Sutton v Bradford City preview

11 November 2022

After last week's FA Cup exit, Sutton return to Sky Bet League Two action on Saturday with a visit from one of this season's promotion favourites Bradford City.

Like U's, Bradford suffered what they would have viewed as an unexpected FA Cup exit last Saturday, going out by the only goal at home to Harrogate, some way below them in the League Two table, but they had a chance to get the result out of their system on Tuesday when they recorded a fine 2-1 win at Mansfield, holding on for twenty minutes after Matty Platt had been sent off for a second bookable offence by referee Simon Mather.

That win extended Bradford's excellent recent away form to having taken sixteen points from a possible eighteen in their last six away games, having lost their opening two away games of the season at Barrow and Colchester, with only Grimsby having subsequently denied the Bantams maximum points on their travels. The result at Mansfield lifted Bradford in to fifth place in the table.

Platt will miss Saturday's game due to suspension following his red card, but City's squad is likely to include Andy Cook, who is behind only Sam Hoskins in the League Two scorers' chart, and who was on target at the VBS in April when Bradford inflicted U's first home league defeat for six months with an impressive 4-1 success.

Omar Bugiel remains suspended after his sending off at Stockport, while Coby Rowe has joined the injured list after limping off in the FA Cup defeat and faces three months on the sidelines with a medial knee ligament injury, but Adam Lovatt, Josh Neufville and Kwame Thomas should all return to the squad. Matt talks through the current injury situation in his pre-match interview which will be on the site on Friday evening.

Referee James Oldham is in his fourth EFL season and making his first visit to Sutton - the last time he took charge of a Sutton match was at Salford in the National League in March 2019.

Before the game players, officials and spectators will pay respects to those who have given their lives in service, with a brief remembrance service including the Last Post and a minute's silence. The local branch of the Royal British Legion will have a stall at the game where spectators can buy a poppy and other merchandise - the stall will be situated by the Gander Green Lane end of the Main Stand.

Tickets remain on sale on line for Sutton supporters by clicking here, price £20 for adults, £14 for concessions, £6 for ages 12-18 and free for under 12s, with tickets for under 12s needing to be bought in conjunction with an adult or concession ticket. A seat costs £5 more. It is also possible to buy from the ticket kiosk on the day of the game but prices in those circumstances for adult and concession tickets rise by £2, an increase which does not apply to tickets bought on line, even on Saturday.

FANZONE OPENS AT 12

Indoor fanzone.jpg

The Sutton fan zone now has a covered section as the winter approaches, and will be open from 12 noon for supporters to enjoy a drink and something to eat, while kids now have their own area with a football tennis game. A match programme can be ordered on line here.

Anyone not able to get to the game can follow a live audio commentary on our iFollow service, with a match pass costing £2.50 - this is the last weekend on which coverage will be audio only until after the World Cup, with games during that period being live streamed at £10 each. Overseas supporters can watch a live stream of Saturday's game, price £10. Click here for more details and to buy passes.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Sutton United 0 Bradford City 2

12 November 2022

Sutton United 0 Bradford City 2 (Cook 37, Banks 51)

Unable to build on a promising start, Sutton suffered a third defeat in four home league games as goals either side of half time saw Bradford continue their excellent away form that has seen them pick up six wins and a draw in their last seven games away from Valley Parade. There wasn't much wrong with Sutton's performance, particularly in the first half when U's could feel aggrieved to be going in at the break behind, but a second goal early in the second half left U's with too much to do and Bradford saw the game out relatively comfortably.

They were distinctly uncomfortable in the early stages, though, with Andy Cook booked inside the first three minutes for an aerial challenge on Louis John, and Yann Songo'o joining him in referee James Oldham's book soon afterwards for crudely ending one of several promising runs from Will Randall. It was an encouraging start, and chances to capitalise came around the half hour mark as Randall's low shot from the edge of the penalty area after Craig Eastmond had cleverly allowed the ball to run past him was pushed round the post by Harry Lewis, Eastmond saw a goalbound shot blocked in the six yard box and some fine defending by Songo'o and Crichlow denied Donovan Wilson after Kylian Kouassi had headed back a cross from the right.

Against the run of play, however, Bradford took the lead eight minutes before the break as a mix up between Joe Kizzi and Eastmond allowed Richie Smallwood and Scott Banks to find Abo Eisa on the left, and he cut in and hit a shot which deflected off Enzio Boldewijn and was touched in by Cook with Jack Rose, restored between the posts for U's, helpless and optimistic offside appeals falling on deaf ears.

Bradford might have gone in to the dressing rooms in an even better position as an Eastmond error allowed Harry Chapman to exchange passes with Cook and lift the ball over Rose, but Rob Milsom scrambled back to clear brilliantly off the line. However it was only a brief respite as five minutes after the break Chapman and Banks worked a short corner move that ended with Banks swinging a cross-cum-shot in to the top far corner of the net with Rose again having no chance.

Banks almost had another soon afterwards with a free kick that was just too high, and also forced Rose in to action after a battling run and a poke towards goal that the keeper pushed away, and while Sutton rang the attacking changes in an effort to get back in to the game, apart from one run on the right by Josh Neufville which ended with a cross that was too strong for the unmarked Kouassi U's never seriously threatened the Bradford goal. There was time, though, for Bradford substitute Vadaine Oliver to pick up one of the season's more bizarre bookings for time wasting when he headed the ball back in to the Bradford supporters after they had thrown it back.

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, R Milsom, J Neufville(sub T Fadahunsi 81) C Eastmond, L John, E Boldewijn, A Lovatt, D Wilson(sub C Kendall 74), K Kouassi(sub K Thomas 74) W Randall. Subs n/u L Ward, L Gambin, C Dundas, S Hart.

Bradford: H Lewis, B Halliday, M Foulds, Y Songo'o, R Crichlow, R Smallwood, S Banks, H Chapman(sub D Pereira 78), A Cook(sub V Oliver 79), A Eisa(sub L Angol 62) A Gilliead. Subs n/u C Doyle, L Hendrie, T Odusina, R East. Booked: Cook, Songo'o, Chapman, Oliver

Referee: James Oldham

Attendance: 3,323 (755 away)