Bradford City preview

Rodney Parade plays host to Newport County AFC versus Bradford City this weekend, with the home side looking to build on their emphatic win a week ago.

 The 3-0 win against Scunthorpe brought an end to a tough few days for the club, who now look to push on with Wayne Hatswell at the helm.

 

Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this SkyBet League Two matchup...

 

THE OPPOSITION - BRADFORD CITY

Bradford have enjoyed a decent start to their campaign, currently sitting in eighth place with 15 points.

The Bantams have won four of their ten matches, drawing three. Their victories have come at the expense of Oldham, Stevenage, Mansfield and Rochdale.

The success against Rochdale last time out put an end to a five match winless run for City, something they will hope to build on as they push for promotion.

 

TEAM NEWS

Long-term injuries to Scot Bennett and Courtney Senior remain the only worries to County, but Wayne Hatswell will also be without Aneurin Livermore after his Wales U19 callup.

For Bradford, Niall Canavan, with Caolan Lavery, Abo Eisa and Lee Angol were all sidelined for last week’s match. However they were boosted by the return of Charles Vernam after he returned from injury.

 

ONE TO WATCH - ANDY COOK

Andy Cook joined Bradford in June after a successful loan spell at the end of last season that saw him score eight goals in 16 starts for the club.

It looked as though he picked up where he left off, netting a hattrick against Stevenage before finding the net again the following match.

The 30-year-old has not scored since this run, which he will be hoping to change at Rodney Parade this weekend.

 

IN THE HOT SEAT - DEREK ADAMS

Derek Adams became the Bantams’ first team coach after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract in June 2021.

Adams is an experienced manager who has so far overseen almost 600 games from the dugout in his career.

The Scotsman has previously had spells in charge of Ross County, Plymouth Argyle, and Morecambe.

 

LAST MEETING

The last meeting between the sides came in March, where the Exiles profited from some late drama.

The match was played at Cardiff City Stadium, and the quality matched the surroundings. A well-fought first half saw the sides level at the break.

The visitors broke the deadlock just after the interval, Andy Cook slotting home. County’s equaliser came courtesy of a trademark Matty Dolan free kick with 13 minutes remaining.

The Exiles were awarded a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time, Matty Dolan again stepping up to net the winner for Newport.