Written by Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst)

Some way to end the away-day hoodoo. After six straight losses on the road, Bradford City found a hearty cure to travel sickness at Vale Park and, in doing so, pushed Port Vale even closer to relegation. This was a straightforward win – a mismatch between clubs who, at the very least, won’t be sharing the same division next season. “We’re off to Tottenham, you’re off to York,” taunted the jubilant Bantams supporters.

And that really is a credible possibility. Winning here gives City a 10-point cushion inside the play-offs, with 10 games to go. There is work to do, but the margin for error is huge. It’s a wonderful position, and there’s even a glimmer of hope that the Bantams could yet put late-season pressure on a stumbling second-place Cardiff.

Championship football next season? On this form, 22 years languishing in the bottom two divisions might be coming to an end.

The manner in which City won here will certainly boost already soaring confidence levels. It’s true that the league table clearly defines Port Vale as the worst club in League One, but they had been in improved form of late, defeating Championship Bristol City and Premier League Sunderland in the FA Cup over the past week. Vale came here with tails up – only for their wings to be firmly clipped.

Given City’s away-day struggles, winning in such dominant fashion spoke volumes. For the first 18 minutes, not a lot happened aside from a Jenson Metcalfe header being cleared off the line by Port Vale’s man of the moment, Ben Waine. But while the home side might have found encouragement from their start, suddenly City flicked the switch and completely blew their opponents away.

Chance followed chance. The onslaught began when Ethan Wheatley latched onto a mistake on the halfway line and charged through. The 20-year-old showed excellent pace and strength to get away and enter the box, but his one-on-one effort was tame and easily blocked by Joe Gauci’s right leg.

Not long after, City sprung a counterattack that saw Antoni Sarcevic played into space, but his cross into the box was too far ahead of Bobby Pointon. Then Josh Neufville produced a brilliant first touch, controlling a high ball, dummying past Elijah Campbell before shooting over. Pointon then had a shot blocked by Gauci, after Tyreik Wright pressed and won possession in a dangerous area.

The pressing continued, and City found their deserved breakthrough. Wright fired a shot from distance that was palmed out by Gauci, and there was Pointon to smash home the rebound. His ninth goal of the season, but his first on the road.

They kept up the siege. Max Power’s shot was blocked before Curtis Tilt headed just wide after Gauci misjudged a corner. Twice, Wheatley had shooting opportunities from tight angles, and twice he was denied by the Australian international goalkeeper. Wright’s volley from a corner was deflected behind. Metcalfe and Pointon also had efforts, adding to an overall first-half shot tally of 17-3 in City’s favour. The only criticism of the Bantams’ first-half performance was that they weren’t further ahead.

Port Vale tried to establish some footing with a half-time triple substitution – followed early in the second half by one of the new arrivals, Ethon Archer, wasting a decent opportunity when he met a cross at the back post but couldn’t connect cleanly – but the one-way traffic soon continued.

City were relentless. Wheatley got in behind and had a shot saved by Gauci. Power had two long-range efforts well held by the Aston Villa loanee. Sarcevic and Pointon also had attempts on goal. And just as it seemed City were showing a lack of clinical edge, Pointon found Wright, who ran down the middle from deep and hit a brilliant long-range effort that flew into the back of the net.

With 25 minutes to play, it was clearly game over. Graham Alexander took the opportunity to rest his front three, and substitutes Will Swan, Stephen Humphrys (again playing on the left), and Paul Mullin all might have added a third. Vale didn’t register a shot on target until the 82nd minute, when the under-employed Sam Walker saved from George Hall.

By the end of the night, City had racked up 31 attempts on goal. Add this to the 44 shots from their previous four games, and it’s clear City are in excellent attacking form – the only gripe being they haven’t scored more goals.

The manner in which they shook off the away-day anxiety to win so convincingly says everything about the resilience and belief in this team. Even without the suspended Aden Baldwin, the back three were superb, with Ibou Touray making a solid return alongside the irrepressible Tilt and Matt Pennington. Both wing-backs continue to excel, while Power and Metcalfe controlled the tempo of the game. The front three were excellent, and even though Wheatley’s finishing remains timid, this was his best all-round performance since joining in January. Vale tried to counter City’s 3-4-3, but their players lost every individual battle.

For that and so many other reasons, there should be enormous appreciation for Graham Alexander and the job he has done. This was the City boss’ 135th game in charge and 68th victory – only five managers in Bantams history have won more games. By the end of this season, he will break into the top 10 longest City managerial tenures based on games in charge. No mean feat in modern, managerial merry-go-round times.

This latest success sees his win ratio at a healthy 50.37%. Only two previous City managers had a better win ratio – Roy McFarland (54.69%) and Jack Foster (52.63%) – but neither had anywhere near the longevity of Alexander’s tenure. Factor in that City have had to adapt to a higher division along the way, and Alexander’s win record becomes even more impressive.

The question, then, is where Alexander ranks among the very best Bradford City managers in living memory. Maybe it’s too soon to answer, and perhaps Phil Parkinson’s cup exploits narrowly give him an edge, but Alexander has to be right up there. The job he continues to perform at Valley Parade is outstanding. His league record is certainly stronger than Parkinson’s.

Getting promoted last season was, of course, a huge achievement. But in many ways, what Alexander has done this season is even more impressive. The team has thrived in the tougher landscape of League One, and whatever happens over these final 10 games, this has to go down as a fantastic season.

Alexander has done remarkable things to lead Bradford City out of its existential crisis and transform the culture, mentality and atmosphere around the club. Nights like this are another vital building block. And with City finally shaking off their away-day misery, the feeling grows that this club is steadily moving towards an even brighter future.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2025/26, BCAFC, League One, Port Vale