run stretching a full 21 league games. During that time, City have recorded 12 wins and 9 defeats, with most of those wins predictably coming at Valley Parade – and, conversely but equally predictably, many of those defeats coming away from home. Cardiff City are the only side to put a dent City’s otherwise immaculate home record in 2026 prior to the visit of Mansfield Town on Tuesday evening, while wins on the road have been limited to trips to Blackpool and Port Vale – though they also beat Plymouth Argyle away as well since the time they last drew a game (that particular result stemming from a goalless effort at Bolton Wanderers).

That level of predictability has allowed Bradford City to establish themselves as extremely viable playoff contenders, and they remain 8 points above 7th place – now occupied by Huddersfield Town. Dropping points against a workmanlike Mansfield Town was less than ideal, clearly, but with 8 games left to play, Bradford City are in a position that will be the envy of many. Far from being a major hindrance, City’s overall lack of draws and dominant home form has served as the blueprint for a promotion challenge for a second successive season now. While it remains demoralising to put in limp performances at the likes of Wigan Athletic and AFC Wimbledon among others, Bantams fans must also count their blessings. Graham Alexander has transformed the club’s fortunes by focussing largely on performances at Valley Parade.

That doesn’t make the prospect of a trip to Burton Albion sound particularly enticing, but it also won’t prevent City’s significant travelling fanbase from attending. Whether they are treated to a rare away win or another shabby outing remains to be seen. For his part, Graham Alexander might now have to accept that goalless striker Ethan Wheatley’s sparkling performance at Port Vale did ‘only’ come at a side more than likely bound for League Two in Port Vale and look elsewhere for goals against better performing sides. Once again, City didn’t really start to threaten at home to Mansfield Town until the young forward made way, but he is far from the only issue in terms of City’ stuttering forward line. Far from producing the firepower many Bantams’ fans would like, the likes of Will Swan, Stephen Humphrys and Paul Mullin continue to cough and splutter instead. Whether their collective poor form is down to limited minutes or the simple fact City’s style under Graham Alexander doesn’t naturally lend itself to a striker grabbing the bulk of the goals is a debate for another time, but it’s certainly true that Alexander was as reliant on Andy Cook in League Two at times as any other City manager.

The form, then, of Antoni Sarcevic, Bobby Pointon, and now Tyreik Wright is more likely the focus of opposition managers at present. That is frustrating, but when one considers that only two players managed shots on target against Mansfield Town (those being Tyreik Wright (x2) and Ibou Touray), the stats are starting to speak for themselves. Graham Alexander has long beaten the drum to say this is a team game and if a forward creates chances for others, that’s as good as any other chance, but there’s still no escaping the fact City aren’t a massive goal threat at present. 10 goals in their last 9 league games is just about serviceable, but only 5 goals in 7 away games? That’s a problem that would be exacerbated if the points dropped against Mansfield were to be similarly squandered in other home games.

As we approach Easter, it’s clear all of City’s eggs are in one Valley Parade-shaped basket, and while it might be enough for the second season running, there’s a real danger we see a repeat of last season’s ‘squeaky bum time’ in the final games.

Bradford City 1 – 1 Mansfield Town


Wigan Athletic 2 – 0 Bradford City

 

Prediction:
A side that struggle away from home visit a side that struggle at home – unless they happy to be playing a high flying side, which in this case… they are.

There are some worrying omens for Bradford City here, and not least the fact that Gary Bowyer’s Burton Albion already put one over on the Bantams in a rare home defeat for City. Jake Beesley and Tyrese Shade have forged the kind of strike partnership City fans have been starved of, but not necessarily to the club’s detriment. While City’s away form and lack of a goalscoring striker are less-than-ideal on paper, Graham Alexander has found a successful formula without those tried-and-tested elements. The problem is, whenever an all-or-nothing home side drop points at home, the pressure on that game then piles on to the next one – this time, an away trip to the Pirelli Stadium.

Bradford City might currently have a bit of breathing space in terms of their playoff/promotion ambitions, but that will likely be eaten into if City serve up another dour away day performance here. And with the side having played Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s clash, there’s a danger some of City’s more dangerous players (Sarcevic and Pointon in particular) start to look leggy – or in need of an outright rest.

While certain players have engines for days, like Josh Neufville and Tyreik Wright in particular (if Tuesday was anything to go by at least!), City have been forced to manage the game time of certain players a little more often than they would have liked. If the attacking midfield area, that has carried this team at times this season, isn’t 100 %, then who do City turn to? Wing backs? Non-scoring forwards? Graham Alexander must produce an answer if he’s to get anything from this trip to a stadium that has proven a happy hunting ground for 9 other away sides this season. The Pirelli should be a place City target a full haul of 3 points from: but they have their own checks and balances to address.

I think we might get a second successive draw here, a rarity this season, but one that would probably be welcome enough here at least in terms of stopping the away day rot. 1-1.

Final Score:
Burton Albion 1 – 1 Bradford City