Match Preview: Bradford City (H)

Newport take to the Rodney Parade pitch once again this Saturday as they look to maintain their unbeaten home record against Bradford City. The Exiles battled hard with ten men to earn a point against an in-form Barrow last weekend and will look to go one better when they welcome the Bantams.

Graham Coughlan was full of praise for his side following what was a resilient display against Barrow. The Gaffer labelled the affair as a 'great advert for League Two football' and credited the fans for how they helped drag his team over the line last time out against Barrow.

County will be without skipper Ryan Delaney as a result of a red card received, following two yellows last weekend. As Coughlan confirmed there are no fresh injury worries ahead of the game. 

Manager’s Comments 

Manager Graham Coughlan was full of praise for Saturday's opposition in his pre-match press conference this morning stating that the Bantams' boss Mark Hughes has done an excelled job at Bradford since joining the club: "He (Mark Hughes) is returning to Wales tomorrow and I'm sure, we will give him a really great welcome before the game, but when the referee blows the whistle i'm know the fans will put their allegiances on the table and they'll get behind our group of players."

Opposition Form 

Mark Hughes’s Bradford side have not gotten off to the kind of start that their fans would have wanted. The Bantams currently find themselves in 17th place, with just one win in their last five league games. 

They come into the game following back-to-back home draws with Grimsby and Harrogate. Last weekend’s game against Harrogate saw them snatch a last-minute equaliser through a Jamie Walker goal. They are still yet to claim their first three points on the road this season, drawing two and losing two of their four away games. 

Bradford have struggled to find a consistent starting 11 so far this campaign. Hughes has rotated between Smith, Palmer, Cook, and Derbyshire up front, with his side struggling to find a rhythm in front of goal. They are currently the joint second-lowest scorers in the division, having hit the net six times in their opening eight games. 

Ticket Info 

Ticket prices for Saturday’s game are as follows: 

Exiles can always purchase their tickets on the day. An additional £2 fee is applied to match-day purchases. 

Last Time Out 

We last welcomed Bradford to Rodney Parade in March this year. Bradford arrived on a good run of form but were halted by a formidable County performance, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. The visitors took the lead in the 36th minute when Andy Cook drove the ball low past Joe Day. County continued to fight, with the equaliser coming in the 61st minute when a Mickey Demetriou cross deflected off the head of Bradford’s Liam Ridehalgh and snuck past Harry Lewis in the Bradford goal.

Head to Head 

Over the years, Newport and Bradford have played one another 47 times, with Bradford picking up 21 wins, Newport winning 18, and nine ending in a draw. There was a huge gap between Football League encounters between the two sides between 1985 and 2019, but we have played each other every season since then. 

You have to go all the way back to 1985 to find the last time the Bantams beat us on home soil. Since returning to League Two in 2019, Bradford have been unable to register a win at Rodney Parade, losing two and drawing two of our four encounters. 

Played for Both 

One of the most notable players to have worn the shirts of Newport County and Bradford City is our former manager, Michael Flynn. Flynn originally played for us in the 1999/2000 season, spending two years with us before leaving for Barry Town. Flynn would sign for Bradford nearly a decade later, signing for the Bantams in 2009 and playing 91 times, scoring ten. 

He would then leave Bradford and return to us in 2012, making 82 appearances and scoring five. He would make a fourth return to us in 2017 as player-coach.