By Jason McKeown, Tim Penfold and Alex Scott

See the first, second, third and fourth parts of our Bradford City squad assessment.

We continue, with the attacking midfielders and the crucial role they must play.

Bobby Pointon

By Tim

Bobby Pointon was the feel-good story of last season, bursting on to the scene in pre-season with some energetic displays, then making his first-team breakthrough with an assist live on Sky.

Pointon grabbed his first goal in the McDonald caretaker era, played the first couple of games under Graham Alexander…then vanished for months. The switch to 3-5-2 initially left no space for him, but his continued absence from the first team when Jamie Walker was injured mystified fans.

Finally, he came back into contention against Tranmere. City’s season was basically over, and the story of the day was pre-game protests against the ownership – until Pointon scored the goal of the season in the second half, drifting past defenders before firing a rocket into the top corner. From then on, he was a fixture, and City’s season sparked back into life. Pointon grabbed a couple more goals against Barrow and on the final day against Newport as City fell just short, with fans wondering “what if we’d used Pointon earlier?”.

The key now is to kick on, where so many City prospects have failed to do so in the past. Pointon has a new long-term contract under his belt, but he also has more competition in the fit-again Alex Pattison and the marquee signing of the summer in Antoni Sarcevic. He could see more time on the bench again, but if he plays like he did in the spring then he’ll surely establish himself as a key player.

What a good season looks like: Continues to establish himself as a first-team player with some big moments in spite of the competition. Des Hamilton 1995/96.

What a great season looks like: Is one of the first names on the team sheet, providing goals, assists and generally excellent attacking play. Claus Jorgensen 2002/03.

Alex Pattison

By Alex

Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Give it ten seconds before flipping the switch. Blow into that cartridge and let’s try this one again. 

Alex Pattison joined last summer from Harrogate on a three-year deal and with some fanfare. The former Middlesbrough academy product (drink!), Pattison had just come off two great seasons with Harrogate, scoring 17 goals and assisting 11 more from midfield over the previous two seasons in a below average team. City had been overly and unsustainably reliant on Andy Cook the previous year and the 24-year-old Pattison had been recruited to work with Jamie Walker to help alleviate that goal scoring burden from midfield.

Some promising early returns, with goals in consecutive games against Accrington in the cup, Colchester and Stockport seemed to show the club were onto a winner. The wheels were about to come off however, with an injury at Wrexham in the league cup costing a month before he reaggravated it in Mark Hughes’s last game at Tranmere, subbed off after 29 minutes after being rushed back in a must win game.

Three more sub appearances before Christmas followed before another injury and he was never seen again. Not exactly how he or the club saw last season playing out. 

Pattison is back this pre-season however, and helpfully his new manager has reverting to the very formation for which he was signed last summer, prioritising ‘dual eights’ in midfield, creating the platform for his goalscoring and attacking threat to come through. 

He has more competition this time around and that he has unceremoniously lost his Number 10 shirt to direct competitor for playing time Antoni Sarcevic probably doesn’t bode too well, at least to begin with. (Pattison has wisely opted for Number 16 which is an aesthetically pleasing number for a central midfielder, top marks from me.) He also has Bobby Pointon to deal with to get on the field as well as Jamie Walker probably ahead of him in the pecking order too. 

But given his track record at this level, his age and proven goal scoring ability, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he was in the starting eleven soon enough. He is probably the most proven goal threat in the team outside of Andy Cook and Jake Young (low bar) but in a side needing to find a big jump in goals this year to compete at the level they want, this threat from midfield will be crucial. 

Last season was a complete write off, but if Pattison can re-find the form that got him on City’s radar in the first place, he definitely has the capability of grabbing hold of a starting role in a key position. If he fires with 10+ goals from midfield, you’d think City will have a great chance at competing for the play off positions and beyond.

What a good season looks like: He stays injury free and chips in with important goals throughout the season from midfield to help the club challenge. Dave Syers in 2010/11.

What a great season looks like: He quickly seizes a place in the team, consistently chipping in with goals to complement Andy Cook, forging a great attacking threat. Eoin Jess in 2001/02.

Jamie Walker

By Jason

It’s always a good sign when you have player coveted by others. As Jamie Walker went through contract negotiations with City over the summer, other clubs were apparently circling with interest, should the Bantams have declined to take up the option in their favour. Carlisle have been named as one of the clubs, but there are rumours of interest from sides at the top of League One too.

Keeping Walker at Valley Parade is a huge positive, especially after a season of excellent displays. He showed true bravery and leadership in the way he operated last season. When others were wilting under the heavy expectation, Walker never hid. Always standing tall. Always wanting the ball. Always trying to make something happen.

If only he could have stayed fit all season, City would have surely made the play offs. But after two full seasons in West Yorkshire that have been punctured by injury problems, keeping fit remains the biggest question mark against the Scot. Walker badly needs a season where he becomes a stranger to the treatment room. With a wealth of attacking midfield options available, Alexander needs to carefully manage Walker’s game time through the rough and tumble of a packed League Two schedule.

Nine goals in league and cup for Walker in 2023/24 was the third highest of his career. Double figures has to be a reasonable target to aim for this season. Alexander clearly rates him highly, and it won’t be Walker making way for Sarcevic this season.

What a good season looks like: He has further injury problems but is an important player when fit, delivering a respectable tally of goals and assists. Jamie Walker in 2023/24.

What a great season looks like: To be honest, Bradford City and “great attacking midfield season” don’t seem to go well together historically. So in terms of goals, assists and leadership, let’s go with a winger who memorably helped City get promoted to the Premier league. Peter Beagrie in 1998/99.

Clarke Oduor

By Alex

Clarke Oduor starts his second season at Valley Parade amid great uncertainty. He had a stop-start first season, largely as a function of changing managers and formations with both Mark Hughes and Graham Alexander searching for the right answers within a bit of a mish-mash of a squad. Oduor certainly had flashes, in particular late in the season during a four-game unbeaten run in a 3-4-3 combining with Calum Kavanagh well in support of Andy Cook. 

This season, however, Alexander seems likely to reprise the ‘dual eights’ in the 3-5-2 that finished the year so well with Bobby Pointon and Jamie Walker. Whilst Oduor can play this role, and did last season as substitute, it doesn’t entirely match his skillset, thriving most when cutting in from the right. 

He’s also seemingly at the foot of a logjam for playing time in those roles. Assuming captain Richie Smallwood starts at the base of the midfield, you’ll have Sarcevic, Walker, Pointon, Pattison, Gilliead and Oduor competing for two spots. This is where Oduor did fill in towards the last year. But with the players returning from injury, and the signing of Sarcevic, it’s hard to see how opportunities will arise here. 

Coincidentally – or perhaps not – he isn’t the only winger who thrives cutting in from wide but who is potentially having to reinvent himself to get playing time. Tyreik Wright was encouraging last year at left wing back and is slated to start here this time around. At the end of last year, this attacking threat on the left helped offset the true right back Brad Halliday opposite and gave the team its balance. Competing with Wright in this left wing back role might give Oduor the best opportunity for game time this season, and maintaining the team’s balance when Wright is off the field.

It’s well within Oduor’s capability to force his way into the team, he was involved a lot down the stretch last season. His best chance to get on the field will likely be that reinvention as left wing back, or a change in formation to a 4-2-3-1 creating opportunities on the right-hand side for him. With two years to run on his contract, and entering his prime years, Oduor will be hoping his chance does arrive early in the season, and he grasps it when it does arrive. 

What a good season looks like: Beginning the season out of the team, but persevering before a change in system creates an opportunity that he grasps. Scott Banks in 2022/23.

What a great season looks like: Forcing his way into the team early on and performing at such a level with his creation and work ethic, ending up being one of the first attacking names on the team sheet. Mark Marshall in 2016/17.

Adam Wilson

By Alex

Adam Wilson joined last year from TNS in the Welsh Premier League, as a player adept at cutting in from the right of midfield and bringing a goal threat. He was supposed to be a potential successor to Scott Banks, supporting Clarke Oduor as he found his feet.

As is so often the way at City, within weeks the manager who signed him got sacked, the style of play was transformed and Wilson found himself on the outskirts of a squad without an obvious position or route to playing time. 

It would seem, at least to begin with, that a change in formation to 4-2-3-1 will be his best bet, allowing him to compete for one of two wing positions he was signed to play and currently don’t exist. Until then however, it seems his best chance will come as understudy to Tyreik Wright as the more attacking wing back in games where City will be pressing the advantage. However even in that role, he’s going to end up behind Clarke Oduor. And in games where City want to be more circumspect, he’s then also competing with Lewis Richards and Alex Gilliead. 

Like Oduor, with two years to run on his contract, Wilson will be looking for little bits of light over the beginning of the season, probably in the Jonny Paint, to try and turn it around. But again, like Oduor, it’s hard to see a real opportunity for him to break through even then. Wilson is the latest in a series of signings for which managerial and system change has led to his redundancy at the club, a signing who never really had a chance. A loan move to the National League probably beckons.

What a good season looks like: He’s able to use his initially sparse opportunities to showcase his skills and force his way into the side by season end. Bobby Pointon in 2023/24

What a great season looks like: Opportunities open up for him early in the season and he never looks back, proving himself as a starting calibre player at this level. Kyel Reid in 2011/12.

The verdict

City have a lot of proven expertise in this part of the team. Injuries here played a major part in the Bantams just falling short of the play offs last season. With Sarcevic bolstering numbers and Pointon elevated to first team player, there is much greater strength in depth.

Crucially, for City’s quest to score at least 11 more goals this season than last, they will need their midfielders to chip in. On paper, there are lots of goals in the attacking midfield options available. They’ve got a big role to play in City’s success, and there are good reasons to be confident they can deliver. I think we can give this part of the squad a green tick. Although there is a slight worry we’ve over compensated.

All of which leaves the final question – are there enough goals up front? 

Categories: Previews

Tags: 2024/25, BCAFC