Given our superior away form this is a game that we should be taking three points from, a draw would be disappointing, a defeat would be a bit of a choker. Doesn't seem that long ago that Bradford were receiving a pounding week in week out in The Premiership, now look at them, languishing near the bottom of Division Four. Last weekend they even suffered a home defeat to the hapless Southend Utd. Times are not good at the Valley Parade.
Last Saturdays defeat at home to Torquay was a bit of a wake up call for both players and Fans. I genuinely believed we would win that game, but we never really got going. Whether that was due to a 'bad day at the office', or whether we were simply nullified by a pacy and well organised Torquay side is a point for speculation, but it never really happened for us.
We got things right in midweek, dumping League.1 opponents Rochdale out of the esteemed Paint Pot Trophy, and victory at Vale Park for us is always extremely welcome as it has proved to be our achillies heel over the past couple of seasons. We dream of Vale Park becoming a fortress, but the early signs this season is that we may have some time to wait.
We go into this game with a full squad - bar the unfortunate Doug Loft - at the disposal of Micky Adams. I expect our starting eleven today to be:-
Stuart Tomlinson, Adam Yates, John McCombe, Gareth Owen, Lee Collins, Louis Dodds, Gary Roberts, Anthony Griffith, Sean Rigg, Marc Richards, Justin Richards.
My prediction? Bradford City 0-2 Port Vale