By Jason McKeown

It wasn’t much of a match — but it might be a moment of reckoning. With troublesome meekness, Bradford City have bowed out of the Football League Trophy and, in fact, out of all the cups for another season. They can have no complaints other than about themselves. With two early Bolton goals robbing the game of any real drama, for the Bantams the real narrative lies in what the night may have revealed — or decided — about the futures of several players.

Because Graham Alexander played an interesting hand in this one. A strong hand, in fact. Only five changes from the side that had got back to League One winning ways at the weekend. A semi-rotation of the squad, but one that will leave many of his charges fearing the worst about their prospects. The end of the line seems to be looming large for some.  

We’ll get to that — but first, the game. Bolton were very good; City were distinctly average. Many Bantams cup outings this season have been decided by which manager took the tie more seriously, but frustratingly for Alexander, this was not one of them.

The City boss’ counterpart, Steven Schumacher, made a considerable nine changes. It came with the reward of several strong individual performances from players who can’t normally get in the team, not least Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Cissoko, who scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes.

Cissoko’s first came 11 minutes in. City were attacking with plenty of bodies forward when Max Power conceded a free-kick that Bolton took quickly to launch a counter. Middlesbrough loanee Marcus Forss slipped a perfectly weighted through-ball into the path of Cissoko. The Toulouse loanee exploited the vast space before finishing smartly past Sam Walker.

It didn’t take long for Bolton — and Cissoko — to double the tally. Defender Cyrus Christie was afforded alarming room to run through midfield. His attempted pass into space bounced off George Lapslie, but the ball fell invitingly to Cissoko on the edge of the box, and he unleashed a brilliant curling effort into the top corner.

Some huff, some puff from City. But midway through the second half, Sam Dalby set up Forss to calmly slot Bolton 3-0 ahead. And with that, the Bantams are left to concentrate on the league.

The early goals put Bolton in a strong, comfortable position. City had chances, with Bobby Pointon looking lively. But Bolton carried greater assurance and created several more openings of their own – especially late on, when they wasted chances that could have made the scoreline embarrassing. Claret and amber heads dropped worryingly in the final 20 minutes. The evening was made worse by Joe Wright’s injury early in the second half.

And at this point we should talk about the City XI and the shadows of uncertainty it casts on the squad. Firstly, Lapslie was brought in to play as right wing back – with Josh Neufvulle rested on the bench. This was perhaps the starkest message yet about the future of Brad Halliday. His complete lack of involvement here – and recently – strongly suggests the popular defender is heading for the exit in January, perhaps with something already agreed.

We also saw the Metcalfe-up-front experiment unexpectedly rekindled, although this time he started on the left with Pointon switched to the right. The 21-year-old looked more assured than in his fish-out-of-water performance on this same ground 10 days ago, but this remains a dubious development that has a questionable long-term future.

More strikingly, Metcalfe was deployed as wide forward with no sign – again – of Calum Kavanagh. And in a game where Andy Cook might have expected to get a much-needed start to press his claims, he was once again on the bench with Stephen Humphrys retained up front. In defence, Neill Byrne and Lewis Richards did come in from the cold – but Ciaran Kelly was completely left out. We also saw Tommy Leigh recalled after not being seen since he was hooked off at half time against Burton.

Make no mistake: this was a game Alexander wanted to win. The Football League Trophy has been taken seriously throughout his reign, and the club is believed to have pocketed around £145,000 in prize money last season. (They bow out here with only £40,000 added to the coffers this time.)

And because Alexander wanted to win, he wasn’t going to fill his XI with fringe players. That’s fair enough. But still. For Halliday, Kavanagh and Kelly to not even make the bench is…worrying for the trio. With plenty of games coming up, the likes of Neufville (still not quite at his best) Antoni Sarcevic (just back from injury) and Aden Baldwin (ditto) hardly needed to have spent their evening as substitutes – yet they were preferred as back-ups ahead of the squad back-ups.

All of this is not to criticise Alexander one bit, but it is to analyse the significance of his choices. With a month until the transfer window opens – and with a 22-man squad needing to be trimmed before new faces can be added – the message he sent here felt pointed and clear.

Here’s the rub. We went into this season believing that the squad rotation approach of the second half of the 2024/25 season was going to be dialled up further. A busy summer recruitment drive offered Alexander so many options to tinker. Two, if not three, players for every position.

And it’s not that he hasn’t swapped players around at times this season, but it’s nowhere near to the level we might have expected. The likes of Neufville, Ibou Touray, Power, Pointon, Sarcevic and Sam Walker are seemingly nailed on starters. Joe Wright probably too. Curtis Tilt was one of the first names on the team sheet until he was injured. So maybe 8 of the 11 locked down, when everyone is fit?

Players like Halliday would have expected far more game time, but he hasn’t started a single league match and has made only five substitute appearances. For perspective: he started 39 league games last season, 41 the season before (when he won Player of the Season) and 46 the season before that. What. A. Contrast.

Richards also hasn’t started a league game this campaign after becoming a big player last winter before injury. Kelly and Kavanagh haven’t featured since the Burton match. Hmmm. Beyond that, does Nick Powell (injured and on a short-term deal) have a future? Is Lapslie likely to stick around? Is Cook – who came on at half-time but was peripheral – willing to accept a reduced role? And what of the largely out-of-favour Byrne (who started here and struggled) and Tom McIntyre?

It boils down to this: City are having an exceptional season — much better than any of us could have dared hope. They are third in League One, with a chance to return to the top this coming weekend. Ahead of schedule, they approach the second half of the season with realistic expectations of a top-six finish and a push for the Championship.

As the club have confounded expectations, the bar has risen on what it takes to get into this team. That’s perhaps unexpectedly left quite a few players, who everyone expected to play a big part this year, measuring up short to the rising tide. And it leaves a stark truth facing some players: for City to maintain their standards, they may need to move on from those who no longer meet them.

Nights like this, when City were well beaten and worryingly soft, underline the challenge. Bolton are a promotion rival, and 10 days ago — when both managers played their strongest teams — the sides could not be separated. But here, Bolton’s weakened team outclassed City’s slightly stronger line-up. That is damning evidence, highlighting holes in the Bantams’ depth. Something the club will naturally look to address in January.

City might have expected to come into this next window bobbling in mid-table, looking to swap around a few things around. Instead, they now need to shop in a different market, to find players who can perform at the top end of League One. To make room for those more premium arrivals, they will need to move on players who Alexander has seemingly already judged to no longer be good enough for what he needs.

It all means that a night to forget for City on the field paves the way for a January of change – and that feels like the real story.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2025/26, BCAFC, Bolton Wanderers, Football League Trophy