Bradford City’s start to their 2026-27 campaign continues to go from strength to strength, as a battling performance against a strong Burnley side saw the Bantams progress to this season’s League Cup third round courtesy of a penalty shoot-out success.

Despite struggling for a foothold in the first half of the clash where they had just 29% of the possession and mustered just one shot on target, Graham Alexander’s quadruple substitution in the second half saw his side regain some late control of the match to see it out until the final whistle.

That defensive display made it four clean sheets from four across all competitions for City, the first time that they’ve achieved that feat across their 123 year history and they saved their best for the ensuing penalty shoot-out.

Scoring each of their four spot kicks thanks to successful attempts from Antoni Sarcevic, Macaulay Gillesphey, Ibou Touray and Adam Phillips, goalkeeper Jon McCracken also saved one of the Clarets’ attempts to help his side win 4-2 on spot kicks.

It represented the club’s first successful home result against this opponent since a 1-0 victory in the third tier back in October 1992 at Valley Parade - which came via a strike from Gary Williams - while it also saw the hosts progress from each of their last three League Cup second round ties in succession, completing that feat for the first time since between 1998-99 and 2001-02 (a run of four).

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Bradford’s fantastic form against sides from a higher division

Another Championship team drawn in the League Cup and yet another subsequent positive result for the Bantams as they continue their fantastic recent form against opponents from that particular division in the competition.

This midweek’s penalty shoot-out victory against Burnley made it three successful ties in a row for the club vs Championship opponents, after defeating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and Stoke City 3-0 in the League Cup first and second rounds in 2025-26.

Prior to that, the Bantams had taken 10 ties against second tier opposition to progress on three separate occasions, while this was their first to come on home soil since beating Hull City 2-1 back in August 2022 in the first round courtesy of a sensational Andy Cook performance.

City also hold fantastic pedigree when playing against sides from a higher division in general in the League Cup, with progression over Burnley making it 26 successful ties against such opponents in the competitions’ history.

That’s a record-extending amount for any side, while if you add the FA Cup into the equation, the Yorkshire outfit have now beaten opposition from higher leagues a total of 47 times and against 37 individual opponents in that time, with the Clarets becoming a new name on that list.

Bantams’ strong penalty shoot-out record continues

Despite having to face a bit of a barrage at times throughout the match, a resolute defensive display saw Bradford eventually play their part in a 31st competitive penalty shootout across all competitions in club history.

The first of those came all the way back in December 1981 when they were defeated 4-3 on spot kicks by Shrewsbury Town in the FL Group Cup quarter-finals, though this time it was the Bantams who got the last laugh.

Scoring all four of their penalties, this was the 17th successful penalty shoot-out for City and first since besting Wrexham 4-3 from the spot in the League Cup second round in August 2023.

When looking at just major cup competitions - so just the League Cup and FA Cup for reference - this was the 16th shoot-out to involve the Bantams, with them progressing from exactly half of those.

Recent times have been much kinder to City fans in that regard, as they’ve seen their side win four of their last six penalty shoot-outs in major cup competitions - beating Aldershot Town in November 2018, Accrington Stanley in August 2023 and Wrexham in August 2023 alongside this success vs Burnley.

Interestingly, just four of Bradford’s 17 successful shoot-outs across those two prestigious competitions have seen them win by a 4-2 scoreline, against Wigan Athletic in October 2012, Northampton Town in November 2012 and Sunderland in November 2011 as well as this one against Burnley.

Jon McCracken remains perfect through four matches

It’s fair to say that the Bradford fanbase was somewhat divided when Jon McCracken joined the club this summer after moving on from Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

While some instantly thought that he should be installed as Alexander’s new number one goalkeeper, a large section were still confident in Sam Walker’s abilities thanks to his past performances for the Bantams.

Well skip forward just a few months, and while Walker has swapped Valley Parade for Vicarage Road and Watford, McCracken has made history by becoming the first goalkeeper in the club’s history to keep a clean sheet in each of his first four appearances for City.

He’s additionally played his part in making sure that for the first time in club history, City have kept clean sheets in each of their opening four matches of a campaign across all competitions.

That’s quite the stunning achievement given the fixture list which has already seen them play away at Sheffield Wednesday in league action in front of a sell-out crowd and against higher division opposition in the form of Burnley last night.

Notably a lot better with the ball at his feet than his predecessor, McCracken has so far saved all 12 shots on target that he’s faced during that time - the second-strongest 100% save success rate among players playing for a side across England’s top four tiers after Walsall’s Jed Ward (23 saves - 100%).

According to Opta’s latest xG model, those 12 saves would usually see the opposition net 3.5 goals in total based on the overall quality of chances among other factors.

That means that the Scotsman currently holds the second-highest goals prevented figure among goalkeepers playing for a side across England’s top four tiers and across all competitions - the top 10 of which are shown below.

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What a night at Hillsborough for Bradford City as they traversed to the top of the very early League One standings with a battling 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

With much of the pre-match talk dominated by the Owls’ recent takeover and sold out attendance for their opening home match of the campaign, Graham Alexander’s side did incredibly well at managing the overall situation to make it three wins from three across all competitions to start their 2026-27 season.

A sole strike from Aden Baldwin just after the half-time break saw City take all three points on offer, on the same night that manager Graham Alexander celebrated his 150th match in charge of the club with yet another win.

Despite looking nervy at times throughout the early exchanges, his side’s performance tonight embodied everything that he wants from them for this upcoming campaign; dogged, passionate, difficult to breakdown but possessing the quality to change matches when the chance arises.

He also oversaw a piece of Bantams’ history as with tonight's 1-0 victory, Bradford have now won their opening three competitive games of a campaign without conceding a goal for the very first time in their 123 year history - a stunning achievement as his team continue their upward trend in the Football League.

For those that don’t know as well, I actually come from a Sheffield Wednesday supporting family as both my parents and younger brother are Owls, so City’s victory yesterday tasted that little bit sweeter for yours truly..

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Bradford make history with three wins from three

With last night’s 1-0 win over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford City have now started the following campaigns with three victories in succession in the post-war period:

• 1947-48

• 1981-82

• 1994-95

• 2000-01

• 2001-02

• 2026-27 🆕

It’s a stunning feat and one that has come thanks to plenty of hard work and graft in pre-season and on the training ground, as once again, the Bantams looked very well managed and disciplined in Alexander’s favoured 3-4-2-1 set up.

There were definitely a few moments where the pressurised occasion got the better of a few players with loose passes here and there - especially in the first half - but overall, 2026-27 becomes the first campaign since 2001-02 to see the club win each of their first three matches across all completions.

As mentioned in the intro, Bradford have additionally now won their opening three competitive games of a campaign without conceding a goal for the first time in their 123 year history - with this latest success coming on the back of assured 2-0 wins over Rochdale in the League Cup first round and Peterborough United on matchday one of the new League One season.

Next, they’ll look to win their opening four fixtures of a season in succession for the first time since back in 2001-02 when they beat Barnsley, Portsmouth and Coventry City in league action in the second tier while also getting the better of Macclesfield Town in the first round of the League Cup.

Baldwin’s brilliance aids City’s victory

It’s ever so easy for pundits to give the player who scored the winning goal the ‘man of the match’ award when said players’ side go on to win, but Aden Baldwin’s overall performance during this match was gargantuan.

As well as his excellent volleyed finish, no player on the pitch won more duels (13), recovered possession more times (7), made more tackles (5) or recorded more interceptions (5) than the Bantams’ centre back who looked solid in the back three.

When looking across England’s top four tiers, the last player to hit those tallies in any match was Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz vs Everton in the Premier League in October 2025, while only one other player on Opta record (since 2019-20) has ever hit them in a League One fixture.

As we all know, he additionally struck the winner, a lovely volleyed finish from a dangerous corner pattern of play - something that Bradford have improved upon so far this season as we’ll discuss below shortly.

It now means that the 29-year-old has struck as many goals across his opening three matches of the 2026-27 campaign (2), as across his prior 76 appearances for the club across all competitions combined.

He additionally became the first Bradford City defender to score against Sheffield Wednesday since Stephen Warnock in October 2002, and the first City defender to score twice across his opening three matches of a season since Steve Baines completed that feat with a brace vs Crewe Alexandra on the opening day on the 1979-80 campaign.

Well played Baldini.

150 games up for Graham Alexander

After the Mark Hughes debacle which mercifully came to an end in October 2023, Bradford seemed down and out, languishing down in 17th place in League Two after a horrible 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers away from home.

It was doom and gloom and in truth, when Graham Alexander was announced, his appointment wasn’t exactly met with the grandest reception given the club’s plight at the time.

But skip forward the best part of three years and as well as seeing his Bradford side win promotion from League Two in 2024-25 and sit top of the League One standings after two wins from two this time around, he now also possesses one of the strongest win percentages in the club’s history.

Thanks to his 74 victories in 150 matches for the club (D30 L46), he possesses a 49.3% win-rate across all competitions during his reign - a win percentage that’s good enough for third spot on the club’s all-time managerial list when counting only permanent bosses and not caretakers.

Only Roy McFarland between 1981 and 1982 (56.1%) and Jack Foster between January and May 1928 (52.6%) rank higher than the Scotsman who now has to be under genuine consideration as one of the very best managers in the entire Football League.

City finally taking consistent advantage from corners

It was a case of another game and another corner goal for the Bantams last night, as Baldwin turned home a corner that was floated in from the right-hand side by full-back Ibou Touray.

Both his and Callum Connolly’s delivery from set pieces has been excellent so far this campaign, with City looking incredibly threatening from an attacking aerial perspective on a very regular basis.

As well as Baldwin’s goal vs Rochdale in the League Cup and Macaulay Gillesphey’s headed finish vs Peterborough United on matchday one of the 2026-27 League One season, Baldwin’s volley in this match made it three from three on the corner goal front.

That’s already just five shy of the eight that were scored from corner patterns of play by the Bantams across their 56 total competitive matches last season for reference.

It’s also the first time that City have netted goals from corners in three consecutive matches across all competitions for the first time since September 2017 - scoring one vs Chesterfield, two vs Bristol Rovers and one vs Peterborough United in a three-match league spell.

Bradford hold an awful overall Thursday record, but not this time

Throughout the club’s 123 history and across all competitions, yesterday evening’s match against Sheffield Wednesday was just the 67th time that Bradford have played on a Thursday.

That’s by far the fewest fixtures that the Bantams have played on any given day overall, just head of 101 played on a Sunday, with their 22 Thursday wins also the fewest.

Even with last night’s 1-0 victory, it means that only on Fridays (31.7%) do Bradford hold a lower win percentage than when they play on Thursdays (32.8%).

In much better news, City’s win over Wednesday arrested their prior four match winless run when playing on Thursdays (D2 L2), with that run forming after a 2-1 home victory over Port Vale in December 2024.

It also saw the Bantams win in an away match on that particular day since all the way back in May 1991 when they defeated Swansea City 2-0 in the fourth tier, while it served as their first away Yorkshire derby win on a Thursday since beating Doncaster Rovers 2-1 in April 1939..

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It doesn’t really get much easier than that on the opening day of the league season does it?

A controlled and measured, yet exciting attacking performance from Bradford City saw them comfortably brush aside Peterborough United during a 2-0 victory on the opening day of the 2026-27 League One season.

A debut goal from Macaulay Gillesphey and a second from Nick Powell delivered the three points for Graham Alexander’s side, who himself has now won each of his three matchday one fixtures in charge of the Valley Parade outfit after beating MK Dons in 2024-25 and Wycombe Wanderers in 2025-26.

That current three match winning run across their league openers now acts as City’s longest winning run on matchday one since a seven-match streak between 1991 and 1997, a seriously impressive feat given that they’d taken 15 attempts prior between 2009 and 2023 to claim as many victories.

There were stand-out performances across the field for the hosts, with Callum Connolly grabbing a second assist in as many matches for the club, each coming directly from corners.

Adam Phillips also grabbed an assist off the bench and on his league debut for the Bantams, which means that since the start of the 2023-24 season in League One, only Lewis Wing (55) has recorded more goal contributions among midfielders in total (48 – 29 goals, 19 assists). He’s likely to prove an excellent addition for the club over the coming years.

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Bradford’s updated opening day league record

What’s been a feature of Bradford City’s recent league campaigns is their quick starts, now winning each of their last three fixtures that have fallen on matchday one of a campaign, as many victories as across their prior 15 attempts combined between 2009 and 2023.

Those three wins have all come under manager Graham Alexander, with this current streak serving as the Bantams’ longest MD1 winning run since a seven match stint between 1991 and 1997.

It additionally means that Alexander himself is now just the fourth manager in club history to win 3+ league openers during his career, behind only Peter O’Rourke, Jack Peart and Peter Jackson.

Even more impressively, he’s the first gaffer since Jackson to complete that feat, a a four-match run which came back between 1956 and 1960.

With today’s victory over Peterborough, Bradford have now won 48 of their 113 league openers in the English Football League (D28 L37), netting 176 goals in total across that time.

The Bantams have also kept 32 clean sheets over that timeframe, with today’s victory to nil serving as their first on matchday one since a 1-0 away win at Shrewsbury Town back in 2018.

What’s even more impressive however, is City’s record when playing at Valley Parade during the opening round of a new league season.

Including today’s three-point haul, Bradford have now won 34 of their 59 home matches that have come on matchday one of a league season (D15 L10), maintaining a seriously impressive +63 goal differences across those matches altogether.

That win total can only be bettered by a number of teams across England’s top four tiers throughout competition history as seen above, though only Lincoln City and Sheffield Wednesday (both 35) have managed more among teams who will play in either the Championship, League One or League Two throughout 2026-27.

In Bradford’s case, their form has been solid over recent times in particular as since 1975, they’ve now lost just three of their last 31 such matches (W17 D11), remaining unbeaten across their last eight in a row since a 2-1 defeat to Aldershot Town back in 2011 (W4 D4) - one of the longest such ongoing runs in English football at present.

Fortress Valley Parade and all that..

Who’s scored the most opening day goals for Bradford?

Across the club’s history, two players currently hold the record for most goals scored in season openers for the Bantams - Paul Jewell and Wally Smith.

Throughout their careers, each of those two netted six strikes apiece across matchday one fixtures, followed in that standings by Barry Gallagher, David Jackson and George ‘Spud’ Murphy on four goals.

Both Jewell and Smith also hold a bit of history in the process too, as each are on of just four players to ever score three or more goals in a season opener for Bradford.

Jewell was the most recent addition to that list, netting a hat-trick against Chester City back during the 1994-95 season, while Smith is the only player to score four times in a matchday one outing for the Bantams, managing that feat against Chesterfield all the way back in 1907.

In terms of scoring more than once in a season opener for the club, only 20 players have managed that feat and just three of those have come in the 21st century.

Those are Ashley Ward against Barnsley in 2001, Peter Thorne against Notts County in 2008 and James Hanson against Coventry City in 2014.

Connolly delivers again

When he joined the club a few months back, many supporters - myself included - thought that Callum Connolly would be one of Alexander’s defensive recruits but instead, Bradford’s manager was adamant that he saw the 28-year-old as a starting midfielder instead.

Sitting as the more defensive-minded player in the midfield duo in his 3-4-2-1 setup, Alexander wants Connolly to sit as his anchor in the middle of the park, most like Max Power did last season.

Just like Power too, Connolly looks to be the chief set piece taker in the squad and just two matches into his spell at Valley Parade, he already has two assists to his name - each now coming directly from corner situations.

With one against Rochdale and one today vs Peterborough, Connolly became the first Bradford City player to record an assist in each of his first two matches for the club in the EFL era (since 2004-05 onwards) - quite the achievement given the list of players who have turned out in the claret & amber during that timeframe.

But just as impressive has been his work-rate in the centre of the park overall, winning possession back for his side 13 times across their opening two matches of the campaign which is the most of any Bantams' player.

On top of that, he’s additionally produced the fourth-most successful passes among the squad (63) as he looks to control the play from deep for his side.

Defensive rear-guard impressive on league return

Last season in League One, no side conceded chances worth fewer expected goals in total than Bradford (45.9), something which acted as a key part to their success en route to a play-off finish.

That defensive rear-guard was particularly strong at Valley Parade, with the Bantams keeping 10 clean sheets in total on home soil, a tally behind only Stevenage (13) and Wigan Athletic (11).

It also saw them concede the second-fewest goals on home soil in League One (17), while facing just 63 shots on target in total across their 23 outings on home soil overall.

Keeping that solidity at the back will have been one of Alexander’s biggest challenges across the summer, and so far, his new recruits along the backline look to have added even more quality.

That was evident on matchday one against the Posh, with City facing just two shots on target and seven shots in total - each serving as the second-lowest tallies across the opening fixtures in League One.

On an action packed day across the competition, Alexander’s side were additionally just one of three sides to keep a clean sheet, alongside rivals Huddersfield Town vs AFC Wimbledon and Bromley away at Barnsley.

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Fresh from their dramatic League Two promotion the season prior, Bradford City surprised many on their return to England’s third tier in 2025-26.

Led by Graham Alexander and buoyed by a summer of incoming business, the Bantams eventually finished fourth before narrowly losing out to Bolton Wanderers in their subsequent League One play-off semi final tie.

Just a few months on and the expectation and excitement at Valley Parade remains, with a number of impressive transfer acquisitions like those of Adam Phillips and Jake Beesley seemingly set to bring even more quality to Alexander’s starting line up.

There have been outgoings too though, and major ones at that. Curtis Tilt has left for Burton Albion and Sam Walker for Watford but more notably, last season’s central midfield duo of Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe have also departed for Wigan Athletic and Millwall respectively.

That leaves quite the sizeable hole in the centre of the park to fill, one which is still somewhat not fully addressed and that’s the main source of supporters’ concerns at present.

With a few weeks left of the transfer window, replacements are still likely to be found in both that position and elsewhere, but with an opening league match of the season against Peterborough United just around the corner, it’s time to make a prediction on where the Bantams will finish in League One in 2026-27 before the action fully gets underway.

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Recapping a summer of change at Valley Parade

It’s been quite the summer of change for Bradford City ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 League One campaign, bringing in eight new faces as things stand just a few days out from the start of the season.

Those incoming signings have helped to strengthen the team across the pitch, from in net to upfront and everywhere else in between. The general consensus is that overall, the quality of those incoming players is a step above last summer’s business, though as they say, the proof will be in the pudding.

Starting with the goalkeeping additions, Jon McCracken has joined after a spell with Scottish Premiership side Dundee FC, a stellar signing on first glance given the fact that no goalkeeper in Scotland’s top tier made move saves in total (130) than the 26-year-old in 2025-26.

That total was the most by a goalkeeper in the division since St Johnstone’s Dimitar Mitov made 138 stops in 2023-24, with McCracken’s 69.9% save percentage during the prior campaign additionally ranking him fairly highly in that category.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic comes with how many extra goals he prevented for Dundee last term though, a piece of data that we can take from Opta which consists of subtracting his goals conceded (excluding own goals) total from his expected goals on target (xGOT) figure.

That process gives him a goals prevented tally of 8.7, the second-highest of any shot stopper in the competition, just behind Calum Ward in top spot (8.8). It also highlights him as an upgrade on Sam Walker, with the veteran moving to Watford in response to seemingly losing his number one spot with the Bantams for this campaign.

EFL veteran Cameron Dawson will most likely serve as the backup to McCracken, after he joined the club following Walker’s departure earlier this week. With close to 200 appearances across the Football League to his name, he should be a strong enough second choice shot stopper.

Along the back line, Macaulay Gillesphey and Reece Welch have been signed to cover for the departing Curtis Tilt and Ciaran Kelly, with the former of those two defenders winning promotion from this tier with Charlton Athletic over recent years.

He’s likely to start the campaign as City’s preferred left centre-back option, while Welch is more likely to offer cover and depth in central defence to begin with, however don’t be surprised if he makes a solid impression early on and becomes one of Alexander’s starters later in the season.

Ahead of them, Callum Connolly and Henry Cartwright come in as central midfield options, two players who have very differing levels of experience. While Connolly has played across the English Football League for most of his career, Cartwright only has 29 Scottish Premiership appearances to his name in terms of professional league experience so expect him to offer depth like Welch at first.

On his debut vs Rochdale, Connolly excelled to claim many supporters ‘man-of-the-match’ accolade, while notably winning possession back for his side 10 times in total - the joint-most of any player across the 2026-27 League Cup First Round. It’s early days but Alexander’s insistent to play him in defensive midfield rather than at centre back will hopefully pay off long term.

In front of them, Adam Phillips arguably stands as Bradford’s most notable and exciting signing this summer, joining from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.

Phillip’s headline stats from his latest season with Barnsley stem from his return of nine goals from midfield, whilst also adding five assists to his direct goal contribution output alongside. Among all midfielders in the third tier last term, he ranked 11th for goals (9) and joint-11th for goal contributions (14) to highlight his ability at this level.

There were other areas of his game that emphasise Phillip’s ability to comfortably play as one of the two attacking midfielders, not least so through the fact that he created 40 chances from open play and had 99 touches of the ball in the opposition’s penalty area - two figures that rank him within the top 5% of all midfielders in the competition in 2025-26.

Phillips is an incredibly gifted player at this level, a player who has been one of the best midfielders in the division for a number of years now and he’ll almost certainly be central to the Bantams’ success this upcoming season.

Lastly, an early move in the transfer window for Jake Beesley highlighted Bradford as a team to watch in League One this season among plenty of neutrals.

With 13 goals and seven assists in League One this term, only six players in the third tier managed more direct goal involvements than the 29-year-old in 2025-26, a brilliant achievement given Burton’s struggles for much of the campaign.

It was the former Bradford Park Avenue loan star’s shooting output that helped his goal tally in particular, attempting 101 shots in total which was the fourth-highest total in the division. His target man approach can be highlighted by the fact that of those 101 shots, 40 came via his head, with only Yousef Salech and Kyle Wootton attempting more.

That brings us to Beesley’s aerial ability on a wider scale, and it’s because of this part of his game as to why Alexander is so likely infatuated with the idea of signing the Burton forward to lead his attacking line this term.

During the 2025-26 campaign, only two players in League One won more aerial duels than Beesley, racking up 313 total successful aerial battles which additionally helped him to win 442 duels overall - the most of any player in the division. That’s particularly interesting when considering that last season in League One, Bradford recorded the most attempted open-play crosses of any side (833), so let’s hope that this is becomes a match made in heaven quickly.

Of course, the combined losses of former captain Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe from central midfield are massive and Alexander and his backroom staff still need to bring in more replacements before the transfer window shuts.

That stands as the biggest problem area for the Bantams heading into their opening match of the League One season vs Peterborough United this weekend, but rumours suggest that it may be something that will be remedied in the very near future.

Where do I think the Bantams will finish in 2026-27?

Heading into the 2026-27 League One season, it feels like Bradford City have added plenty of quality in key areas, especially in an attacking manner with Phillips and Beesley likely to bring with them plenty of goal contributions.

The backline remains fairly settled from last season, especially important as they helped to deliver 14 clean sheets across 46 regular league fixtures, while simultaneously also conceding a total of just 45.9 xG - the lowest total in the league.

That said, the central midfield area still seems weak compared to the options available in the same area of the pitch at the back end of last season, and overall, the standard of League One sides seems to be higher across the board this season.

Heavyweights Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday look set to challenge at the top following their respective Championship relegations, while Luton Town, Plymouth Argyle, Stockport County and Huddersfield Town all look primed to be in the play-off hunt again.

There’s also MK Dons, who will be full of confidence following their fourth-tier promotion last term and have plenty of money available which they’ve already used to great effect, and sides like that of Oxford United, Mansfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers who will fancy their chances of gate crashing the top six.

In truth, there’s part of me that can see an 11th-placed finish for the Bantams this term and honestly, that wouldn’t be the end of the world by any means - another year of League One solidity could really set the club up nicely overall to go again in 2027-28.

But there’s also a part of me that could see us repeat our fantastic early season form of last season which played such a crucial part in our eventual play-off push.

There’s also the brilliant form at Valley Parade to mention, losing just three of 23 matches on home soil last season which was one of the lowest totals across the top four tiers of English football as a whole.

It’s a tough call in the midst of such a competitive division that seems so wide open this time around, but with the summer recruitment on the whole considered, and with trust in the board that another couple of quality additions will still be added to Alexander’s squad this summer, I think we’re capable of just about sneaking into the play-off positions to finish in sixth spot come the end of the 2026-27 League One season.

Final prediction - 6th

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Despite finishing as the club’s third top scorer across all competitions last season, Stephen Humphrys remains a player who isn’t exactly loved by some sections of the Bradford City support.

Often scapegoated on social media, the 28-year-old returned nine goals and four assists last season in competitive action for the Bantams, a combined tally of 13 total goal contributions that only newly named captain Antoni Sarcevic (14) could better among the squad.

That attacking output came in spite of been played out of position according to many, occupying the lone striker role in Graham Alexander’s favoured 3-4-2-1 set-up when some would prefer to see him operate from the left-hand side of the attack instead and given more freedom with space to run into.

From the off, Alexander himself was adamant that the Oldham-born forward was brought to Valley Parade to play that striker position, though with the arrival of traditional frontman Jake Beesley from Burton Albion this summer, a more fluid approach to the Humphrys position dilemma could help to unlock his talents further in 2026-27.

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It’s no secret that Humphrys is a player that often divides opinion, that’s seemingly been the case at a number of his previous clubs and it’s certainly proved to be the case so far during his time at Valley Parade.

The consensus among those who aren’t exactly infatuated with him seems to stem from the argument that the 28-year-old is a bit of a luxury player, a player who can offer brilliance on occasion but is perhaps a little less enthusiastic in terms of his running and overall work-rate compared to his teammates.

I personally - like many other Bradford supporters - don’t believe that to be the case and when looking at some areas of his performances last campaign from a data perspective, it paints Humphrys instead as a forward who presses to a high standard when needed.

Unfortunately at the League One level, Opta don’t carry fitness and running data, but other statistics can highlight his willingness to get involved for his side.

The pressing nature of his game can be best referenced by the fact that only Antoni Sarcevic (28 times) won possession back for his team in the final third of the pitch more often than Humphrys (27) across all competitions in 2025-26, a key area of Alexander’s gameplan that the 28-year-old more than contributed to.

His 0.89 times winning the ball back in the final third in League One action additionally ranked him fourth among all players to feature in 2000+ minutes of action in the competition.

He was also involved in the second-most overall duels of any City player, contesting 524 of those on the whole, a tally that only Ibou Touray could better albeit when playing close to 1750 minutes of action more than his forward counterpart.

Again on a wider-scale, among forwards in the third tier to play 2000+ minutes last season, only four averaged been involved in more duels per 90 than the Bradford striker (17.6).

258 of Humphrys’ 524 total duels came in the form of aerial bouts, surprisingly the most of any player in the Bradford squad by a decent distance too, and that’s perhaps a nod - pardon to the pun - to the next point that I’ll level.

A lot of the forward’s doubters focus on his perceived ‘laziness’ and an unwillingness to get involved, though both points above show him to be the player involved in the most individual battles among Bradford’s squad last term on a per 90 basis.

There’s also the argument that due to his need to be in aerial battles fairly constantly given City’s reliance on long ball play at times - something that very much doesn’t suit his playing style as all supporters can see - it’s little wonder why his head can drop at points.

In truth, I don’t think that there’s a striker that won’t bemoan the service that they’re receiving at points in a match if it’s coming in the wrong form, so the act of throwing hands up etc in response is pretty standard behaviour.

Unfortunately, for a lot of last season, that was the case as the aerial route wasn’t the correct one for Humphrys and I think that most Bradford fans agreed with that during the campaign themselves at one point or another. As such, I therefore don’t begrudge him for losing the spring in his step occasionally when he was offered little to no reliable service that he could fully utilise.

What could ironically serve as a bonus for Humphrys is the arrival of Jake Beesley from Burton Albion this summer, an incoming transfer that is likely to limit his playing time overall, but a move which could see the 28-year-old utilised more often in either of the number 10 roles rather than in the lone striker role - especially with Will Swan’s strong pre-season showing too.

That’s an exciting prospect if it happens when looking at the positions which Humphrys took up last season as seen above, spending a lot of his time out on the left flank from where he created plenty of attacking output.

It’s from that side of the pitch where both of his attacking carries started that led to either a goal or an assist, while a decent amount of his 31 shot-ending carries also emanated from the left-hand side.

That total of 31 shot-ending carries could only be bettered by five players in League One across the board last season for reference - three of whom won’t be playing in the competition in 2026-27 - which highlights Humphrys’ above-average dynamism.

In fact, it’s that sort of quality that makes Humphrys unique for the Bantams, arguably acting as the only player in the squad who can easily bully opposition players off the ball on a consistent basis while keeping close control of the ball.

That skillset saw him complete the most successful dribbles of any Bradford player last season (42), while it helped to him to create chances worth 8.5xG in total for himself - the second-highest league tally among the squad after Sarcevic (9.9 xG).

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t frustrations with Humphrys, far from it as he can be an incredibly frustrating player to watch at times.

Quite often he takes an extra touch that isn’t needed which can see opportunities squandered or he opts for a pot shot from distance at goal which can sometimes come at the expense of feeding a teammate who’s in a better position.

But nevertheless, there are few players at the League One level with more on-the-ball ability or snippets of attacking class that can come off the bench and effect games like Humphrys can and will do this upcoming campaign.

That’s not to say that he won’t start matches on occasion, but it very much feels like he’ll be much more of a squad option in 2026-27 as opposed to a bona fide starter week-in week-out.

If that’s the case, and if he gets more playing time behind the striker rather than as the striker, he can still play a huge part in helping Bradford City towards another League One promotion push this season.

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Fresh off the back of their 2-0 victory over Rochdale in the 2026-27 League Cup first round, the start of Bradford City’s next League One campaign now comes firmly into view.

Welcoming Peterborough United on August 15th, the Bantams look ready for the new campaign overall, though question marks still remain in terms of their quality and depth in certain positions.

Just last week in his pre-match press conference before his side welcomed Rochdale to Valley Parade, manager Graham Alexander alluded to the media that he was still wanting another four players through the door in order to make his squad as competitive as they were last season en route to their fourth-placed finish.

Whether new signings Nick Powell and Reece Welch are included in that quota remains to be seen, but in my opinion, there are still two main areas of focus on the pitch that still need plenty of attention.

That’s the centre midfield options at Alexander’s disposal - especially as Antoni Sarcevic’s use in the midfield two at present hurts his direct goal output significantly - and more strength in depth at right wing-back, very likely behind Josh Neufville.

With that in mind, here’s five free agent options that still remain without a club for the new campaign as it stands, and who could help bring more quality and depth to City’s current squad - four of which I would now consider to be realistic targets and one dream signing.

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Niall Huggins - Right wing-back

We start at right wing-back and with a player that I mentioned during my Bradford City Transfer Targets article series which I did during the summer - Niall Huggins.

Out-of-contract after leaving Sunderland at the start of the summer, the 25-year-old would be a solid back up option behind Neufville, while he’s also a player who could cover down the left flank if needed too if a Tyreik Wright injury was to occur at any point.

Last season he spent time on loan at Wycombe Wanderers in League One, though when assessing his performances, it’s best to look on a per 90 basis given his lack of minutes on the field.

When doing so, it highlights some key areas of his game where he still managed to rank highly in the third tier; predominantly and among defenders to play 750+ minutes of action in 2025-26, finishing joint-second for expected assists (0.21) and fourth for chances created from open play (1.32).

His 0.44 times winning possession in the final third - the fourth-highest tally in the division - highlights his front-fronted nature which is needed to play in the system Alexander likes to deploy.

Elsewhere, Huggins put up respectable averages for duels won, fouls won, dribbles completed and interceptions and with his experience of playing at higher levels in the English Football League pyramid, he could be one to still consider this summer.

According to reports, the former Black Cats full back has spent time with Salford City as a triallist this pre-season but with a decision seemingly yet to be made by the Greater Manchester club, City could swoop and fill that hole on the right flank with his signature.

Jordi Osei-Tutu - Right wing-back

Explosive down the right flank for Bolton Wanderers in League One last season, Jordi Osei-Tuta still remains as arguably the most appealing right wing-back option on the free transfer market, though a move remains potentially problematic.

That’s not due to his ability or the fact that he could potentially get a Championship move over the next few weeks, but instead, his arrival could be a difficult sell for Josh Neufville in terms of playing time.

For most however, that level of competition would give Bradford the strongest compliment of wing-backs in the division, and with Neufville previously playing on the left for former side AFC Wimbledon, two spots in the team between himself, Tyreik Wright and Osei-Tuta still makes some form of sense in terms of flexibility.

The former Bolton star played 36 times in the league last season - contributing two goals and two assists - and would bring plenty of experience and energy with him to Valley Parade, enjoying former spells across Europe after leaving Arsenal as a youngster.

Known for his pace and confidence on the ball, the full-back constantly sprung forward in possession last term, recording 120 long progressive carries - as seen above - the third-most of any wide defender in the competition.

His 33 successful dribbles also saw him rank highly among defenders (3rd) while his 29 shots and 29 chances created highlight his respectable direct attacking output for a full-back.

It’s important to realise too that he played as a traditional right-back in a flat back four for much of last season at Bolton, meaning that a stint in a wing-back role could unlock even more offensive capability if a move to Valley Parade was to materialise.

Osei-Tutu’s defensive work last season additionally highlighted him as one of the best all-round full-backs in the division, winning 253 duels in total at a respectable success rate of 55.7%.

That included a total of 91 tackles - the third-highest tally of any defender in the third tier in 2025-26.

The latest reports suggest that a move to Championship side Lincoln City could still happen in the coming weeks for Jordi Osei-Tutu, but if Graham Alexander and his backroom staff can steal a march and bring him to BD8 this summer, Bradford would comfortably have the best wing-back options in League One for the upcoming campaign.

Archie Collins - Centre midfield

Moving into midfield next and honestly, bring out the cheque book and give Archie Collins anything he wants in order to join Bradford City this summer (within reason..) if there’s even the smallest chance that it could happen.

For me, the 26-year-old is comfortably the best centre midfield option left on the free agent market this summer when looking at somewhat ‘realistic targets’, though unfortunately, a move up to the Championship still seems the most likely outcome at present.

If that doesn’t materialise however, the Bantams should do all that they can to try and secure his signature as he would arguably be the best player at Valley Parade on his arrival, and offer either long term quality for the club, or a hefty transfer fee if he moved on in the future.

Playing 45 League One matches for Peterborough United last season, only three central midfielders played more minutes in total than Collins (4004) who went on to score twice and assist on seven occasions.

That assist total was helped by his passing range and the accuracy with which he found his teammates last term, possessing a 84.% pass completion rate which was the second-highest of any midfielder who played over 3000 minutes of action - behind new MK Dons singing Ryan Wintle.

That also gives a nod to his overall ability to play the ball forward and sat alongside a deeper midfield partner in the two like Callum Connolly, Collins could become even more of a playmaker in the future.

On top of his quality on the ball, the former Posh star highlighted himself as one of the very best midfielders in the league last season from a more defensive perspective, regularly helping his side to win the battle in the middle of the park.

Winning 200 duels overall, the 26-year-old’s 62.9% duel success rate was the best of any midfielder to win 125+ duels overall, emphasising his know how in terms of regaining the possession for his side.

That can be further directly shown by his 211 ball recoveries - the eighth-most of any midfield in League One last season - and his 62 total tackles.

His defensive work rate additionally saw him make 32 blocks overall - the most of any midfielder in the third tier - which again showcases his immense quality in terms of helping his side from a defensive aspect.

If we’re being completely realistic, there’s likely little to no chance that Bradford have the capability of signing Archie Collins in the coming weeks, but if they can somehow pull it off against all the odds, it’d be one of the club’s best signings that in recent memory.

Jamie Allen - Centre midfield

Similarly to Huggins above, Jamie Allen is another player that I mentioned during my Bradford City Transfers Targets article series that I produced over the summer, and in truth, I’m shocked that he’s still without a club at this point.

After helping Coventry City to reach the Premier League thanks to his seven years of service at the club, it was announced that the 31-year-old would leave the Sky Blues when his contract expired in late June - a career which saw him play exactly 200 times for the West Midlands outfit.

It’s that experience that sets Allen apart in terms of potential free agent signings at the League One level, especially as he’s spent the majority of his time with Coventry playing at a higher level.

With his overall lack of game time last term under former manger Frank Lampard, it’s best to look at Allen’s performances in 2025-26 on a per 90 data basis compared to other Championship midfielders, and when you do that, his attacking output places him towards the top of the list.

In England’s second tier and among midfielders who played in 500+ minutes of action last season, the 31-year-old produced 0.31 assists per match - the ninth-highest tally overall and the third-highest among players who spent the majority of their time operating as a central midfielder - as opposed to as a winger or more advanced attacking midfielder.

What aided that assist tally in particular was Allen’s fantastic pass accuracy rate throughout the campaign, sitting at 89%, a success rate substantially higher than any Bradford midfielder last term which highlights the on-the-ball ability that he could bring to the club.

With Callum Connolly as the holding midfielder beside him, Allen would be offered the chance to push forward to aid the Bantams’ attacking line more frequently, with his passing range likely to help unlock opposition defences on a regular basis.

Whether he would drop down to the League One level this term remains to be seen, but he’s exactly the sort of signing that would take City to the next level, bringing overall quality to the midfield two which could help them to challenge for another top six finish in 2026-27.

Alfie McCalmont - Centre midfield

The last name on the list is more of a nod towards midfield depth as opposed to a player who should start every match at the third tier level, but fresh from a two-year spell with Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Alfie McCalmont could be an interesting free agent addition for the club this summer.

Over the past few seasons, the former Leeds United youngster and Carlisle United player has made 49 appearances across all competitions for the Gosford-based outfit, bagging five goals and grabbing two assists along the way.

In fact, since the start of 2024-25 and among midfielders in the Australian top-flight, the 26-year-old has produced some solid numbers across the board, ranking 10th for chances created (59) and 12th for successful crosses (25) from an attacking perspective.

Elsewhere during that timeframe, his defensive acumen has also stood out, not least so as he’s made the fifth-most interceptions (54) of any midfielder - an area which highlights his ability to read his opponents well and break up play on a regular basis. His 82 total tackles highlight his bullish attitude when contending with opponents too.

As mentioned before, McCalmont wouldn’t be a guaranteed starter unlike Archie Collins and Jamie Allen higher up this list, but with a decent amount of experience in the English game prior to his move to Australia, he could be a worthwhile addition in terms of improving further on the club’s overall central midfield depth.

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After a near three-month break, Bradford City returned to competitive action with a hard-fought victory over Rochdale in their League Cup first round tie at Valley Parade.

Goals from Will Swan and Aden Baldwin saw the Bantams make a winning start to their 2026-27 campaign as they progressed from a fourth of their last five first round matchups in the competition in the process, as many times as across their prior 16 attempts combined between 2006 and 2021.

There were plenty of other milestones that were hit in BD8, both by the team and by a number of individuals, as the home side beat Rochdale for a record-extending 50th time across all competitions.

Dale, who had narrowly advanced on penalties against Tranmere Rovers in their preliminary round showdown the week prior, showed glimpses of what they could offer in League Two on their Football League return this season, but the Bantams eventually rallied and showed why they currently operate at a higher level.

Thankfully, this weekend’s result also ended a bit of poor form for Alexander’s side as prior to their success over Rochdale, City had lost each of their prior three League Cup ties against sides from a lower division, losing via penalty shoot-outs vs York City in 2015, Accrington Stanley in 2016 and Macclesfield Town in 2018.

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The Bantams make it 50 wins vs Rochdale

Throughout club history, Bradford have faced Rochdale countless times, with this League Cup tie acting as the latest instalment in this fixture’s past.

In fact, this most recent meeting of the two sides acted as the 101st time that the pair have faced off across all competitions, and the first since the Bantams claimed a 3-0 victory at Spotland back in April 2023 in League Two.

It means that City have now faced just five sides more frequently as a club, with their 101 matches against Dale coming behind only Stockport County (119), Oldham Athletic (118), Port Vale (116), Barnsley (112) and Crewe Alexandra (104).

Across those 101 meetings, Bradford have now beaten Rochdale 50 times in total - their most victories against any side across club history with the Greater Manchester outfit becoming the first side that the Bantams have amassed half a century of wins against.

That stat line is one that is very likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future too, as City’s next most successes have come against Chesterfield (48), Port Vale (47), Darlington (46) and Crewe Alexandra (45), sides that they currently aren’t set to play this season.

Who are Bradford’s most favoured cup opposition?

As well as enjoying a strong overall record against Rochdale, this weekend’s tie also saw the Bantams make it five out of five in terms of progressing in major cup ties vs this opponent (FA Cup or League Cup).

Interestingly, that makes it the club’s second-strongest 100% success rate against any side in club history, with Bradford only progressing from each of their major cup ties against Mansfield Town in terms of sides they’ve faced more often in the FA or League Cup (six out of six).

Rochdale also sit high up on the list of sides that City have knocked out of the FA Cup or League Cup overall most often, only progressing past Darlington and Mansfield (both six) more times in total.

What’s more, Bradford additionally hold both a fantastic League Cup record against sides from the Greater Manchester region and a solid FA Cup and League Cup combined record.

Since beating Bury 2-0 in 1990, City have now progressed from each of their six League Cup ties against sides from Greater Manchester.

Overall, it’s now nine League Cup ties won against sides from that specific region, their most successful progressions against teams from any region ahead of Yorkshire (7), County Durham (5), Lancashire (5) and Nottinghamshire (5).

That numbers of successful ties shoots up to 16 when looking across both the FA Cup and League Cup combined, with the Bantams now only beating fellow Yorkshire outfits (21) more often across those two competitions.

Bradford eventually dominate League Cup first round clash

Despite the slow start, Bradford eventually kicked into gear and we’re more than good value for their 2-0 victory in the 2026-27 League Cup First Round.

Goals from Swan and Baldwin proved the difference on the scoresheet, but City’s attacking play - especially in the second half - looked fantastic at times and saw them rack up 49 touches in the opposition’s penalty area in total.

On Opta record since 2019-20, that’s the joint-most that City have recorded in any match across all competitions, matching their display against Colchester United in League Two back in March last year.

The Bantams also attempted 11 shots on target in total, their joint-fourth most in any match since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, while came off the bench and Nick Powell became just the second City player to hit the woodwork twice in the same game in that time frame - after Andy Cook vs Sutton United in April 2023.

Who is Bradford’s all-time League Cup scorer?

Throughout Bradford City history, only two players have reached double figures in the League Cup, with legend Bobby Campbell remaining as the club’s topscorer in the competition with 11 goals, just ahead of Sean McCarthy on 10.

The pair are then followed by Ian Ormondroyd (8), Joe Cooke (7) and Paul Jewell (7) on the list.

Despite topping the above chart, Campbell never netted a League Cup hat-trick for the club, though four other players have managed that feat in the competition for the Bantams before:

• Bobby Webb vs Aston Villa in 1961

• John Hellawell vs Exeter City in 1964

• Sean McCarthy vs Darlington in 1993

• Dean Windass vs Rochdale in 2005

In terms of youngest and oldest goalscorers for City throughout their history in the League Cup, Kevin Megson and Stuart McCall take the accolades.

Megson remains as the youngest, scoring against West Bromwich Albion in 1989 at the age of 18 years and 81 days, while McCall is still the oldest, hitting the back of the net vs Macclesfield Town in 2001 aged 37 years and 72 days.

Among City’s current crop of players, striker Will Swan is the only player to hit multiple League Cup goals for the club, scorring against both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City’s during his side’s run to the third round in 2025-26 before finding the back of the net in this match too.

Debuts galore for the Bantams

As expected on the opening day of a new season, there were plenty of debuts for Bradford City in this match vs Rochdale, four of whom made the starting XI.

Through John McCracken, Macaulay Gillesphey, Callum Connolly & Jake Beesley, the Bantams actually started their most debutants in a League Cup game since 2012 vs Notts County, a match they went on to win 1-0 after extra time thanks to a James Hanson strike.

As we all know, that season eventually culminated in a final appearance at Wembley for the club against Swansea, just the second time that a fourth tier side has reached the final of the competition after Rochdale themselves in 1961-62.

Here’s to hoping that that could prove to be a lucky omen..

City hold strong August record but usually don’t play on the 8th

Over the past few seasons, Bradford have held a pretty formidable record when playing in the month of August.

During their prior 2025-26 campaign, the Bantams remained unbeaten across their eight competitive matches played in this particular month, winning five of their last six which included producing a League Cup double against Championship duo Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.

In fact, since a 1-0 home victory over Crewe Alexandra back 2023 in League Two action, City have now lost just one of their last 16 matches played in August (W10 D5), netting 26 goals in total over that time.

But interestingly, Alexander’s side’s match against Rochdale this weekend was just their seventh in club history to come on August 8th specifically.

The club’s last saw them lose on penalties in a League Cup clash against Accrington Stanley back in 2023 following a 1-1 draw in normal time, while the one prior also saw them lose in the League Cup, going down 3-2 to Doncaster Rovers in 2017.

This weekend’s 2-0 victory serves as just the second that Bradford have taken during club history on this day, after defeating Bristol City 2-1 in the second tier back in 2006-07 - a season which ultimately ended in League One relegation so let’s hope that it doesn’t prove to be bad luck..

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It’s roughly been about 11 weeks since Bradford City played their last competitive football match, and in the time since that play-off semi final defeat to Bolton Wanderers, a lot has changed in BD8.

The Bantams have lost a club captain among others, have brought in six new signings and have seen their commercial activity off the field grow which has culminated in Seattle banking firm Mbanq securing Valley Parade’s naming rights for the next three seasons.

For many, including myself, there’s still plenty of work to be done in terms of recruitment though, and with a League Cup first round tie now firmly on the horizon, time is quickly moving by.

According to reports, there’s still activity ongoing behind the scenes, with manager Graham Alexander particularly looking to strengthen his centre back and centre midfield options before the League One season kicks off on August 15th.

But for now, it’s time to start thinking about what Bradford’s current best starting XI is, so here’s my attempt at putting together the team’s best overall set up as opposed to just the 11 most talented individuals.

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Is this the Bantams’ current strongest starting XI?

Jon McCracken

Sam Walker has been an excellent servant to Bradford City over the past two-and-a-half seasons, but with Jon McCracken joining on a three-year contract this summer, it’s difficult to imagine that the Scotsman won’t be Alexander’s number one pick to start the campaign.

Eight years Walker’s junior at 26 and after enjoying a mightily impressive campaign in the Scottish Premiership in 2025-26 with Dundee, the Bantams’ new shot stopper hasn’t seen too much action in pre-season to date due to a slight injury but that shouldn’t prove too costly for his number one aspirations.

Last season in Scotland’s top-flight, no goalkeeper made move saves in total than McCracken (130), with his 69.9% save percentage during the campaign additionally ranking him highly among his competitors.

Through that shot stopping performance he additionally racked up a +7.97 goals prevented total - basically meaning that he saved his side from conceding an extra eight strikes when using Opta’s latest xG model which assesses the quality of chances a side has (an opposing one in this case).

In direct comparison, Walker actually cost Bradford 2.73 goals during the 2025-26 season on the whole, and as McCracken equally completed more successful passes and clearances and produced fewer drops - a full run down comparing the pair can be found here - he seems to be the stronger option heading into the new campaign.

Aden Baldwin, Matt Pennington & Macaulay Gillesphey

Into the centre of defence next and going from right to left in Alexander’s favoured 3-4-2-1 system, we start with Aden Baldwin at right centre-back who performed excellently last season.

With solid recovery speed and his now ‘famous’ long passing range, the 29-year-old bounced back dramatically last term after his Doncaster episode in 2024-25 and should be assured of his place in the starting line up when fit.

Next to him and in the middle of the three, I’d give the edge to Matt Pennington who was a little underrated by Bradford’s general support last season.

In truth - and hopefully my memory isn’t failing me here after recently turning 32.. - he never really made a notable mistake throughout the campaign and with his years of experience, using him as the anchor in the middle of the backline could prove a shrewd decision.

It also means that he can play as a defender first rather than one expected to play expansive passing football, and by that I mean that he can focus on winning his duels for instance and further improving upon his 62.1% duel success rate from last term.

The other obvious candidate and one who many Bantams fans might favour there is Joe Wright, and at points last season I would have fully agreed with that notion, but as mentioned above, Pennington just looked really solid throughout and he just edges that debate for me as it stands.

On the left-hand side of the back three there’s a new name and that’s Macaulay Gillesphey who joined from Championship side Charlton Athletic over the summer.

He arrives at the club after a couple of impressive campaigns with the Addicks during which he helped them to promotion from League One, and on paper, he seems the ideal candidate to offer the perfect balance on the left-hand side of the pitch.

Up until the start of the new year in 2025-26, Ibou Touray was probably my Player of the Season shout but his performances dropped off slightly towards May, and although he performed well at left centre-back overall, Gillesphey on paper seems a step up in terms of all-round talent.

With the ability to carry the ball forward down the left flank, he brings much more attacking threat with him due to his delivery and as such, he and Tyreik Wright could form a formidable partnership. His prior experience of playing as a left back during his career should also help Bradford’s overall shape, given them plenty of width which is something I’ll explain in more detail a bit later on.

Like Baldwin on the opposing side, Gillesphey possesses the ability to play long too which could become a sizeable advantage for the Bantams, while his last campaign at this level in 2024-25 saw him rack up a total of 480 defensive contributions.

That includes 75 tackles and 51 interceptions, two bullet points that emphasise his fantastic defensive ability at the League One level.

Josh Neufville & Tyreik Wright

In terms of the two wing-back positions for the 2026-27 season, there’s an argument to be made that this is perhaps the most straight forward decision in the entire team, as both Josh Neufville and Tyreik Wright excelled last term.

Starting on the right-hand side, Neufville burst onto the scene at Valley Parade at the start of last season, and even though he faded a little throughout the second half of the campaign, his blend of pace, power and skill down that flank make him one of the very best wing-backs in the division on his day.

He eventually finished 2025-26 with seven assists - the most of any Bradford player - while creating 40 chances overall for his teammates and elsewhere, he also ranked highly for touches in the opposition’s penalty area (109), successful dribbles (34), duels won (225) and progressive carries with the ball (144), each highlighting his excellent attacking ability.

On the other side of the field, the left wing-back role feels like Tyreik Wright’s to lose after last season, grabbing himself seven goal contributions in league action as his importance to the team was emphasised throughout.

The general consensus was that he was last season’s most improved player, producing countless impressive performances which saw his confidence levels rise and when he has that belief in himself, he’s an extremely solid player at this level both in attack and defence.

Like Neufville on the other side, the 24-year-old has that perfect blend of pace, trickery and agility when in top form and Bantams fans will be hoping to see more of that again this time around.

Adam Phillips & Callum Connolly

Let’s address this next pick as quickly as possible; yes I believe that new signing Adam Phillips should play in one of the two attacking midfield spots to get the best out of his abilities eventually, but right now, I’d play him in the central midfield two for his experience.

That’s not a knock on fellow arrival Henry Cartwright either, but much like with Jenson Metcalfe last season, a gradual introduction to the starting XI over time may suit the 21-year-old a little better than been thrown in straight away.

What it does mean if Phillips starts in the midfield two, is that the Bantams will have one of the best attacking midfielders in the division breaking the lines from deep with regularity, especially important if he can play his part in getting on the end of knock downs from target man Jake Beesley in the attacking third.

Like mentioned above, I’d like to see Phillips occupy the right attacking midfield position in the future, particularly as he ranks second to only Reading’s Lewis Wing for goals scored (37) and total goal contributions (64) since 2022-23 in League One, but with 23% of his minutes for Barnsley last season coming as a deep-lying centre midfielder, I think he’s our best option in the middle of the park at present.

Next to Phillips, I’d start Callum Connolly. I know I know, I also thought that he was arriving as a centre back option at first but from looking through his historical data to a deeper degree, and after witnessing him play in midfield during pre-season, he looks solid enough to play as the defensive-minded player in the midfield duo at the start of the season.

By that, I fully expect him to mop up the play and do the dirty work just like predecessors Max Power and Richie Smallwood have done in the recent past, and if he manages that, Phillips can be unleashed from an attacking point of view.

Looking at Connolly’s duel map from the last two seasons at Stockport County and from looking at highlights of his play in turn, he regularly moved into the midfield when in possession of the ball so it’s not an unnatural position for him to play in.

His inclusion could additionally help City’s overall attacking play, as when the Bantams are in possession of the ball, don’t be surprised to see Connolly drop into the backline to release Phillips and the two wing-backs, with the right and left centre-backs then pushing wide to almost play as full-backs and create a 4-5-1 set up as shown below in order to overwhelm opposition defences.

Antoni Sarcevic, Bobby Pointon & Jake Beesley

Lastly we come to the front three and on either side of the striker, it’s difficult to choose anyone other than Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon to start in my opinion.

Both played a huge part in our League Two promotion back in 2024-25 and both continued that excellent form into last campaign to finish as the two league top scorers for the club (Sarcevic on 11 and Pointon on 10).

Granted, Kayden Jackson produced some compelling displays after joining in January from Derby County, and Stephen Humphrys can offer something special on occasion, but both sit behind this duo in terms of overall attacking output as it stands.

Between them and in the striker position, I’d give the nod to Jake Beesley after he joined on a permanent deal from Burton Albion at the start of the summer.

In fairness, his pre-season started off slowly but a solid showing against Preston this midweek, which saw him grab an impressive assist, should have got his confidence flowing a little more.

Last season in League One, the former Bradford Park Avenue forward ranked first for duels won (442) and third for aerial duels won (313) among all players which highlight his willingness and ability to fight for the ball against his opposing defender throughout matches.

That second point about his aerial ability also gives Alexander’s side a much-needed back up plan in terms of playing longer if and when needed, something that he deployed last season at times though it didn’t exactly produce the goods given the lack of target man option upfront.

Elsewhere, the 29-year-old also ranked fifth for shots (101), sixth for xG (16.01) and seventh for overall goal contributions (20), and as a result of that and despite Will Swan’s own excellent preseason performances on the whole, I’d just about give Beesley the nod come the start of the season given the different roles that he can play in order to help his side overall.

Football is a game of opinions, so if you feel differently about any selections, please feel free to leave a comment below as I’d love to hear any counter-arguments.

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On the eve of their opening pre-season friendly ahead of the 2026-27 season, Bradford City announced their sixth signing of the summer, Henry Cartwright from fellow League One outfit Leicester City.

Still just 21-years-old, the midfielder spent 2025-26 on loan in the Scottish Premiership with Falkirk, making 42 appearances for the club across all competitions and helping them to eventually finish in sixth spot in the top-flight.

With the Bantams losing both of their main midfield starters from last season in the form of Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe, it was imperative for manager Graham Alexander to bring in replacements as quickly as possible in that area of the field.

He told the club website; “We are delighted to bring Henry in and he will add a real competitive edge to our midfield, he has got great energy, has a very good passing range and an ambition to establish himself as a genuine first-team performer.”

In this piece, I’m going to take a quick look at Cartwright’s performances over the past couple of seasons, highlighting his overall skillset and looking at whether he’ll be the long term successor for Power or instead for Metcalfe.

Cartwright’s 2024-25 campaign with Leicester City U21

Thanks to the Opta data available at my disposal, I’m going to start this article by looking through Cartwright’s 2024-25 campaign when he played in the English Premier League 2 with Leicester City’s U21 side.

During that season, the now 21-year-old featured in 1830 minutes of action for the Foxes, both playing and starting in all 20 of their matches across the competition.

The vast majority of that time saw Cartwright deployed as a defensive midfield option in a 4-2-3-1 set up (59%), though he did also play as the lone anchor in a 4-1-4-1 formation during 25% of the campaign.

The rest of his time was spent as part of a midfield two in a 4-4-2, but what’s important to emphasis is that at all times, he was used as the more defensive option of the double pivot which points towards the position that he also operated within at Falkirk last season and likely with Bradford for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Back to Leicester two seasons ago and perhaps the headline stat comes with the fact that Cartwright grabbed five goals and four assists across his 20 matches, a strong offensive showing from someone who plays in the centre of the park.

In fairness, four of those strikes came from the penalty spot - a nice little potential bonus for Bradford this term - but his four assists do emphasise his strong passing range, something which Alexander eluded to after his transfer finally went through on Friday.

That passing range can best be shown through his 78 progressive passes, one of the highest tallies in the competition that campaign, and certainly a skill that could help the Bantams to break down opposition defences from inside their own half when needed.

There were plenty of defensive highlights too, with the Foxes’ youngster ranking fourth across the competition for times winning back possession for his side (120) and joint-11th for total tackles made (52).

Elsewhere, he sat second among his Leicester teammates for interceptions made (24), which showcases his ability to read the play well and anticipate a potential chance to recover the ball, and also second for total duels won (100).

His overall influence from the centre of the park can be shown through his 1279 total touches of the ball throughout 2024-25 too, a team-high tally for Leicester and the fifth-most overall by any midfielder in the PL2 that same term.

Cartwright’s 2025-26 campaign with Falkirk

Next up came Cartwright’s first taste of professional football, moving on loan to Scottish Premiership side Falkirk for the 2025-26 season, one which would end in a fantastic sixth-placed finish for the club.

The young midfielder played his part in his side achieving that feat, featuring in 34 matches overall and playing a total of 1180 minutes of action, albeit starting in just 11 of those fixtures.

Just like with Leicester the season prior, Cartwright operated for large parts of the campaign as a defensive midfielder, spending 83% of his time in that position and as part of a 4-2-3-1 set up.

He notably spent time at centre back, central midfield and attacking midfield during his stint at Falkirk Stadium as well, highlighting his potential future versatility for Alexander’s outfit.

Due to his positioning on the field, the largest share of his touches came inside his own half, frequently dropping between the two centre backs in order to get on the ball and help his side to play out from the back.

His 79.1% passing accuracy could be an area to be improved upon on first glance, but when compared to Power’s 76.5% and Metcalfe’s 67.5% in League One last term, it’s actually a fairly significant upgrade when looking at the two players that he’ll help to replace.

On a wider scale in League One and among the 139 midfielders to play 1000+ minutes in the division last term, Cartwright’s 79.1% would rank him 35th overall - a pretty decent return for a player who likes to play more difficult passes into the frontline as opposed to just playing sideways throughout matches.

That can additionally be highlighted by the 21-year-old’s 2.97 successful long passes and 6.1 total attempted long passes per 90 figures in 2025-26, each ranking him 8th among midfielders in the Scottish Premiership.

Cartwright’s step up to professional men’s football additionally afforded him the chance to further improve his defensive ability at a higher level and when looking at his per 90 tallies, he more than held his own in the middle of Falkirk’s midfield.

The standout line comes through the fact that he ranked 9th among the 62 midfielders to play 1000+ minutes for tackles made (2.52) in the competition.

He also recovered possession 5.1 times, won five duels and completed close to three clearances on average per match to round out his defensive attributes.

In fact on the above, he was one of just four midfielders in the competition to hit those tallies, again highlighting his defensive quality.

What’s interesting to look at too is his pressing ability, something which Alexander potentially eluded to when stating that Cartwright ‘has got great energy’.

A quick look at the data suggests that the 21-year-old ranked 11th among the 63 aforementioned midfielders for high pressures applied per 90 (40.7), and with more game time to come at Bradford which will only aid his footballing intelligence even further, that figure is likely to grow.

Will Cartwright replace Metcalfe or Power?

With all of that considered then, is Cartwright more of a replacement for departing captain Max Power or Millwall-bound Jenson Metcalfe?

Well even though he has a similar profile to Metcalfe in terms of his age, overall potential, high energy nature and passing range, it looks like the new Bantams midfielder is much more suited to play in the role that Power featured in for the team in 2025-26.

That’s probably best underlined by the above overlay which showcases Cartwright’s, Power’s and Metcalfe’s open play touches in their respective divisions last season.

In simple terms, it shows the new signing sitting much deeper like Power compared to Metcalfe, sharing a higher proportion of his touches in his own half like City’s former captain, and there are other clues from elsewhere that perhaps showcase that too.

When joining Falkirk last summer, manager John McGlynn described Cartwright as a “high intensity, ball winning central midfielder” who “will add that gritty steely determination to win challenges in the centre of the pitch”.

He went on to add; “he will do the defensive side in midfield that we’ve not needed that much in the last three years, but that we will need this season in a much more physical league.”

If Alexander shares a similar opinion, it feels pretty clear that Bradford’s newest recruit will be much more likely moulded into the Power replacement then.

Time will tell on that front, and in truth given his young age and relative lack of playing time in the professional game in his career, Bradford City fans will need to potentially be patient with Henry Cartwright at first.

But if he can hit the ground running and go on to replicate anywhere close to the success of Jenson Metcalfe’s only campaign with the Bantams, the club will have produced another excellent piece of transfer business.

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During their 2025-26 League One season, Bradford City saw goalkeeper Sam Walker make 53 appearances across all competitions for the club, a tally that only Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez could better for sides across England top four tiers.

For many Bantams’ supporters that represented a sizeable problem, simply put, the 34-year-old wasn’t been challenged nearly enough for his starting place in the team most weeks.

That’s not to say that Walker performed poorly, as once again, he and his defence were arguably the deciding factor in City’s fourth-placed finish during their first campaign back in the division following promotion the season prior.

But with backup goalkeeper Joe Hilton playing just three times for the West Yorkshire side last campaign - each coming in the EFL trophy - and subsequently leaving the club in recent weeks, it seems as though manager Graham Alexander also shares the opinion that more needs to be done to challenge his current number one.

Jon McCracken is the goalkeeper that he and his backroom staff have made a move for, and after enjoying a successful campaign with Dundee in the Scottish Premiership last term, he’ll be desperate to arrive in BD8 and take the starting spot between the sticks as quickly as possible.

Assessing McCracken’s 2025-26 season

Beginning his youth career with Hamilton Academical, McCracken left for Norwich City in 2016, though despite enjoying spells on loan to Stevenage and Accrington Stanley among others, the first real successful spell on his career came with a permanent move to Dundee in the summer of 2024.

Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 51 Scottish Premiership appearances for the Dee, but with his contract coming to an end at the 2025-26, he announced that he was to leave the club as he desired a move back south of the border to England.

Bradford City is his landing spot, and after his exploits last campaign, Bantams’ supporters will be happy to hear that he’ll give Sam Walker plenty of competition for the number one jersey.

There’s a few headline stats when assessing McCracken’s performances for Dundee last season, not least so by the fact that no goalkeeper in Scotland’s top tier made move saves in total (130).

That total was the most by a goalkeeper in the division since St Johnstone’s Dimitar Mitov made 138 stops in 2023-24, with his 69.9% save percentage during the prior campaign additionally ranking him fairly highly in that particular category.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic comes with how many extra goals McCracken prevented for Dundee last term, a piece of data that we can take from Opta which consists of minusing his goals conceded (excluding own goals) total from his expected goals on target (xGOT) figure.

That process gives him a goals prevented tally of 7.97, the second-highest of any shot stopper in the competition, just behind Calum Ward in top spot (8.08).

Comparing McCracken and Walker in 2025-26

What’s telling in particular regarding that total is when you compare it to how Walker performed for Bradford in the third tier in 2025-26. Using the same process, City’s number one actually cost his side 2.73 goals - the fourth-worst total in the competition overall.

There are other areas where McCracken’s performances over the past season stack up well against Walker’s too, not least so the fact that his save percentage of 69.9% was higher than the City keeper’s 66.7%.

He’s also better with the ball at his feet from a passing stand-point, McCracken’s 54% pass accuracy rate substantially higher than Walker’s 43%. His long pass accuracy is slightly higher too, pointing to a goalkeeper that has better range and vision when playing out from the back.

Walker does hold the upper hand in certain areas himself , like through the fact that he logged substantially more catches than McCracken during the 2025-26, 46 to 17.

Conversely, that did lead the current Bradford number one to drop the ball on 10 occasions however, and with McCracken logging just three drops in Scotland’s top tier over the same period, perhaps City’s new addition could be viewed as the stronger choice from an aerial command perspective in terms of making fewer mistakes.

Either way, it’s going to be very interesting to see which goalkeeper excels the most throughout pre-season and which one is named as the starter for the Bantams’ first match of the 2026-27 season by Alexander when the time comes.

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Just a few weeks on from signing Burton Albion striker Jake Beesley to a two-year contract, Bradford City have today announced their second signing of the summer; 28-year-old midfielder Adam Phillips.

Fresh from netting nine goals and producing five assists during Barnsley’s 2025-26 League One campaign, the Bantams have moved quickly to beat stiff competition for the former Liverpool youngster’s signature.

Phillip’s move to the West side of Yorkshire brings an end to his four-year stay with the Tykes, during which he made 182 appearances across all competitions after joining from Burnley late in the summer of 2022.

Next, he’ll look to take Graham Alexander’s side to the next level and to try and help the Bantams to go one better than their play-off disappointment last season by reaching the Championship ahead of the 2027-28 season.

Assessing where Phillips will play for the Bantams

To start off, it’s important to understand why Adam Phillips has been brought to Valley Parade this summer and where fans can expect to see him play in terms of position.

During the 2025-26 campaign with Barnsley, the 28-year-old spent most of his time on the right wing (38%) or in the central attacking midfielder role (31%). He additionally featured as a deep-lying playmaker for a total of 655 minutes of action and it’s that versatility that could be key to Bradford’s success next season, especially with the outgoing of players like former captain Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe.

When looking at the fact that Phillips delivered nine goals and five assists in League One throughout 2025-26, it should be expected that he’ll challenge veteran Antoni Sarcevic as the right-hand sided number 10 in Graham Alexander’s usual 3-4-2-1 set up in particular.

His fantastic on-the-ball ability means that he’d be a great option in that area of the field behind new forward Jake Beesley, and if the pair can hit the ground running come early August, expect to see them combine for plenty of goals in 2026-27.

As mentioned prior, Phillip’s headline stats from his latest season with the South Yorkshire outfit come stem from his return of nine goals from midfield, whilst also adding five assists to his direct goal contribution output.

Among all midfielders in the third tier last term, he ranked 11th for goals (9) and joint-11th for goal contributions (14) to highlight his ability at this level.

There were other areas of his game that emphasise Phillip’s ability to comfortably play as an attacking midfielder, not least so through the fact that he created 40 chances from open play and had 99 touches of the ball in the opposition’s penalty area - two figures that rank him within the top 5% of all midfielders in the competition in 2025-26.

He additionally stacks up favourably when compared to both Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon as seen below, with his passing ability and range perhaps the single biggest upgrade he’ll bring with him to the club this summer.

Compared to the City duo mentioned, Phillips recorded the best part of double the amount of successful passes of either individual, while his 135 passes played into the opposition’s penalty area were a sizeable amount more than either Sarcevic or Pointon.

That passing and comfort with the ball at his feet could see him move further back on the pitch if needed as well, especially now that Jenson Metcalfe as departed from Championship side Millwall.

There’s the obvious Max Power sized-hole that needs filling this summer too, but on first glance, my hope would be that Phillips has been brought to BD8 to play in a more attacking role and that City’s two main central midfielders from last season will instead be replaced by other individuals.

Third tier longevity highlights midfielder’s brilliance

But where Phillips really shines is with a look back over his time as a Barnsley player from the start of the 2022-23 season as a whole.

When considering that particular time frame and when looking among just midfielders, he ranks second to only Reading’s Lewis Wing for both goals scored (37) and total goal contributions logged (64). His 27 assists in that time also ranking him second in the third tier of English football.

His attacking impetus can additionally be highlighted by the fact that no other midfielder in the past four seasons in League One has put together a higher expected goals total (29.59) or has created more chances from open play (167) than the former Barnsley star.

There are high ranks elsewhere too from an offensive sense, mostly through his 329 touches inside the opposition’s penalty area (2nd) and 1157 successful passes ending in the final third (8th) - two more areas that showcase his ability at creating opportunity in front of goal.

His front-footed approach in terms of winning the back ball high up the pitch for his team can be referenced with his 140 high turnovers during that time too, while he’s surprisingly strong in the air, racking up the third-most successful aerial duels among midfielders in that time with 322.

All in all, Bradford City’s acquisition of Adam Phillips from Barnsley signals their intent to match, or try to even better, their fourth-place finish from last season, and with his attacking output and chance creating ability especially, he’ll very likely become a fan’s favourite at Valley Parade in the coming years.

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With 58 goals scored in League One in 2025-26, despite finishing fourth and ultimately reaching the play-offs, by no means were Bradford City one of the division’s highest scoring outfits.

In fact, 13 teams in England’s third tier netted more strikes than Graham Alexander’s side in total during the campaign and as such, the club’s current striking options have come under the most scrutiny over recent months.

Despite hitting the ground running in the early part of the campaign, Will Swan finished with just six league goals to his name, while Stephen Humphrys and Kayden Jackson offered glimpses of brilliance but neither are regarded as out-and-out number nines.

That gap needs to be filled substantially over the off-season then by the Bantams if another play-off finish or better is the target, so here’s three realistic transfer targets that I’d seriously take a look at over the coming weeks who could lead the line for the club next season.

Prior transfer targets articles: Goalkeepers | Centre backs | Wing-backs | Centre midfielders | Attacking midfielders

Ashley Fletcher - Blackpool

We start with a player who was born in Bradford and one who has been mentioned by Bradford supporters pretty consistently over recent weeks on social media, and that’s Ashley Fletcher.

Now 30-years-old, the former Manchester United youth player enjoyed a fantastic season with Blackpool in League One in 2025-26, bagging 15 goals and contributing a further four assists as he enjoyed the most prolific league campaign to date of his career.

In England’s third tier, only a handful of players netted more goals for their sides and given the Tangerines’ struggles for much of the campaign, Fletcher’s exploits highlight his brilliance in front of goal.

Netting 15 times from an xG total of just 11.6, Fletcher held one of the competition’s best xG differentials in 2025-26, with his +3.37 overperformance only bettered by 12 players overall when excluding the play-off action.

That tally was aided by his fantastic conversion rate throughout the season, ranking seventh in the third tier out of the 61 players to attempt 50+ shots with his 21.7%.

That in particular highlights his experience as he now enters the latter stages of his playing career, as even though he only attempted 69 shots in total in League One, he consistently possessed both the intelligence and understanding between knowing when and when not to strike towards goal depending on the opportunity in front of him.

Because of that skillset, 42% of all of his shots in League One this campaign ended up on target, and when you compare that to Will Swan’s 30.3% and Stephen Humphrys’ 32.6%, that’s a pretty sizeable upgrade in the number nine role.

What was also impressive about Fletcher’s play this season was his ability to create chances for his teammates and link up the play throughout matches.

Known to use his 6 foot 1 frame cleverly, the Blackpool forward was brilliant in his aerial battles, using his physicality to frequently bring those around him into play. In simple terms, he’s exactly the sort of striker profile that the Bantams missed this season, especially after Andy Cook departed on loan to Grimsby Town.

In terms of his assist count, Fletcher’s four could only be better by three strikers in League One this term, Lorent Tolaj (6), Dion Charles and Mason Burstow (both 5). His 31 chances created were also the third-most, behind only the aforementioned Burstow and Tolaj.

But his work for the rest of the team goes far beyond just creating opportunities, and a glance at Fletcher’s defensive work highlights him as the perfect addition to a Graham Alexander-led side.

Starting with duels, Fletcher ranked seventh among forwards in the third tier this season for successful duels (218), his 44.5% success rate sitting him comfortably above the vast majority of players in that category. 114 of those came in the form of aerial duels won, with his aerial ability once again been emphasised by his 42.5% success rate in such battles.

For reference this term Swan’s sat at 21.6%, showing the difference that signing a player like Fletcher would do for the Bantams.

Elsewhere, his 105 ball recoveries could only be bettered by a handful of fellow strikers, and his 27 tackles and 44 clearances put him within the 10% of overall forwards in 2025-26, again showcasing his ability to chip in with defensive duties.

Lastly, and thanks to his ability to win battles and use his close control with the ball at his feet, Fletcher additionally won 54 fouls for Blackpool this term, the eighth-most of any forward. That both helped to take the pressure off his side frequently and also created potential opportunity from set pieces - an area where Bradford performed reasonably well this term despite what some people may think..

All in all, Ashley Fletcher would be an excellent signing for any League One side this summer as his contract expires at Bloomfield Road, though Bradford will have to put in plenty of work in convincing him to make the move to Valley Parade in the coming weeks.

Jake Beesley - Burton Albion

A similar player to Ashley Fletcher in terms of his target man capabilities, this summer could see Bradford reignite their interest in current Burton Albion striker Jake Beesley following his excellent 2025-26 campaign with the Brewers.

According to reports - although I’m not entirely sure how reliable those were at the time - the Bantams made a six-figure offer for the 29-year-old back during the January transfer window, only to be rebuffed by Burton given his importance to their survival bid.

But six months on and now a little closer towards the end of his contract, City may return and if they do manage to get a deal over the line this time around, they’d be getting an excellent target man for their front line.

With 13 goals and seven assists in League One this term, only six players in the third tier managed more direct goal involvements than Beesley in 2025-26, a brilliant achievement given Burton’s struggles for much of the campaign.

It was the former Bradford Park Avenue loan star’s shooting output that helped his goal tally in particular, attempting 101 shots in total which was the fourth-highest total in the division. His target man approach can be highlighted by the fact that of those 101 shots, 40 came via his head, with only Yousef Salech and Kyle Wootton attempting more.

That brings us to Beesley’s aerial ability on a wider scale, and it’s because of this part of his game as to why I believe that Alexander is so potentially infatuated with the idea of signing the Burton forward to lead his attacking line next term.

During the 2025-26 campaign, only two players in League One won more aerial duels than Beesley, racking up 313 total successful aerial battles which additionally helped him to win 442 duels overall - the most of any player in the division.

Simply put, that would massively help the Bantams to get up the field on a more frequent and successful basis, especially given the fact that Alexander likes his side to play long if and when needed.

Just like Fletcher above as well, Beesley is more than happy to do his fair share of defensive work when called upon too, ranking highly for tackles made (41) and interceptions produced (9) among all forward players in League One last season.

He’s also adept at winning the ball back for his side, his 126 ball recoveries ranking him first among out-and-out strikers in the third tier in 2025-26, and with 38 of those coming in the final third - also a league-high tally among all players - his pressing capabilities would additionally suit Bradford’s favoured playing style.

Of course, a move for Jake Beesley this summer rests on Stefan Rupp’s ability to produce the funds needed to grab his signature, but if the German manages to do that, he could prove to be an excellent addition for the club heading into next season.

Sam Bell - Bristol City

Lastly, we come to my third striker transfer target on this list and even though he’s less of an out-and-out number nine compared to Beesley and Fletcher above, a move for Bristol City’s Sam Bell this summer would be a very ambitious one and one that could take the Bantams to the next level.

After coming through the youth academy at Ashton Gate, Bell enjoyed a strong start to his career with the Robins after returning from his loan spell with Grimsby Town back in January 2022.

Deployed more so on the left wing during that spell with his hometown club, in short, unfortunately for one reason or another it just hasn’t worked out for the 23-year-old so far, but at League One level, he could easily get his career back on track with a bang.

That was somewhat seen with his short loan spell with Wycombe Wanderers during the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, netting six goals and grabbing two assists across just 1411 minutes of action which eventually led to Bristol City bringing him back to the club over winter.

That return meant that Bell netted a goal per every 235.2 minutes of play during his time with the Chairboys - for reference, Fletcher sat on one goal per 214.2 minutes and Beesley one every 308.3 minutes come the end of the campaign.

That highlights Bell as a strong finisher then, and a look at his shooting statistics in the first half of the campaign in comparison to other forwards in the division certainly emphasise that.

Between his first and last matches for Wycombe between 6th September and 29th December, Bell possessed a 20% shot conversion rate, the joint-sixth highest tally of any player in League One during that time to attempt 25+ shots.

As mentioned before, that was enough for the Robins to recall him and given that he went on to net another five goals during the second half of the season back in the Championship, someone is going to get a brilliant free transfer signing in Bell this summer if he does indeed leave Ashton Gate.

A good six or seven years younger than both Beesley and Fletcher and with plenty of potential still in the tank, the acquisition of Sam Bell for Bradford would be an extremely smart move, both for the present and the future if he can hit the ground running at Valley Parade.

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With 10+ goals each during the 2025-26 League One season, attacking midfield duo Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon were arguably the club’s two most important players.

Sarcevic - a seasoned EFL veteran - and Pointon - one of the club’s best youth products - spearheaded the Bantams’ attacking line up, with their direct output in terms of goal contributions helping their side to reach the third tier play-offs at the first time of asking following their prior promotion from League Two.

But with Sarcevic now a year older and Pointon likely to be the subject of transfer interest this off-season which could ultimately see him leave Valley Parade, it’s imperative that Graham Alexander and his side beef up their options in this area of the field before they go again in 2026-27.

With that in mind, here’s three summer transfer targets that could suit his playing style and could offer Bradford some much-needed cover and competition in the two number 10 roles.

Prior transfer targets articles: Goalkeepers | Centre backs | Wing-backs | Centre midfielders

Tommi O’Reilly - Aston Villa

We kick off this list with much more of a likely loan signing than a permanent transfer and that’s with Aston Villa youngster Tommi O’Reilly, a player who enjoyed a fantastic 2025-26 campaign with Crewe Alexandra in League Two.

Scoring seven goals and assisting on 11 occasions in the fourth tier, the 22-year-old proved himself to be not only one of the most exciting players in the division this term, but one who could back that up with end product on a consistent basis.

That can be made clear by the fact that only one other player could match O’Reilly’s 11 assists in the competition - Chesterfield’s Liam Mandeville - while only four midfielders managed to produce more direct goal involvements than his 18 across the campaign.

When compared to all other midfielders in League Two in 2025-26, there were plenty of other attacking metrics that saw the Villa youth star rank very highly, not least so through his shooting output with his 83 total shots acting as the third-most.

His 234 passes played into the opposition’s penalty area were the 10th most, his 128 touches in the opposition’s penalty area were the joint-6th most, while his 16 big chances created were the joint-2nd most in the competition - the latter a very strong tally and one which highlights his vision, creativity and decision-making very well.

But O’Reilly definitely doesn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities despite featuring so highly across almost every attacking metric and that’s something that will really appeal to Bantams’ manager Graham Alexander if his scouting team view the youngster as a potential target this summer.

Winning 230 duels in total this season, the 22-year-old was actually involved in 594 duels overall in 2025-26, the 10th highest total in League Two among all midfielders.

Alongside that duel count, there were also 77 tackles and 154 ball recoveries, two tallies which put him well within the top 10% of all midfielders, while his 21 times winning possession in the final third additionally highlight his pressing ability.

Another area of his game which helps his side in terms of winning back possession is his cleverness in using his dribbling ability and intelligence to win fouls, whether in the defensive third to relieve pressure on his defence or in the final third to create potential attacking opportunity.

All in all, a season-long loan deal for Tommi O’Reilly would seemingly work for every party involved here. The player gets to test himself at a higher level, his parent club get to see if he can handle that and take the next step in his development and the Bantams get a player who can both cover for and push Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon for a starting spot.

Paul Smyth - QPR

If a more experienced player is wanted then QPR’s Paul Smyth could be a good option this summer for Bradford, with the Northern Irishman leaving Loftus Road after a three-year stint with the Hoops.

Still only 28-years-old, the left midfielder has now made 317 appearances across the EFL and NIFL Premiership in his career and with 142 of those coming in the second tier of English football, his acquisition would be viewed as a coup for the Bantams.

This term, Smyth stared only 21 games for QPR but with 36 total appearances, he still managed some pretty decent output, averaging 0.29 goals per 90, a figure which ranked him within the top 30 Championship players who featured 35+ times in 2025-26.

His total of six strikes is one likely to grow with a drop down a division to Valley Parade, especially as his shooting output, which saw him attempt 2.18 total shots per league appearance this term, also ranked him quite highly in the second tier.

The same goes for his 1.02 shots on target and 0.23 expected goals per 90 tallies.

An additional bonus with Smyth would come with his ability to play on either wing if needed. Throughout his career he’s mostly operated down the left-hand flank but he has also enjoyed plenty of game time on the right too which would give the Bantams the option if signed this summer.

The graphic above also highlights his ability - as seen this season - to come inside off the wing to offer support for the central striker, something that Alexander likes his two attacking midfielders to be able to do.

Like a lot of other attacking midfielders, as a result of the above, Smyth is extremely comfortable with advancing up the field with possession of the ball, a player who likes to take on his opposing defender when the opportunity arises.

That additionally leads him to win fouls for his side on a very frequent basis, in fact in the Championship in 2025-26, only Southampton’s Léo Scienza averaged a higher numbers of fouls won than Smyth, who himself won 2.71 per 90.

It leaves him as a sensible, exciting and versatile option for Bradford to target this summer in my opinion, and one who would undoubtedly take the club to the next level in terms of their goalscoring and overall attacking output.

Elliot Lee

After spending the second half of the 2025-26 season on loan at Doncaster Rovers, it’s very likely that Elliot Lee will leave Wrexham on a permanent basis this season.

Whether that’s on a free transfer or for a nominal fee, the 31-year-old has bags of EFL experience and as a more established central attacking midfielder than the two players mentioned above, Lee is a player who could very much work in Graham Alexander’s usual 3-4-2-1 set up as one of the numbers 10s.

Throughout the second half of this campaign with the South Yorkshire side, Lee showed his class in front of goal, scoring three times and assisting twice as he helped his loan side to stay in the division.

That output came across just 14 starts, and as a result of his limited minutes in the competition overall this campaign given his January arrival, it’s best to look at his per 90 data to get a look at what he could bring to Valley Parade and compare him to Sarcevic and Pointon along the way.

Averaging 0.42 goal contributions per 90 in the third tier this term, Lee matched Sarcevic’s output on that front but compared to both him and Pointon, the Wrexham midfielder’s biggest advantage comes with his passing ability.

Overall, Lee held a 81.8% pass accuracy rate, substantially stronger than Sarcevic’s 64.9%, while his successful passes in the final third (11.1) and overall touches of the ball (51.5) were both higher than either of Bradford’s main two attacking midfielders figures.

Additionally, Lee created 0.42 big chances per match, over double the tally of either Pointon or Sarcevic and the 15th best return of any player to feature in 1000+ minutes of action in League One this term.

Although some supporters may look at this move as the safer option, Elliot Lee would be an interesting transfer target this summer for Bradford City, one who’d bring plenty of experience and excellent vision with him to Valley Parade.

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During the 2025-26 League One season, no outfield Bradford City player featured in more minutes of action than captain Max Power (4046), despite picking up separate suspensions for his accumulation of yellow cards in both early October and mid-February.

In a similar vein, youngster Jenson Metcalfe ranked fourth for most minutes played by an outfielder for the Bantams in league competition, his 3010 minutes in total coming as a byproduct in particular of the fact that he started in 30 of his side’s last 31 league fixtures of the campaign.

Now with Lee Evans departing the club this summer following the conclusion of his contract, and with Tommy Leigh returning but seemingly unfancied by manager Graham Alexander, you feel that the Bantams need to bring in at least two new central midfielders this summer, to both act as cover and at the same time, challenge for a starting spot ahead of the new campaign.

Here’s three targets that could be worthwhile looking at ahead of 2026-27.

Prior transfer targets articles: Goalkeepers | Centre backs | Wing-backs

Jensen Weir - Wigan Athletic

A name that was apparently linked with Bradford City interest during the winter transfer window was Wigan Athletic’s Jensen Weir, and given that, another approach this summer for the midfielder wouldn’t exactly surprise, especially as he’s officially out of contract come the end of June as it stands.

Playing 37 times for the Latics in 2025-26 and making 33 starts, Weir played a sizeable part in Wigan’s 16th placed finish and at only 24-years-old, he could bring some youth and energy with him to Valley Parade this summer.

Although more traditionally used as a more defensive-minded midfielder, the former Brighton player possesses an all-round game which gives him excellent versatility and the capability of covering for both Power and Metcalfe in different roles if signed.

As seen above, that’s meant that he’s played in a multitude of positions over Wigan’s last two league campaigns, even featuring down the right flank which could potentially offer Josh Neufville more cover.

What’s more is that 25% of his game time has seen him play in a 3-4-2-1 shape, the exact formation used by Alexander which means that Weir wouldn’t take too long in getting up to speed with City’s preferred formation and system.

Standing at six foot exactly, Weir has excellent physical stamina and a high work rate, something that is a necessity when playing as one of Bradford’s two midfielders in the centre of the park who need to cover ground at a strong rate.

He also possesses a tenacity that sees him rack up successful duels consistently - both on the ground and in the air. This season among League One midfielders, Weir ranked 15th for duels won (184) and 8th for aerial duels won (82) - both strong totals that highlight his ability to read the play and win key battles when called upon.

There are other areas where Weir ranked fairly highly among midfielders this campaign in the third tier from a defensive perspective; comfortably sitting within the top 25 for tackles (64) and interceptions made (28) and 12th for clearances recorded with 85.

When accumulating defensive statistics too, he was one of just eight midfielders to record 25+ interceptions, 50+ tackles, 85+ clearances, 125+ ball recoveries and 175+ duels won - a player who seemingly enjoys doing ‘the dirty work’ for his side.

As such, Weir would act as better cover for Power than Metcalfe - especially considering Metcalfe’s athleticism and will to get forward on a more frequent basis in comparison.

Dru Yearwood - Rotherham United

Another more defensive-minded midfield option for the Bantams this summer could be Rotherham United’s Dru Yearwood, a player whom the South Yorkshire side would like to keep and have an option for a contract extension on, though it’s reported that he’s still very likely to depart the Millers this off-season.

The former New York Red Bulls and Nashville SC player enjoyed a steady, if not spectacular 2025-26 season, and even though his side were eventually relegated back to League Two, Yearwood would still make for a great addition to Bradford’s squad for their next campaign.

Although not the tallest at 5 foot 9, the 26-year-old possesses a quick turn of pace and enjoys operating in a box-to-box type role in the centre of the park, covering plenty of distance per match thanks to his above average agility and stamina.

When looking through his per 90 data in League One this season, there are two defensive categories where he stands out in particular; tackles and interceptions.

Starting with tackles, only six midfielders averaged making more per 90 than Yearwood, with his 2.85 per match on average highlighting him as a player who’s happy to do the defensive side of the game in order to help his team recover the ball.

Equally as impressive, the 26-year-old additionally averaged 1.43 interceptions per 90 minutes of action, the 8th highest tally among all midfielders to play 1000+ minutes in the competition, while his 5.4 ball recoveries per 90 also saw him rank highly among the same players.

When combining the three, no other midfielder in the competition managed to hit Yearwood’s numbers on a per game basis and thus, there’s a strong argument to be made that he’d be an excellent addition for the Bantams this summer.

Jamie Allen - Coventry City

A player a little different to the two above in terms of preferred role, as he’s more of a ball-playing central midfielder in comparison, Jamie Allen would be an excellent pick up for a League One side this transfer window.

After helping Coventry City to reach the Premier League thanks to his seven years of service at the club, it’s been announced that the 31-year-old will leave the Sky Blues when his contract expires in late June - a career with the club that has seen him play exactly 200 times.

It’s that experience that sets Allen apart from the other two potential targets in this list, especially as he’s spent the majority of his time with Coventry playing at a higher level.

But it’s also his playing profile which differs from the other players as mentioned prior, with Allen a midfielder who is much more likely to help in an attacking sense in comparison.

With his overall lack of game time this term under Frank Lampard, it’s best to compare Allen on a per 90 data base compared to other Championship midfielders, and when you do that, his raw attacking output places him quite high on the list.

In England’s second tier and among those midfielders to have played in 500+ minutes of action in 2025-26, the 31-year-old produced 0.31 assists per match - the ninth-highest tally overall and third among those who spent the majority of their time operating as a central midfielder - as opposed to a winger or more advanced attacking midfielder.

What aided that assist tally in particular was Allen’s fantastic pass accuracy rate throughout the campaign, sitting at 89% in total which is substantially higher than Max Power’s and Jenson Metcalfe’s and highlights where he could improve Bradford’s midfield quite dramatically.

All in all, despite his lack of playing time over the past few months, Allen would be a fantastic free agent for Bradford to chase this summer, a player who would bring plenty of experience with him whilst also giving the Bantams a more controlled presence in the middle of the park when in possession.

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For large parts of Bradford City’s 2025-26 League One campaign, the Yorkshire side’s wing-backs were arguably the most integral part of their success.

With Josh Neufville down the right and Tyreik Wright and Ibou Touray sharing the workload on the left, the trio played a pivotal role in helping the Bantams to ultimately finish in fourth spot and qualify for the play-offs.

Next season however, I’d personally like to see Touray start as the main option at left centre back for the majority of matches in Graham Alexander’s 3-4-2-1 set up, with Curtis Tilt offering him cover when needed.

If that consensus is shared by the Bradford gaffer, that means that the club are very likely to be looking to bring it least one wing-back who can challenge for a starting role within the squad, or perhaps one who can cover both sides of the pitch if and when called upon.

Here’s three options that would strengthen Bradford’s quality and depth in that position heading into the 2026-27 League One campaign.

Prior transfer targets articles: Goalkeepers | Centre backs

Ilmari Niskanen - Exeter City

Potentially the most exciting free agent on the market this summer in terms of a player who featured in League One last season, Ilmari Niskanen has left Exeter City after enjoying a fantastic campaign with the Grecians despite their relegation.

One of only three outfielder players to feature in every minute of League One action in 2025-26 for their side, the Finnish wideman will be extremely sought after this summer and simply put, would improve any side in the third tier from a quality perspective.

Starting with his attacking output, and even in spite of playing for a side who eventually finished 21st and three points from safety, no player in League One during the 2025-26 campaign recorded more assists than Niskanen’s 13.

12 of those came from open play - another league-high tally - with his 9.12 expected assists total also ranking fourth among all players in the competition this season.

When delving deeper into the data, Niskanen can be highlighted as a player who creates opportunities for fun for his teammates. In 2025-26, he outright created more chances from open play than any other player in the third tier of English football with 66, while the 15 big chances that he created could only be surpassed by four other individuals in the division.

Niskanen’s 51 successful crosses from open play were additionally a league-high tally, while his 202 passes played into the opposition’s penalty area helped his side to 52 goals in total during their campaign.

What sets the 28-year-old apart in particular compared to similar players in the third tier, is his high intensity work-rate and ability to carry the ball up the field on a constant basis.

When looking at his attacking carries numbers on the Opta database, Niskanen stands out. His 25 chance created ending carries were the fourth-most of any player and his four assist ending carries also ranked him fourth in the competition.

His 105 progressive carries in total - an action described carrying the ball more than five metres upfield towards the opposition’s goal - were just shy of Josh Neufville’s 143 for reference on that front.

His energy and endurance help him to complete the defensive side of the game to a high level too, with Niskanen been in the correct position at the right time to make exactly 100 tackles in League One in 2025-26. Only four players actually managed more in the competition, one of which was Bradford’s own Ibou Touray (103).

The last point to mention is that Niskanen can play on both sides of the pitch, something which was seen at St James’ Park this term.

Although he mostly operated down the right flank, that level of flexibility is a huge positive, offering depth in multiple positions that would prove incredibly handy to have for Bradford next season.

Steve Seddon - AFC Wimbledon

A player who naturally plays on the opposite side to Niskanen’s favoured position is AFC Wimbledon’s Steve Seddon, who enjoyed a fantastic 2025-26 campaign despite his side’s struggles towards the end of the season.

The London side eventually stayed in League One by just three points, but with his contract up this summer, the 28-year-old full back could decide to move away from his current employers over the next month or so.

Strong in both his offensive and defensive abilities, Seddon provided Wimbledon with a huge attacking outlet during this campaign, frequently pushing forward down the left flank and delivering high quality deliveries into the penalty area.

In fact, no out-and-out defender in the third tier amassed as many assists as Seddon, who ended up finishing the campaign with eight in total, while he also topped the charts among backliners for expected assists (9.73) - that latter tally ranking him third in the competition overall among all players.

His creativity can be further emphasised and highlighted when looking at his chance creation numbers across the board in 2025-26.

In League One this season, only Stockport County’s Oli Norwood (93) and Plymouth Argyle’s Ronan Curtis (86) managed to create more chances for their teammates than Seddon (79). 15 of those actually came in the form of ‘big chances’ created too from the Wimbledon defender, the highest total of any defender in the competition and one aided by his brilliant set piece delivery.

That’s because 29 of the chances that Seddon created this season came from set pieces, with the former Birmingham City player possessing a fantastic left foot which could offer the Bantams another option from corners and free kicks if signed.

His pinpoint delivery also meant that he ranked second for successful open play crosses this term in the third tier (43) - behind only Niskanen above - and equally saw him play 403 passes into the opposition’s penalty area throughout - again ranking him second league-wide.

But just like Niskanen, Seddon’s attacking output doesn’t come at the expense of his defensive contributions and a glance at those categories highlights a player who is more than happy to track back on the left flank and offer support to his central defenders.

In fact, this season Seddon was one of just five players in League One to record 35+ interceptions, 65+ tackles, 125+ clearances and 150+ ball recoveries - a line which underpins his defensive output nicely.

Niall Huggins - Sunderland

The 2025-26 season somewhat proved to be one to forget overall for Niall Huggins, as his loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers from Sunderland was reduced to just 817 minutes of action due to various injury setbacks.

Now out of contract heading into the summer break, the former Leeds United youngster will be looking to make the perfect move to a club who can support him and offer him plenty of game time to get his performances back on track during a vital year in his career.

Bradford could be a sensible option that works for everyone, especially as the team need depth out wide and as Huggins can - at a push - operate at both right and left back which offers valuable flexibility.

When accessing his current campaign, it’s best to look on a per 90 basis given his obvious lack of minutes on the field and by doing so, it highlights some key areas of his game where he still managed to rank highly in the third tier.

Among defenders to play 750+ minutes of action in 2025-26, Huggins actually ranked joint-second for expected assists produced per 90 (0.21) and fourth for chances created from open play (1.32).

His 0.44 times winning possession in the final third highlight his front front nature when needed to help his side press too - the fourth-highest tally in the division too.

Elsewhere, Huggins put up respectable averages for duels won, fouls won, dribbles completed and interceptions and with his experience of playing regularly at higher levels in the English Football League pyramid, he could be one to consider this summer for Graham Alexander.

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During the 2025-26 League One season, it was Bradford City’s excellent defensive record which perhaps played the biggest part in their ability to eventually finish fourth and qualify for the play-offs.

With just 51 goals conceded in total across their 46 regular season matches, only four sides in the third tier let in fewer strikes than the Bantams this season, a fantastic return for a newly-promoted team.

The same four clubs as mentioned above - Cardiff City, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town and Stevenage - were also the only sides in League One to keep more clean sheets than Graham Alexander’s men over the course of the campaign.

But despite that, improvements can still be made, and with Ciarán Kelly announced to be leaving Valley Parade over the summer, more depth is additionally needed.

As such, here’s three realistic central defensive transfer targets who would significantly improve the Bantams’ backline heading into 2026-27.

Prior transfer targets articles: Goalkeepers

Callum Connolly - Stockport County

It’s fair to say that the path between Edgeley Park and Valley Parade is a well trodden one over recent seasons, the likes of Antoni Sarcevic, Ibou Touray and Nick Powell all joining the Bantams after enjoying previous spells with Stockport County.

For the most part, it’s proved a successful link for Bradford, especially through the acquisition of Sarcevic last summer who has arguably now been the club’s most important player over the past two campaigns.

This summer, Graham Alexander could look to the Greater Manchester club once again, this time to help improve his backline with Callum Connolly looking likely to depart as his contract comes to an end.

This season has been a difficult one for the 28-year-old, as after featuring in 13 of his team’s opening 15 League One matches, he’s since played no part in their march to the League One play-off final which started with an injury set back.

Despite that, on paper, Connolly would be an excellent pick up for Bradford this off-season, especially as he’s already used to playing in the Hatters’ 3-4-2-1 set up, a system that’s very similar to Alexander’s preferred formation. He also offers plenty of experience, now making 301 senior league appearances in his career, mostly across the Championship and League One.

Overall during his time with Stockport, he’s most frequently operated from the right-hand side of the back three, though a move inside to play in the middle of the defensive line wouldn’t surprise with Aden Baldwin preferred in the wider spot due to his passing range.

Given his limited playing time this season, it’s best to take a look at Connolly’s performances on a per 90 basis and then compare him to Bradford’s current options at the centre back position.

Starting with a look at the defensive categories, largely due to Stockport’s control of matches in comparison with City, Connolly doesn’t show up too much when looking at duels won, tackles and interceptions, though compared to Matt Pennington, Joe Wright, Curtis Tilt and Aden Baldwin, he does rank second this season for clearances (7.4) and blocks made (0.82).

But the biggest difference that Connolly would bring with him is his passing ability compared to the central defenders already with the club.

In League One in 2025-26, the former Everton youngster maintained a 83.1% pass accuracy rate, substantially higher than the current crop of City’s centre backs - Pennington ranking highest among them at 68.3%.

Connolly also recorded the most successful passes per 90 of the group (34.8), while his pass accuracy into the opposition’s half (63%) similarly ranked top.

Simply put, that points to a centre back who could help Bradford to control matches a little better when in possession, and a player who could pick out a much more positive successful pass which helps them to get up the field more efficiently than they currently can.

Liam Gordon - Motherwell

With Motherwell claiming UEFA Europa Conference League football for the upcoming 2026-27 season and with Liam Gordon captaining them to a final day away win at Hibernian which sealed the deal, on the face of it, this may seem like quite a long shot.

But a deeper look reveals that Gordon only played 17 times in the Scottish Premiership this campaign out of a possible 38 games, and with his contract looking unlikely to be extended by his club heading into the summer, a move south over the border may be tempting for a player who has only ever played in Scotland.

Like Connolly above, due to his limited playing time across the 2025-26 season, it’s best to look at his playing data on a per 90 basis.

When looking across all Scottish Premiership defenders this season who played 750+ minutes of action, Gordon doesn’t rank too highly in any defensive categories as such, but again, it’s with his passing ability that he could really take Bradford to the next level.

Of the 74 defenders within the parameter set above, Gordon’s 91.1% pass accuracy rate was the fourth-highest overall, a tally that sits a staggering distance higher than Pennington who possessed the best accuracy rate across Bradford centre backs this campaign with 68.3%.

That passing ability could certainly help to unlock a new dimension for the Bantams when playing out from the back, especially as his 74.6% accuracy when playing the ball into the opposition’s half is additionally much stronger than any current central defender at Valley Parade.

As mentioned before, this is arguably a target that looks unlikely to most and it’s difficult on paper to imagine Gordon dropping down to the third tier of English football, but just last summer, Alexander convinced Kilmarnock Player of the Season Joe Wright to move to BD8, and with Killie also playing in European action that same campaign, I don’t think that this link seems too outlandish.

Charlie Goode - Stevenage

If I could choose one realistic central defensive upgrade this summer however, I’d go and sign Stevenage’s Charlie Goode, a player who played a huge part in the Hertfordshire side making the League One play-offs alongside Bradford in 2025-26.

After enjoying spells further up the EFL pyramid, most notably with Brentford and Sheffield United, the 30-year-old has since made a home at Stevenage, though with his current deal running out on June 30th, a contract offer from the Bantams could potentially sway him towards moving back up north.

If the club could grab his signature this summer, it’d be a huge coup as Goode has enjoyed potentially the best overall campaign of any defender in the third tier this season.

Starting from a defensive perspective, the 30-year-old ranks very highly across the board when looking at the data, not just among defenders but across all players overall.

Starting with his duels won figure, only four players won more than Goode in League One this term, his 340 in total ranking as the third-highest among defenders in particular.

He additionally ranked third for clearances produced with 386 among all players and joint-13th for blocks made (28) - two areas which highlight his fantastic ability to read the game from a defensive perspective.

Goode additionally won the seventh-most aerial duels of any player in the division (208), already an impressive figure, but one that only gets better when coupling it with his duel success rate in such battles.

That’s because his 73.8% success rate in aerial duels was one of the strongest among individuals to win 150+ such duels in League One in 2025-26, ranking second in that category among the 25 players to hit that number.

His 50 interceptions strengthen the argument regarding his game-reading ability and positioning even further, though unlike Connolly and Gordon above, Goode isn’t as strong of a passer, with his 67.7% pass accuracy rate coming in around average for a central defender in the third tier.

Instead, Goode uses his experience and intelligence to help advance his team up the field in other ways, namely by winning fouls at important times and in important areas of the field.

In 2025-26, the Stevenage centre back ranked fourth among all players for fouls won (73) - and comfortably the most of any defender - regularly giving his team a chance to reset defensively.

He’s interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, also pretty adept at dribbling his way out of danger when needed. He may have only completed 17 dribbles throughout the campaign on the whole but his 73.9% dribble success rate was actually the third-highest in the competition among individuals who attempted 20+ in total.

Goode would an excellent choice to bring into the Bantams’ backline ahead of their upcoming 2026-27 League One campaign.

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In the end, it wasn’t meant to be for Bradford City and their League One promotion hopes during the 2025-26 season, eventually falling just short in the play-offs.

Despite a spirited showing as a newly-promoted side from the fourth tier the season prior, Bolton Wanderers proved too strong for the Bantams on this occasion, running out 2-0 victors over the two semi-final legs.

But in football, you can’t afford to dwell, and as quickly as the season finished on Thursday, City’s recruitment team will have very likely been hard at work looking at the next crop of players that they want to bring to the club.

If the end of this current campaign proved anything, it’s that the Bantams were a little light on quality compared to other side’s around them in the final standings in terms of rotation options and that’s something that needs to be rectified this summer if another play-off push is the aim in 2026-27.

Throughout the first part of this summer, I’m going to look at players who could improve City’s current squad, choosing realistic transfer targets in line with how the club has operated over the past few seasons in particular.

First up, it’s the goalkeeping position.

Ollie Wright - Southampton

Although Sam Walker has been a magnificent servant to the club since joining from Charlton Athletic in January 2024, he at the very least needs some real competition for his role next season.

To give him that, my top pick this summer is Southampton’s Ollie Wright, who enjoyed an excellent campaign on loan at Accrington Stanley in 2025-26.

Although his current deal is set to expire in the next month, the Saints appear very likely to offer him a new contract given his performances this term, though bringing him in on loan will almost definitely see him fight for the number one jersey alongside Walker and could lead to a more permanent stay in the future.

At 6 foot 5, the 23-year-old is an imposing figure in goal and his anticipation and shot stopping talents played a huge part in Stanley’s ability to keep themselves away from relegation trouble for much of the campaign.

Amongst all goalkeepers in League Two this season, Wright ranked fifth for most saves made overall (121) and ultimately kept 12 clean sheets in the process - an impressive tally given his side’s obvious lack of defensive quality compared to other teams in the fourth tier.

He additionally saved three penalties during this season, the joint-most of any goalkeeper across England’s top four tiers, while only four goalkeepers across those divisions played more matches than Wright without making a single error that led directly to a goal.

His save percentage of 69.4% also ranked him highly among League Two shot stoppers during the 2025-26 campaign. When looking at the 16 individuals to make 30+ appearances in the competition in that position, he finished sixth for save percentage.

That 69.4% was also higher than Walker’s with Bradford during this season, the City keeper finishing with a 67.3% save percentage despite facing 18 shots on target fewer than Wright too.

But by far the most impressive part of Wright’s performances in 2025-26 comes with his goals prevented tally, which sat at 7.99 in total - essentially meaning that he saved his side eight goals in total throughout their league campaign.

*Read more about Opta’s goal prevented model here*

Not only was that the best figure in the fourth tier, but it actually also ranks as the highest across England’s top four tiers this season overall, a fantastic achievement for the 23-year-old and something that could lead to him having plenty of suitors further up the Football League pyramid this summer.

Brad Collins - Coventry City

Moving from a current Southampton player to a goalkeeper who was instead born in the South Coast city, the acquisition of Brad Collins would make a lot of sense for Bradford this summer.

Already announced to be leaving Premier League bound Coventry City this summer, the 29-year-old is an experienced option on the free transfer market, making 260 appearances in his career so far across the Championship, League One and League Two combined.

124 of those came in the second tier of English football, highlighting his ability to play at a higher level than where the Bantams are at present, and this campaign, he enjoyed a solid spell on loan at fellow League One outfit Burton Albion.

During the campaign, Collins made 107 saves in total, the sixth-most of any goalkeeper which is impressive given that he missed six matches for the Brewers.

Equally as impressive given his team’s struggles throughout the campaign, Collins additionally managed to keep 11 clean sheets in total, just three fewer than Walker, a tally aided by his overall save percentage of 68.2%.

That figure was the sixth-best in the competition among goalkeepers to make 75+ saves in the third tier this season, while it also helped him to prevent 3.72 goals according to Opta’s xG model as mentioned above.

But perhaps the single biggest improvement that Collins’ acquisition would bring would be City’s ability to play out from the back to a higher, more controlled level.

At times throughout this current campaign, Walker struggled with the ball at his feet and with his overall distribution, and when comparing the two directly, Collins boasts higher tallies across almost every field when it comes to his passing.

The biggest difference comes with the pair’s overall pass accuracy rates, Collins’ 55% in 2025-26 acting as a substantially higher percentage than Walkers’ 43.9%, which could be one of the main reasons to make a move for him this summer.

Cameron Dawson - Rotherham United

Another experienced option this summer for manager Graham Alexander could be Cameron Dawson, who has left Rotherham United following their relegation back to League Two this campaign.

After starting in the Millers’ first 32 matches this season, the former Sheffield Wednesday shot stopper eventually fell out of favour at the New York Stadium but with a change of scenery, he could quite comfortably get his career back on track in the third tier.

To this point, Dawson has made 150 appearances across the Championship and League One, and although he may not necessarily come in as a number one figure straight away, his experience would see him put some healthy and much-needed pressure on Walker.

Despite losing his starting spot towards the end of the current campaign, during the 2025-26 season Dawson maintained a 66.9% save percentage, slightly higher than City’s current number one, while his 85.3% save percentage from shots from inside the penalty area was substantially higher than Walker’s this term (78.7%).

Additionally, as per Opta’s latest xG model, Dawson prevented 2.5 goals - the ninth-best return in the competition despite not featuring in any of his side’s last 15 matches.

What potentially is a problem area is his lack of concentration at times, committing three errors leading to shots, though his 100% success rate when performing a keeper sweeping action (24 out of 24) highlights his solid anticipation levels in terms of reading the attacking side’s overall game and movement.

Granted, Dawson likely wouldn’t be a signing that fans get too excited about as such, but he would definitely offer Walker some much needed competition between the sticks, and with no fee needed for his acquisition, vital funds could instead therefore be spent elsewhere within the squad.

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With just one match left to play this season, Bradford City sit in 5th spot, knowing that any form of positive result on the final day of their 2025-26 campaign against Exeter City will see them return to the League One play-offs.

Whether that happens or not is yet to be seen, but either way, this season has proven to be a fantastic one for the Bantams, with few supporters back at the start of the campaign truly expecting them to be within the top six from mid-August until now.

There’s been high points, like the brilliant early season victories at home to Huddersfield Town and on the road against Cardiff City among others, and still a few low points along the way as is always the case for a newly-promoted side.

Regardless, it’s been a very enjoyable campaign for Bantams’ fans overall and for me, even though there are a number of players who are very unlucky to miss out on a top three nomination here, these are the three stars who have proved to be the real difference makers in 2025-26.

3rd - Bobby Pointon

Considering that it’s his first season in the third tier of English football, Bradford City academy product Bobby Pointon has put together another strong campaign to help his home town club enjoy a memorable League One season.

Playing 37 times across all competitions so far this season, the 22-year-old has contributed massively to his side’s success, netting 10 goals and producing three assists in league action along - both joint-high tallies within the squad.

That tally fell just one shy of the 14 goal contributions he managed in 2024-25 during City’s League Two promotion campaign, though as mentioned before, his 13 this time around have come at a higher level, playing against more talented and more imposing opponents.

Before diving into the data regarding Pointon’s performances this season, it’s important to mention just how important the wide midfielder is to his club.

There’s no data in the sport that can highlight just how important it is for fans to see one of their own play for the club and with Pointon, Bradford supporters finally get to support a local lad who has risen through the ranks and is extremely proud to wear the shirt.

Some would argue that that perhaps gives him an unfair edge over the competition in terms of selecting Bradford’s Player of the Season but that’s not the case when looking through his countless contributions this term, the likes which have his aided his club’s unexpectedly impressive League One campaign.

To start with the formalities, Pointon has struck 10 goals in the third tier this term for the Bantams - the joint-most of any player alongside Antoni Sarcevic. On top of that, he’s also added three assists, with his 13 total goal contributions also the joint-most of any player alongside Sarcevic.

Here’s a few other lines that I’ve put on Twitter throughout the season in regards to his goalscoring or appearance making:

From against Huddersfield in September: Bobby Pointon is just the fifth Bradford City player to score 2+ goals in a match vs Huddersfield Town and first since Sean McCarthy in November 1993.

From against Reading in December: Bobby Pointon comes off the bench to make his 100th competitive appearance for Bradford City, becoming the 189th player to reach that milestone for the Bantams and the youngest since Lewis Emanuel vs MK Dons in February 2005

From against Mansfield in March: Aged 22 years & 72 days on Tuesday vs Mansfield Town, Bobby Pointon became the youngest forward or midfielder to reach 115 appearances for Bradford City since Stuart McCall vs Telford United in the FA Cup in January 1985

From against Wycombe in April: Bobby Pointon has netted 10 League One goals for Bradford City this season, aged 22 years and 92 days when he struck his 10th against Wycombe Wanderers, he’s became the youngest player to net 10+ in a league campaign for the Bantams since Nahki Wells in 2011-12 (21y 323d).

You get the picture!

But Pointon’s importance can also be seen through his side’s results when he hasn’t been in the team, with the Bantams winning in just three of the 11 League One matches that he hasn’t featured in this term.

And when comparing his team’s performances a bit more in-depth, when they play without him they net a goal per game on average, compared to 1.3 with him.

Ultimately, he settles at third spot on my list for Bradford City Player of the Season mostly due to those missed matches and at times, his struggles when playing away from home especially, though he has remedied that more as the campaign has gone on.

2nd - Max Power

Captain and leader on the pitch, Max Power narrowly misses out as my Player of the Season for 2025-26, though his leadership from the centre of the park has been crucial to City’s strong campaign this time around.

After Richie Smallwood was released last summer by the club, a void in central midfield opened up but as quickly as it did, Alexander managed to fill it with the acquisition of Power.

I personally think that it’s fair to say that in a hefty amount of matches this campaign, his guidance and experience has helped his side to get over the line, and even though a few City supporters perhaps don’t value him as much as they potentially should, the data backs up why he settles at second spot here.

Starting with his near ever-present availability, this season in League One no outfield player for the Bantams has made more appearances (42 - level with Josh Neufville) or has played more minutes (3777) than Power.

In fact, across the division as a whole, only 17 outfields have enjoyed more match time than the 32-year-old, a figure which would have been even greater had it not been for his yellow card suspension.

His influence on the pitch this season for the Bantams can also be measured with the amount of time he’s spent on the ball, recording the second-most touches of any player with 2800 and playing 460 more successful passes than any of his teammates overall.

Interestingly, there are a number of passing categories that Power has ranked highly within when looking among all League One outfield players this term too.

His 2015 attempted passes rank him 11th in the competition, 995 successful passes in the opposition’s half fourth and 626 successful passes ending in the final third third across the division.

What that has helped in particular is his assist tally, contributing six so far in League One this campaign with one match to play. Five of those have come from set piece situations and three directly from dead ball resumptions.

At times, his standard of delivery has come under fire from a small section of supporters, but with a 48.9% success rate from corners in particular - granted, playing quite a few short - he actually holds the third-strongest percentage among the 33 players to take 50+ this season.

In terms of historically, Power joins a relatively short list of central midfielders who have recorded 6+ assists in a league campaign for the Bantams since the Football League rebrand of 2004-05 too - the last at this level was Gary Jones in 2013-14 who also amassed six.

Power’s overall ability to create chances for his teammates has additionally stood out this campaign, now creating 73 in total. That figure is the sixth-highest of any player in England’s third tier for reference, just 16 shy of top spot, while it’s also the third-highest on Opta record since 2019-20 by a Bradford player, after only Callum Cooke’s 96 in 2021-22 and Richie Smallwood’s 82 in 2022-23.

But it’s not just with his passing numbers and play-making ability where Bradford’s captain has shone this season, he’s also used his years of experience to, for the most part, know where to be at the right time on the defensive end of things.

Starting with his strongest statistic, only three players in League One this term have recovered possession more times for their side than Power, with the City skipper accumulating 227 ball recoveries in the competition.

On top of that, he’s one of just nine midfielders in the third tier this season to record 20+ interceptions, 75+ tackles and 165+ duels won, proving himself as a player who’ll happily do the ‘dirty work’ when called upon - maybe something that goes a bit under the radar for some fans.

Overall, it’s been a stellar season for Power and one that he’ll hope ends in a fourth League One promotion on his CV.

1st - Antoni Sarcevic

But for me this season, Antoni Sarcevic is my Player of the Season given just how important he has proved to be for his side on their return to the third tier.

Unfortunately absent in recent weeks like fellow wide midfielder Pointon, the 34-year-old veteran has so often proved to be the difference maker for the Bantams this season.

With 10 goals and three assists in league action, he’s recorded the joint-most in each category alongside Pointon, though his strikes have arguably been worth just that little bit more in terms of importance with six serving as match winners - the joint second-most of any player in League One behind only Doncaster Rovers’ Owen Bailey.

What’s also amazing is that Sarcevic has put these numbers up so late into his career and a look at the history books highlights just how special an achievement it is for him to reach 10+ goals at this age.

That’s because aged 33 years and 359 days when netting his 10th of the campaign against Leyton Orient in early March, he became the oldest non-striker to hit double figures for the club in league action since Billy Tunnicliffe all the way back during the 1953-54 - a season that ended in a fifth-placed finish in the third tier if you like potentially lucky omens..

For the Bantams, Tunnicliffe featured in the ‘outside left’ position, now commonly known as the left winger, reaching double figures at the aged of 34 years and 105 days against Stockport County in April 1954.

When looking at other attacking metrics among Bradford players this season, Sarcevic stands out in certain areas with a glance at the per 90 data given that he’s missed a decent amount of playing time through injury.

Among Bantams’ players to feature in 20+ League One matches this term, Sarcevic ranks first for chances created from open play (1.35), whilst his shot conversion rate of 18.9% is second only to central defender Joe Wright (33.3%), though he has attempted far more shots over the course of the season compared to his central defender teammate.

His 4.4 touches inside the opposition’s penalty area rank him third behind only striking duo Stephen Humphrys and Will Swan, as too does his 0.79 possessions won in the final third of the pitch.

Additionally, he’s been involved in 121 attacking sequence involvements for Bradford in League One during the 2025-26 campaign, the third-most at the club, once again highlighting his attacking influence when he plays.

But perhaps the single biggest reason why Sarcevic picks up my vote as Bradford City’s Player of the Season for the 2025-26 campaign comes with a look at his side’s performances with and without him featuring in league matches this term.

Starting on the results front, the Bantams have managed just one victory across the eight matches that they’ve played without Sarcevic in the squad this season in the third tier, drawing three and losing the other four.

That gives them a win percentage of just 12.5%, though that rises all the way up to 54.1% when the veteran forward has played. That jump is huge and it unequivocally highlights the importance of his inclusion on the team sheet for the Valley Parade outfit.

On top of that, his side average 1.4 goals when he plays compared to just 0.8 without, while the loss of both his eye for goal and overall creativity sees Alexander’s team attempt just 8.6 shots per game without him compared to 13.9 with him.

Interestingly, the Bantams concede fewer goals on average too, face fewer shots and hold more possession in the final third with Sarcevic playing, and although his inclusion hasn’t single-handedly lifted City to their great heights throughout the current campaign, it’s clear to see that when he’s on the pitch, his side have so much more control of matches and thus his importance simply cannot be understated.

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It’s fair to say that the nerves were jangling before kick-off ahead of Bradford City’s latest tough test against top six challengers Plymouth Argyle.

Arguably the biggest game of the season, the Bantams came into the match reeling after conceding a 98th minute equaliser at Barnsley on Saturday, missing out on three vital points that would have almost certainly have guaranteed a play-off finish with matches to spare.

It didn’t start great on the night as Graham Alexander’s side fell behind early on from a Brendan Wiredu strike, the defender finishing excellently from a corner from the right-hand touchline.

But instead of folding under the pressure, Bradford fought back and grabbed a much deserved point thanks to a 72nd minute Will Swan strike, converting from close range after Stephen Humphrys’ excellent wing play from the left.

That stalemate hasn’t quite confirmed the club’s play-off finish but they now know that grabbing a positive result against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend at Valley Parade, matched with results elsewhere, will see them return to the third tier play-offs for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Lapslie’s man-of-the-match display

When it was announced pre-match that Antoni Sarcevic was to miss the match against one of his former employers through a knock, few would have expected George Lapslie to be his replacement.

A bit part player throughout the season, the 28-year-old made just his 10th start of the campaign across all competitions, and first in League One since facing AFC Wimbledon all the way back in late August at Valley Parade.

That all seems a bit irrelative now though, as his inclusion from the off proved to be Alexander’s latest inspired selection as Lapslie went on to produce a man-of-the-match display when his side really needed him to step up.

When looking at the data among all players on the pitch for both sides, the Bantams’ midfielder ranked first for attempted duels (28), duels won (18), tackles (8) and fouls won (4).

He additionally ranked second for dribbles attempted (3), third for times winning back possession (5) and was one of only two Bradford players to recover possession in the final third of the pitch, alongside substitute Will Swan.

Interestingly, Lapslie also made a little slice of data-related League One history as he became the first player on Opta record (since the 2018-19 campaign) to make 8+ tackles and win 18+ duels in the same match.

An excellent display from a player whom were likely to see much more of over the coming weeks.

A need to stop conceding from set pieces

On the face of things, Bradford City have conceded just 17 goals from set pieces (including penalties) in League One this season, and although that may seem like an alarmingly high amount to the naked eye, it actually represents one of the smallest tallies in the competition.

But it’s when those conceded set piece goals have fallen that proves problematic, as 12 have now come from New Year’s Day onwards. That plight has been exacerbated even further in recent weeks too, with the Bantams now conceding a set piece goal in each of their last three games, including Plymouth’s only strike on Tuesday.

The big problem is that unlike at the start of the season when City were fighting back to claim victories in matches during which they conceded set piece goals, that push has somewhat stalled in the second half of the campaign as can be seen with the full rundown of results in such matches as seen below.

As well as failing to deal with set pieces themselves, it’s potentially fair to say that City have also been a bit unlucky in terms of the volume of set piece goals they’ve conceded this season when looking at the expected goals tally.

According to Opta’s xG model, the Valley Parade outfit should have only conceded 13.9 goals from set pieces in League One this term, with that tally the sixth-lowest on the division. Hopefully that luck can change in the coming weeks if a top six finish is acquired.

Will Swan again, olé olé

After excelling in the early part of the season after his summer move to Valley Parade, Will Swan has really struggled to string together any form of strong performances in the second half of the campaign in particular.

A rare start at Barnsley at the weekend ended in the 66th minute after he was substituted off for Nick Powell following a sub-par performance, though just three days later he proved to be his side’s decisive goal scorer.

That goal acted as his first in league action on some soil since all the way back in late August, when he struck the winning goal in the Bantams’ 3-2 victory over fellow newly-promoted AFC Wimbledon.

When looking at the dates of that match and last night’s draw with the Pilgrims, that ended a run of 234 days without a goal in BD8 for Swan.

The last recognised striker for the club to endure a longer wait for a home league goal was Clayton Donaldson, who has to wait 308 days between strikes against Cheltenham Town on January 28th 2020 and again against Cheltenham Town on December 1st the same year.

Updated supercomputer play-off odds

After City’s Tuesday night draw with Plymouth, the Opta supercomputer has updated it’s predictions and now gives the Bantams a 95.8% chance of finishing inside the play-offs come the final whistle after the Exeter City game a week on Saturday.

It assesses Alexander’s side’s most likely finish to be fifth spot (34.6%) which would subsequently see them face Stockport County in the first round of this season’s League One play-offs.

And for those of you who don’t like the good old supercomputer predictions, the history angle should also be able to serve up a substantial confidence boost for you.

That’s because since the Football League play-offs were officially introduced in 1987, 27 teams have been on exactly 73 points after 44 games just like Bradford City this term, with 25 of those sides going on to finish inside the top six of their divisions.

The exceptions were Leeds United in 2016-17 (7th) & Sutton United in 2021-22 (8th).

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Well, what a win that was!

After struggling away from home in recent months, that first goal felt like it could have been a killer blow but instead, Graham Alexander’s side roared back to claim all three points on offer at Adams Park against Wycombe Wanderers.

It doesn’t quite finish the play-off job off just yet, but that latest three-point haul does take the Bantams now one step closer to a top six finish in League One in 2025-26, with Cardiff City in second spot now closer in terms of points than the gaggle of clubs outside the top six.

Alongside coming from a goal down at half time to win away from home for the first time since against Stockport County in mid-August, a number of players hit personal milestones, while City won on both Good Friday and Easter Monday in the same season for the first time since 1980.

Winning on Good Friday & Easter Monday

At the start of last week, I wrote another Substack looking back at Bradford City’s record on both Good Friday and Easter Monday across their club history. I’ll be honest, I never even thought about looking at how many times the Bantams had won on both days within the same season.

It wasn’t so much a guarantee that it wouldn’t happen, but the club’s recent away form made it difficult to even remember to think about looking at it, especially with a very tough away match against play-off chasing Wycombe on the horizon.

Well here I am, writing this latest article with egg on my face and to be honest, I couldn’t be happier about it..

Goals from Bobby Pointon and Aden Baldwin saw the Bantams fight back to claim a vital away day victory and it means that their side have now won on both Good Friday and Easter Monday within the same league campaign for the first time since 1980.

Overall, it was just the sixth time that City have produced victories on both days in the same year, after 1908, 1934, 1962, 1976 & 1980. What a lovely way to spend the Easter weekend!

Pointon makes it 10 league goals in 2025-26

It wasn’t exactly the prettiest goal that Bobby Pointon will ever score, but he won’t mind one bit as his opener inspired his side’s comeback at Adams Park on Easter Monday.

Not only did it prove to be crucial for City’s latest away victory, but it also made it 10 league goals for the youngster in League One this term, becoming the fourth youngest player to hit that tally in the third tier in 2025-26 after Peterborough United’s Jimmy-Jay Morgan, former Huddersfield Town loanee Leo Castledine and Leyton Orient’s Dom Ballard.

In the process, Pointon also secured a little piece of club history too, as aged 22 years and 92 days against the Chairboys, he became the youngest player to net 10+ in a league campaign for the Bantams since Nahki Wells in 2011-12 (21y 323d).

Not bad footsteps to be following in..

Similarities to the club’s famous 1998-99 campaign

With 71 points after 41 matches, Bradford are now enjoying their best season outside the bottom tier since 1998-99 (79 points), a campaign which ultimately ended in the club’s most famous promotion party - wink wink Stuart McCall.

It’s important to not get too carried away but as well as the above, there’s plenty of other lines in the history books to suggest that Alexander’s side will now be at least playing in a few extra matches come the end of the season.

That’s perhaps best referenced by the fact that since the three points for a win era began in English football, every third tier side on exactly 71 points through 41 games of a campaign has ended up finishing within the top six (13 occasions).

There’s also the fact that, when assuming three points for a win, all 12 of the Bantams’ prior campaigns that have seen them notch 71+ points after 41 matches have ended in the club finishing in the top six of their division, including last season’s promotion finish.

Granted, the play-offs were only introduced towards the end of the above list, but it still gives a good gauge of where Alexander’s side sit with five games left to go of this League One season.

Max Power delivers another assist

At times this season, Bradford captain Max Power has taken some heat from fans but without his contributions this term, the club would be nowhere near where they currently find themselves heading into the business end of the campaign.

Of course, that’s just my opinion, but it’s backed up by his overall performances in 2025-26 when delving into the data and again on Monday, he made yet another big contribution vs Wycombe.

In the 68th minute of the game, his excellent delivery from a free kick from the right wing helped Baldwin to turn home the eventual winner for the away side, with Power now recording six assists this league campaign overall.

That’s a tally that was last beaten by a central midfielder for the club when Callum Cooke produced seven during his side’s 2021-22 League Two campaign.

But it’s not just Power’s assist tally that makes him a valuable player for his side, he’s also created 66 chances on the whole in League One this term, the sixth-most by any player in the division.

Additionally, he ranks fourth for passes played into the opposition’s penalty area by any player in the third tier (313) and possesses the highest expected assists tally among his teammates, with his 5.5 xA beating out Josh Neufville (5.15), Tyreik wright (4.9) and Bobby Pointon (4.13) who round out the top couple of spots on the City leaderboard.

Weirdly, we like playing away to teams whose name begins with W…

To finish on a bit of a different one this time around, it seems like Bradford hold a few rather quirky little trends of late when looking at when recent fixtures have been played and who against.

Starting with today’s date, City have now won three of their last four league games that have come on the 6th day of any month, beating Wycombe today, Plymouth in December late last year and Gillingham in April 2024. That’s as many victories as across their prior 19 attempts combined between December 2008 and January 2024.

There’s also a recent trend of remaining unbeaten in matches played on Mondays too, going unbeaten across their last five matches played on this day (W3 D2) since a 0-1 defeat to Crewe Alexandra on New Years Day 2024.

Lastly and definitely most bizarrely, the Bantams seemingly like to play teams whose name begins with W on their travels of late too.

Now that isn’t much of a team talk topic ahead of a match I’m sure, but just in case you’re interested for any particular reason whatsoever.. City have now lost just three of their prior 14 league away outings vs teams whose name begins with a W since December 2016 (W7 D4).

Bring on Stevenage next Saturday!

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