Bradford City host Bolton Wanderers this Saturday which sees the two most in-form League Two teams clash. Considering their early season form, both clubs are on miraculous runs and are now targeting the play-off places.
Bolton are currently on a six-game winning streak, while Bradford have five wins on the bounce, but come Saturday this will all change.
Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City Both Need to Ensure Points to Secure a Play-off Place
Just Four Points Separate the Teams but Bradford Have Two Games in Hand
The race for the play-offs in League Two is becoming tight as the two late starters Bradford and Bolton are now right up there. Bolton currently occupy sixth place with a two-point cushion protecting their play-off status.
Bradford are still some way behind in tenth place, with a three-point gap to the play-offs, but the Bantams do have two games in hand, meaning this game is a real ‘six pointer’.
Bradford’s young managerial team of Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars, have, by luck or talent, completely turned around the Bantams fortunes. Trueman is looking forward to testing his team against another in-form side.
Speaking in the Telegraph and Argus, Trueman said: “Bolton are a great team and on a great run of form like ourselves. We are looking forward to it.”
The pair show great promise and the side seems to respond well under their influence. Winning ugly is a term that suits this Bradford team, no-frills but can win in any circumstance. They are a team brimming with confidence and can pluck a goal out of thin air when needed.
With a very productive transfer window, a team once full of weaknesses is now extraordinarily solid. A self-proclaimed ‘strikers graveyard’ in recent years, Bradford now have three or four forward players that, on their day, can score some wonderful goals.
New additions Danny Rowe and Andy Cook have eased the goal-scoring pressure from injured frontman Lee Novak. Supporting the mature frontline is a midfield full of energy. Elliot Watt, 20, Levi Sutton, 23, and Callum Cooke, 24, have skills that complement each other and form a formidable midfield. This is all propped up by an excellent defensive line that shows little weakness.
Bolton Wanderers Boast the Best Form in League Two and Will Look for Nothing but Three Points
Bolton boss Ian Evatt is also masterminding a play-off charge. His Bolton side are now looking strong after a shaky start, and only Manchester City can boast a longer winning streak in English football at the moment. After resting some of his key players, Evatt will hope they can perform against the Bantams.
Speaking to the Bolton News after his side’s recent victory over Oldham Athletic, Evatt said: “I was able to make a few changes with Nathan, Dapo, Doyler, Kieran to protect him and that gives the other lads an opportunity to get some minutes but also rest their legs for Saturday.”
The game was made easier due to an Oldham red card, but the Trotters’ form speaks for itself.
One talking point, among many, is Eoin Doyle.
Doyle is a pantomime villain for City fans, a role that he revels in. The Irishman is bang in form with 13 goals this season and will love nothing more than putting the sword to a fighting-fit City team. Evatt also believes there’s more to come from his side: “So we’re not going to rest on our laurels, we’re going to keep working hard, keep putting in the hard yards on the training ground, recover when we have to and we’ve got a big game coming up at Bradford on Saturday now.”
With Bradford and Bolton both hunting a play-off place, it is a shame that Valley Parade won’t be hosting fans for this mouth-watering encounter.
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