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Bradford City finished fourth in the league last season, securing a place in the playoffs, however they lost to Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals after two 0-1 losses. Last season marked their first year back in the third tier after spending six seasons in League Two, following their relegation in 2019, when they finished bottom of the league.
The Bantams are chasing promotion again this season and are currently in pole position, sitting top of the league after five wins and two losses. They’re
on a three-match winning streak in the league, having beaten Mansfield Town, Notts County and Luton Town all by one goal to nil.
The two sides shared the spoils last season with Bradford claiming a 2-0 home win last December, before the Royals grabbed a 2-1 home win after goals from Paddy Lane and Matt Ritchie.
The bosses
Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle (interim): Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle have been placed in temporary charge of Bradford, following the departure of Graham Alexander, who took over as manager of Championship side Preston North End last week. Alexander spent almost three years in charge of the Bantams, guiding the club back to the third tier.
Trueman had a spell as joint manager of Bradford with Conor Sellars in the 2020/21 season before moving back into a coaching role at the club at the end of that season. He has since had three separate spells as caretaker manager of the Bantams.
Goalkeeping coach Doyle has been at the club since June 2022, signing as a player before moving into coaching upon his retirement last summer.
Squad
It was a busy summer at Valley Parade with 12 new players coming through the door – nine arriving permanently and three joining on loan.
Five players were signed for undisclosed fees including defenders Macaulay Gillesphey, who signed from Charlton Athletic, and Corey O’Keeffe from Barnsley; midfielders Adam Phillips and Henry Cartwright, who joined from Barnsley and Leicester City respectively; and striker Jake Beesley, who came in from Burton Albion.
Bradford also completed the free transfers of goalkeepers Jon McCracken and Cameron Dawson, defender Reece Welch and midfielder Callum Connolly. The three players coming in on loan were defenders George Pratt (Blackburn Rovers) and Hayden Matthews (Portsmouth) and midfielder Kieran Morgan (Queens Park Rangers).
Goalkeeper Jon McCracken will be missing as he represents Scotland on international duty, whilst Tyreik Wright and Josh Neufville are expected to be missing through injury.
Expected setup
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Style: Direct, defensively responsible
Lineup: Dawson, Pennington, Baldwin, Pratt, Morgan, Pointon, Connolly, Touray, Jackson, Sarcevic, Beesley
Key player
15. Aden Baldwin: Defender Baldwin joined Bradford in July 2024 on a free transfer, following the end of his contract at Notts County.
He started his career in the youth setup at Forest Green Rovers before going on to join the youth team at Bristol City. While at the Robins, Baldwin spent time on loan at Weston Super Mare, Cheltenham Town and Eastleigh but never made a first-team appearance for his parent club.
A move to MK Dons followed in July 2021, before he joined Notts County a year later. Baldwin spent two seasons at County, playing in the National League and then League Two, before signing for Bradford.
Since joining the Bantams, the 29-year-old has made 85 appearances, scoring four goals, with half of those coming this season. Baldwin is a strong centre-back who likes to play a long ball.
One to watch
22. Kieran Morgan: Midfielder Morgan joined Bradford on loan this summer, signing for the season from Championship side QPR.
He started his career as part of the Tottenham Hotspur academy and made numerous appearances for their youth teams before his release in 2024. Morgan signed for QPR that summer, joining their development squad, but moved up to their full men’s squad the following year.
He has since gone on to make 61 appearances for Rangers, scoring three goals. The 20-year-old has also represented England at under-20 level, picking up three Young Lions caps.
Morgan is a box-to-box centre midfielder who is effective at breaking up the play in the middle of the park while also liking a shot from distance.
