This weekend, Bradford City welcomes fellow League Two outfit Notts County to the University of Bradford Stadium in a match which could see either team force themselves into a realistic position for the play-off positions.
Bradford will want to take this opportunity to move up the table, which could see them reignite their fight for the play-off positions after this season was deemed a right-off by some of the fanbase and Notts County will see this as an opportunity to turn around their poor form.
The hosts come into this game following a hefty break from League football, last playing on the 17th of February in a 1-0 win over Sutton United where a Calum Kavanagh goal was the only difference between the two sides. A positive result this weekend will extend Bradford’s league form to four wins from four and five unbeaten in the competition.
Notts County however find themselves in an opposite form as they come off the back of a 4-3 loss to Sutton United from just this week. The Magpies found themselves behind four times and despite three equalisers from Maynard’s men, they couldn’t hold out for a draw. That makes it five losses from the previous six games as Stuart Maynard faces early pressure from supporters in this poor run.
Bradford City manager, Graham Alexander, said “we do our due diligence on what they can produce, and we try to take their best game into our consideration, nothing really to do with current form but what they’re capable of”. The Bradford boss showing that despite Notts’ poor current form, they won’t be taking that for granted and will look to prepare for a difficult challenge.
Notts County head coach, Stuart Maynard, has said that “his side are looking forward to a really tough challenge away at Bradford…we know they’re a very good team and have very good personnel in their ranks”. The man in charge isn’t shying away from the fact he knows Bradford will be a challenge.
This season however Notts County came away victorious in a 4-2 win at Meadow Lane in the first game between the two sides in eight years, which saw Notts take the lead by four goals to nothing in the first half before Jamie Walker and Alex Gillead got two back in the second-half. Bradford will be looking to rectify that result this weekend and capitalise on their fantastic current form whilst Notts find themselves in a poor period of their season.
Bradford City and Notts County have a long history of playing against one another as two of the older professional clubs around with their matches starting back in 1908 when nothing could separate the two sides as their first game ended 1-1.
Both sides will come into this game wanting a win and with both sides having the quality and firepower to beat the other, the game is undoubtedly going to be one of suspense and intrigue, and with Bradford City having the home advantage, they will go into this game with cautious optimism and rightly so.