The postponement of Bradford next weekend has caused a lot of debate among City fans today.
Some are questioning our decision to take the international break off, given the momentum behind us, while others think risking the fixture without midfield cover is a risk not worth taking.
The reasons for the postponement is a lack of availability for Justin Obikwu, Dexter Lembikisia and Ivan Varfolomeev. There is a strong train of thought that the latter is the issue, because Conor McGrandles is on four bookings, and if he picks one up against Exeter City, he would miss Bradford.
If he’s booked now, he misses Stevenage, but Varfolomeev could start that fixture. While that isn’t the reason given by the club, Michael Skubala has hinted at that being a factor, in a roundabout way.
“Hugely difficult decision for lots of different reasons,” said Michael, addressing the situation in his pre-match press conference. “It’s always football, how performance-wise, what’s the best decision?
“You’ve got momentum, so you don’t want to lose momentum. When do you play them next? Is it on a Tuesday night? Is it good for them? Is it good for you? I don’t think any decisions like that are made up on a whim.
“We know there’ll be lots of more fans probably able to travel on a Saturday and not a Tuesday and that could make a difference as well.”
Crucially, the timing of the decision is also a factor, and here is the first hint that the McGrandles situation is key to the move.
“I don’t think any decision is like that is made on the back of a packet. It’s made with real conscientious thought and all the moving parts. Sometimes it’s trickier with the league rules as well. You know, you can’t make the decision after the exit game, which could have different consequences for us.
“Maybe if we could make the decision after that game, it might be a different decision. But you have to follow the league rules otherwise, you get fines and you have to follow those processes as well.
“It’s not like we’re trying to not get play games. We’re just trying to be in the best position for every game we can play in. And if there’s something in your control, you want to keep it in your control really.”
Interviewer Michael Hortin pushed a little harder, and Michael said there were two factors – one was those players on long lists for a call-up, but not necessarily unavailable. The other confirmed his hint.
“First, we’ve got some players that are called up for international teams. One of the challenges is that they’re not necessarily have to be called in the long list.
“The other situation is players have picked up four yellows. So if they get another yellow, they could get a one-match suspension that might leave us light in a position.”
So there you have it. We haven’t bottled it, as I’ve seen some Bantams suggesting (obviously), but we are aware that we could go into a top-of-the-table clash light in midfield, should things go against us. It’s a sporting decision based on us achieving our aim of a top six place, and not letting anything put that in further jeopardy.
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