After falling to a deserved defeat in the capital against Leyton Orient, City will look to get back to winning ways when they travel to Valley Parade this evening to face Bradford City.
Bradford City Form
After languishing in the fourth tier for six seasons, Bradford City have returned to League One this term and have done so with a bang. The Bantams promotion back to this level was a long time overdue, and with sell-out crowds returning to Valley Parade, the feel good factor has been restored at the Yorkshire club. While their transfer business and overall squad didn’t look promotion ready at the beginning of August, Bradford have since showcased all the ingredients top League One sides usually have, and they’ve shown no signs of slowing down.
Bradford kicked off their 25/26 League One campaign with a 2-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Valley Parade, and then followed this up with a scoreless draw away at Northampton and a 2-1 win at home against recently-relegated Luton Town. An impressive victory away at Stockport saw the Bantams take 10 points from the first dozen available, proving Bradford City weren’t just coming up to solidify at the the level, but to target promotion.
Bradford’s momentum continued with a 1–1 draw at Peterborough and a thrilling 3–2 home win over Wimbledon, extending their impressive run under Graham Alexander. However, with a tough trio of fixtures looming — Doncaster, Huddersfield, and Cardiff — there were doubts about whether the Bantams could maintain their charge. Those concerns seemed justified after a 3–1 defeat at Doncaster, but Bradford responded emphatically. When the Terriers visited fortress Valley Parade, the Bantams dismantled their Yorkshire rivals, scoring all three goals in the first half of an amazing 3-1 win.
Bradford’s trip to the Welsh capital was no different, brushing aside Cardiff City with ease in another 3-1 victory. These back-to-back triumphs over promotion-chasing sides underlined the Bantams’ growing stature under Graham Alexander, and with a gritty 1–0 win over Blackpool and a hard-fought 2–2 draw against Barnsley also in the mix, Bradford’s recent form has been nothing short of top-six calibre — and if they maintain this momentum, few would bet against them being in the play-off picture come May.
Team News
In his pre-match presser, Graham Alexander has confirmed Bobby Pointon has returned to training but is not yet fit for selection, while Matthew Pennington is progressing with light training and may be available soon. Alex Pattison remains side-lined due to soreness, and Aden Baldwin and Curtis Tilt are still out. Andy Cook is fully training and expected to feature, with the squad largely available for the upcoming clash with the Imps.
For the Imps, Adam Jackson will remain on the sidelines for this evening’s clash as he works towards his recovery, and Adam Reach will return to contention after he missed out on City’s trip to the capital on the weekend after rolling his ankle in training last Friday. Usual absentees Dom Jefferies and Jack Moylan are both still out with their respective long term injuries, but the pair are expected to be back on the grass in training in the not too distant future.
Match Referee
Referee: ELLIOT BELL
Linesmen: Bradley Hall and Samuel Clayton
Fourth Official: Gareth Thomas
Elliot Bell officiated his first EFL game at the beginning of the 24/25 season, and since has refereed 39 games in Football League. This season, Bell has presided over 14 league matches, with five taking place in the third tier. In these games, he has given out 48 yellow cards, three reds and has awarded one spot kick.
Bell has never officiated a City match, with the trip to Valley Parade being the English referee’s first encounter with Imps.
Previous Meetings
Credit Graham Burrell
City head into this fixture with fond memories of recent clashes against Bradford, having won three of the last four competitive meetings. The Imps have twice dismantled the Bantams at Valley Parade in cup competitions — a 5–0 win in the EFL Cup in September 2020 followed by a commanding 3–0 victory in the EFL Trophy in August 2021.
Our last league meeting came back at Valley Parade in February 2011, when goals from Delroy Facey and Gavin McCallum helped City to a 2-1 win over the Yorkshire outfit. Bradford’s last success over the Imps came on New Years Day of that very year, when Peter Taylor’s Bantams beat a struggling Lincoln side 2-1 at Sincil Bank.
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