Written by Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst)

Indignation gripped Valley Parade, until a communal sense of injustice exploded into a deafening roar when Antoni Sarcevic ran through to score a late, deserved winner. It was a beautiful finish from a precise Stephen Humphrys through ball, struck right in front of the Kop. It sparked wild celebrations laced with defiance and vengeance. Everything seemed to be conspiring against Bradford City, yet still they found a way.

What a team, what a manager, what a football club. Questions were asked of their character, and answers were emphatically delivered. Down to 10 men, but not down on courage. A boisterous home crowd lapped it all up, creating a siege mentality that encouraged the players to be brave. In such circumstances, what on paper seemed to be one of their most straightforward home assignments of the season became one of their most important victories.

It was huge to win like this. Midway through the second half, Aden Baldwin received City’s first red card of the season – their first dismissal, in fact, since Baldwin was sent off at Doncaster last April. Where he was vilified then, he became a martyr here. Clapped off the field by a public whose opinion he has successfully transformed since that Doncaster head loss. Clapped off because Baldwin’s 75th-minute sliding challenge on Ollie O’Neill did not warrant the punishment it received.

At the time, it was the latest in a series of wildly inconsistent decisions from referee Ollie Yates. The official spent the first half letting everything go, and the second half turning the game into a spectacle of yellow cards. Yates missed fouls, stamped hard on minor infringements, and consistently made the wrong calls.

Worst of all, Yates should have sent off Leyton Orient’s Josh Koroma earlier, after the already booked midfielder clattered into Curtis Tilt. The O’s boss, Richie Wellens, made the most of the reprieve by quickly withdrawing Koroma with just 40 minutes on the clock. That Koroma’s replacement, Favour Fawunmi, played a small part in Orient scoring moments later did nothing to shift the ill-feeling over Yates’ cowardice.

The Leyton Orient goal itself was delivered by O’Neill following messy build-up play featuring potential fouls – most notably a poor challenge on Sarcevic – and haphazard defending. It made it 1-1, cancelling out Sarcevic’s 33rd-minute opener and giving Orient something to cling onto in an otherwise one-sided contest.

It all led to an atmosphere that gradually became more angst-ridden and rancorous. The City players were excellent from the first kick, dominating the ball, controlling territory, and creating numerous chances. But the biggest leveller in the fourth vs fourth-bottom contest was rash officiating. Ethan Wheatley, playing as the starting central forward again, was kicked, grabbed, and wrestled by the Orient backline – without any intervention. Bobby Pointon and Sarcevic received similarly little protection.

It mattered less when Sarcevic opened the scoring with a goal steeped in Graham Alexander DNA. A corner was only half cleared, but City refused to let it go. They pressed relentlessly, won the ball back, and used clever movement to create dangerous positions.

Eventually, Josh Neufville picked out Sarcevic, who ran into space and unleashed a powerful low drive from a tight angle that bounced under Will Dennis. The otherwise calm Orient keeper had just experienced a fraught few minutes, rushing out prematurely and almost being caught out by Wheatley, before flapping at a corner. He recovered his composure after conceding, but the damage was done.

Yet after Koroma’s unpunished challenge on Tilt, his rapid withdrawal, and O’Neill’s equaliser, the complexion changed. If Dennis might have done better on Sarcevic’s goal, the same could be said of Sam Walker, who could not reach O’Neill’s low shot from distance. It was a shock to see the ball in the back of the net – the first time City had conceded at home in five games, and the first time at the Kop end in four months. This is not the usual narrative.

But to the team’s credit, there was no self-pity. They completely dominated the second half, with Leyton Orient failing to register a single effort on goal until deep in stoppage time.

Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe were outstanding in midfield, routinely winning the ball and initiating attacks. Wing backs Neufville and Tyreik Wright contributed at both ends, with Wright particularly active in making forays into the Orient box. Pointon and Sarcevic linked brilliantly with the wing backs, posing a constant threat. Though Wheatley endured a tough battle and numerous illegal challenges, he persevered and improved after the break. There’s a player there for sure.

City pushed relentlessly, and Leyton Orient deserve credit for holding firm. Baldwin’s red card gave the visitors a real chance to steal an unlikely away victory, but the biggest compliment for City is they never looked like they were a man down during the final 15 minutes.

Alexander deserves huge credit for choosing courage over conservatism. The 3-4-3 morphed into a 4-2-3. Heck, it at times it felt like a 2-4-3. Ibou Touray was on the bench as a defensive option, but Alexander stayed all-in. Just before the red card, Paul Mullin replaced Wheatley, Stephen Humphrys replaced Pointon. And – gosh, it finally happened – Humphrys lined up on the left.

It paid off handsomely. Orient tried to mount an attack before City won a turnover. Wright fed the ball to Humphrys, who delivered the assist of the season with a breathtaking pass towards Sarcevic. Credit should also go to Mullin for a clever off-the-ball run that gave Sarcevic more space. There is no other City player besides Sarcevic you would have wanted such a chance to fall too. The calmest man on the field lifted the ball over Dennis to send Valley Parade into raptures.

It’s hard not to get emotional about Sarcevic’s contribution here. His mum is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and so the 33-year-old recently shaved his head in solidarity. The players wore white armbands as they walked onto the field ahead of International Women’s Day, to honour important female influences in their lives. Sarcevic chose his mum as his influence. It proved to be some tribute.

This was Sarcevic’s 45th start for the Bantams since signing in summer 2024. His brace takes him to 17 goals (he might even have had a hat-trick, hitting the post at 0-0). In his two seasons at Valley Parade, City have won 64% of games he has started; without him, just 37%. No player has had a bigger impact on City’s win ratio.

He gets the headlines, but he’s part of a special team. Tilt and Matt Pennington were rocks at the back, especially in the closing stages. Aside from the league’s joint-second top scorer Dom Ballard hitting a late effort just wide, City didn’t offer their opponents a sniff. Mullin and Humphrys were effective subs. The debate about Humphrys being better on the left will inevitably resurface – he was outstanding in the wide position.

The team is a Valley Parade winning machine. In just under two years, they’ve won 34 of their last 44 home league matches. Astonishing. It’s helped them to carry another Ming vase over the line and further strengthens their grip on the play offs. With 61 points, they probably need just five wins from the remaining 11 games to guarantee a top-six finish.

Because of their colossal body of work, and because they have a healthy margin for error, it’s hard not to feel bullish about City’s chances of finishing in the play offs. It would take a complete collapse in form to miss out. Nothing about this disciplined, methodical Bradford City hints at a forthcoming downfall.

So much to be excited about. Watching this talented, driven group of players is a joy. Having the statesman-like Alexander at the helm instils so much confidence. Valley Parade crackles with energy, noise, and vibrancy that makes the hairs stand on end.

We are living through a golden period in Bradford City’s history. Every victory, every roar from the Kop, cements the legacy of this team and this manager. And while winning at home may have become a very familiar story, it never gets boring.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2025/26, BCAFC, League One, Leyton Orient