Bradford City v Sutton preview

9 April 2023

Sutton will hope to keep Sky Bet League Two play-off hopes alive as U's continue the Easter programme with a visit to one of the teams currently in a top seven position, Bradford City. We will be wearing green.

One of the pre-season favourites for promotion, Bradford have been challenging for much of the season and although it has been in and around the play-off zone they are still only four points off an automatic promotion place, with a game in hand over third placed Carlisle, and go in to Monday's game unbeaten in their last nine games, although five of their last six have been drawn, most recently on Friday away to relegation-threatened Crawley. They have the division's leading scorer in Andy Cook, who scored the first of Bradford's two goals in the 2-0 win at Sutton in November, but defender Matty Platt was sent off at Crawley and so will miss Monday's game through suspension.

Sutton are now without a win in five games and are seven points outside the play-off zone and eight behind Bradford, so will be looking for three points to keep a challenge alive. Craig Eastmond and Will Randall both came off injured in Friday's home defeat to Stockport and U's will wait to see how they respond, while Lee Angol is likely to be in the squad, having played for Bradford in last season's corresponding encounter and scored Bradford's second equaliser in the 2-2 draw, although he earlier survived appeals for a goal-line handball.

Monday's referee is Ross Joyce, who is in his eighth season as an EFL referee and has taken charge of U's once before, the 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe early last season.

As it is a Bank Holiday game it is being streamed live on our iFollow service in the UK and overseas, and match passes, priced £10, can be bought here.

There are no in person sales to Sutton supporters on the day, but if you haven't already bought a ticket it is possible to buy on line at the ground by scanning the QR code on the wall next to the away turnstile in Midland Road. Prices on the day are: Adults (age 24-65) £25; Seniors (age 65+) and Young Person (age 17-23) £20; Youth (age 12-16) £10; Junior (age 11 and under) £5.

The Supporters' coach leaves at 7.15am.

Drivers should leave the M62 at junction 26 and take the M606 in to Bradford. At end of the motorway take the middle or right-hand lane and follow signs for Ring Road East (under the tunnel) onto Rooley Lane (signs for Leeds Bradford Airport). Go through the traffic lights by Asda then go left at the roundabout in to Wakefield Road, staying in the middle lane. Cross two roundabouts following signs to Shipley and Skipton on to Shipley Airedale Road, the A6037, which becomes Canal Road. After Tesco and Smyths, go through the traffic lights and turn left on to Station Road, the A6177, and left again to Queens Road. Midland Road is second on the left. With no parking at the ground, street parking is available in Midland Road or Queens Road.

Anyone travelling by train has probably made their arrangements already, but for those that haven't Bradford has two stations, Forster Square which is closer to the ground, about a 5-10 minute walk away (the line in to the station runs past the ground) and Interchange, which is further away. There is one direct service outbound from King's Cross to Interchange at 10.57, arriving at 14.00, but no direct services returning. All other services require a change at Leeds. Trains for Leeds leave King's Cross at 03 and 33 minutes past the hour, and from Leeds trains are about every 15 minutes to Forster Square, with some requiring a change at Shipley. The total journey time is about three hours. Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk for details. Return from Forster Square on the hour and half hour, again changing at Leeds in all cases.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Bradford City 3 Sutton United 1

10 April 2023

Bradford City 3 (Banks 12, Chapman 63, Cook 71) Sutton United 1 (Bugiel 80)

Sutton suffered a second defeat of the Easter weekend and saw play-off hopes recede at the hands of a powerful Bradford side whose own hopes of automatic promotion remain very much alive. While Bradford deserved their victory, U's will be left wondering what might have been had former Bradford striker Lee Angol, preferred in the starting line-up to Donovan Wilson, converted a penalty that he had won on the half hour, but his spot kick rebounded off the bar and Bradford were able to go on and claim the points.

U's were forced to go in to what was always going to be a tough game without injured captain Craig Eastmond, while Will Randall also failed to recover from the injury he sustained against Stockport, and backed by a crowd of nearly 18,000 Bradford started strongly, and after only two minutes Andy Cook, the leading scorer in the division, met Liam Ridehalgh's cross with a firm downward header that was blocked by Ben Goodliffe. U's replied well, with Enzio Boldewijn and Omar Bugiel setting up Harry Beautyman for a shot that was deflected just wide, but after Cook had again gone close with a header that was too close to Jack Rose, Bradford took the lead as Cook's knock down allowed Jamie Walker to attack the U's box before setting Scott Banks up to angle a low shot across Rose and in to the corner of the net.

Cook was a constant threat, giving an outstanding centre forward's display, and was very unlucky not to score when he met a Banks cross with another firm header that was brilliantly tipped on to the post by Rose, who then denied Cook with his feet from the resulting scramble. Banks and Stubbs also went close as Bradford piled on the pressure, but after Sam Hart had tried his luck from distance and seen his effort go just wide, U's were handed a lifeline as Angol pounced on a defensive mix-up and was brought down by goalkeeper Harry Lewis as he tried to go round him. Although most U's supporters would have expected Beautyman to step up to the spot in Rob Milsom's absence, Angol assumed responsibility but saw his penalty come back off the crossbar.

Angol's unhappy return to Bradford continued as he was then booked for a heavy challenge, and early in the second half after he had been penalised for another foul he was replaced by Matt Dennis, with Milsom also replacing Hart. By then Cook had again thumped the post with a header from Brad Halliday's cross as Bradford had started the second half as they had started the first, and the substitutions had had no time to take an effect before Harry Chapman doubled Bradford's lead, cutting in from the left and planting a low shot beyond Rose in to the bottom corner.

Eight minutes later Cook had the goal he richly deserved, Alex Gilliead putting him through after a Sutton free kick had been cleared, and although David Ajiboye did well to get back as cover, Cook turned inside him before driving a low shot past Rose from the edge of the penalty area.

Sutton produced a defiant response ten minutes from time as Ajiboye's darting run took him to the by-line past Ridehalgh before he chipped a cross to the far post where Bugiel headed powerfully home, and although a couple of scrambles before the end could have produced a second goal to give Bradford an anxious last five minutes there was no denying the home side a deserved victory.

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi(sub J Neufville 78), S Hart(sub R Milsom 61),C Rowe, B Goodliffe, D Ajiboye, E Boldewijn, A Smith, O Bugiel, H Beautyman, L Angol(sub M Dennis 61). Subs n/u B House, L Gambin, K Kouassi. Booked: Angol, Rowe

Bradford: H Lewis, B Halliday, L Ridehalgh, R Crichlow, S Stubbs, R Smallwood, S Banks, H Chapman(sub E Osadebe 81), A Cook(sub V Oliver 80), J Walker, A Gilliead(sub R East 81) Subs n/u C Doyle, M Derbyshire, D Pereira, C Kelly. Booked: Ridehalgh

Referee: Ross Joyce

Attendance: 17,769(147 away)