Bradford City’s push to reclaim a place in the Championship for the first time in 13 years hit its first bump in the road to knock them out of the automatic promotion places. Stuart McCall’s men enjoyed an excellent start to the season, reeling off a 12-match unbeaten run to begin the term.
However, three defeats in their last eight matches have knocked them slightly off course, although they are still in a solid place in fourth, nine points off the pace of runaway leaders Scunthorpe United. The Bantams are still considered among the leading contenders to make the leap to the second tier this term, being backed at in the latest bet365 football betting at 10/1 to win promotion.
Bradford got off to a strong start to the season proving that they were not going to suffer a hangover from their playoff semi-final defeat to Millwall in the previous campaign. They impressed by putting together their 12-match unbeaten run, which included winning three games on the bounce twice in separate runs.
Their first loss of the season came at the hands of Oxford in mid-October, before they righted the ship stringing back-to-back wins over AFC Wimbledon and Rochdale, with James Hanson notching an injury-time victory against the Dons. However, the first signs of trouble emerged on the road against Southend and Swindon revealed a few chinks in the Bantams’ armour, which could prevent them from claiming automatic promotion.
McCall’s men have been extremely impressive at Valley Parade this term due their unbeaten record in their 10 matches this season. The only complaint the Scot may have with his team is the amount of draws they have amassed, with their five stalemates being the joint highest in the division with Coventry City. The Bantams will have to address their clinical edge as two points could be the difference between sealing their place automatically or being forced to go through the lottery of the playoffs once again.
Defensively Bradford have been one of the most stoic backlines in League One this term, conceding only 18 goals. Only Bolton Wanderers and Scunthorpe have a better record at the back, which leaves them in good company, with a strong defence the backbone of most charges towards promotion.
At the other end of the pitch the form of Billy Clarke has been instrumental in their impressive start, with the striker notching six goals already this season. Jordy Hiwula and Hanson have also been on form in and around the net, but for the club to reach the second tier they will need all their forwards to keep firing on all cylinders. Their three defeats this term have seen Bradford unable to find the net, including 1-0 losses to Oxford and struggling Swindon.
The Bantams have fared well against the sides in and around the them in the table, but to reach the Championship automatically they can ill afford to be dropping points against outfits in the lower depths of the division. This cannot become a trend this term, highlighting the need for consistency in the final third.
Scoring goals was an issue for the club last term, with only 55 strikes in their 46 games. They cannot keep putting pressure on their defence to perform as it leaves little margin for error at the back. The difference between success and failure is so small at the top of leagues, which makes it essential that McCall finds the right balance in his side in the second half of the campaign to ensure that they claim one of the two automatic promotion places.