By Jason McKeown

A good side but not a great squad. That’s probably a fair assessment of Bradford City in 2025/26. Their excellent first season back in League One was spearheaded by a group of around 15-16 players who thrived inside Graham Alexander’s circle of trust. But when injuries, suspensions and fatigue set in, bringing others into the picture, the drop off was notable.

There’s a useful theory in football that a team is as good as both its best player (the ceiling) and its worst (the floor). It’s why, for example, City’s defence in 2013/14 was so impenetrable when Andrew Davies (the ceiling) was fit, but so vulnerable when he was injured and Matthew Bates (the floor) had to step in. It’s all well and good having a really good first XI – but if the depth isn’t there, there can be a stark decline in performances when your best players aren’t available.

Last summer, City firmly raised the ceiling of the squad’s capability, but the floor did not climb with it. As the Bantams flew out of the traps, many players operated on the fringes and were moved on mid-season as they were well out of Alexander’s plans.

The January window activity seemed to target raising the floor to provide greater depth and competition, but it ultimately failed with a series of poor signings who were no better than the backups they’d replaced. The pattern continued of a core group of players who thrived, whilst a sizeable number of players sat on the sidelines.

So City lived and ultimately died with their select circle of trust. They relied on their ceiling and hoped not to call upon their floor. Which is why late season injuries to Bobby Pointon, Antoni Sarcevic and Tyreik Wright were so keenly felt.

And that leaves City in a curious position this close season. The decks have been cleared in terms of moving on almost every player who Alexander lacked faith in. Do they try to raise the floor again, when it didn’t work in January? Or do they focus on raising the ceiling like last summer – bringing in players who are such an improvement, that regulars from the previous season begin to find opportunities hard to come by? Throw in the unexpected challenge of recruiting an entire new central midfield, and it’s certainly been a busy time.

The pre-season signs would suggest City have largely gone for lifting the ceiling. And as we’ll come onto, there are some players who were permanent fixtures on the team sheet last season who could now face a harder time. There are other areas of the squad where faith is absolutely kept in those who held a starting berth last season, with understudies brought in.

It all suggests we should see a different-looking Bradford City team this season, but the pace of change won’t quite be as dramatic compared to a year ago, where seven of the regular XI places were effectively filled by new signings. But Alexander will also want to widen that circle of trust. In the second half of the 2024/25 promotion season, the City boss was able to rotate his squad in a mightily effective way. That didn’t happen at all last season, but that was seemingly by accident rather than design.

If City can raise the ceiling that’s obviously great. But they really can’t afford for the floor to be as weak as it ultimately proved for pretty much all of last season.

The goalkeeper situation personifies this

One of the most eye-catching summer recruits is Dundee stopper Jon McCracken, who will provide stiff competition for the established Sam Walker.

It’s a clear change of strategy from the Bantams. Since Jon McLaughlin and Matt Duke battled it out in 2012/13, City have largely gone with a strategy of a clear number one stopper and a cheap-looking backup, unlikely to ever get a serious look-in.

Bringing in McCracken is a statement of intent. City now have two experienced goalkeepers and a genuine fight for the number one jersey. It feels like the right thing to do. Walker has been a brilliant servant at Valley Parade, but there were unmistakable signs of a decline towards the end of last season. Nothing too dramatic, but nevertheless a trend to suggest more serious competition can’t hurt. Especially with him turning 35 in October.

Walker will expect to at least start the season in goal, but McCracken will be keenly breathing down his neck. The 26-year-old won rave reviews at Dens Park last season and was even talked up as a potential option for Scotland’s World Cup squad. Having started his career at Norwich but never playing for the Canaries, McCracken has had several loans before it all started to come together at Dundee over the past two years. He hasn’t come here to stall his blossoming career, and so poses a major threat to Walker.

Behind them both is Zac Haidi, who continues to wait for his own opportunity. The 20-year-old might be able to take inspiration from McCracken in that goalkeepers have to bide their time, and careers tend to get going in their early 20s. Nevertheless, the modern history of Bradford City is against him – this is a club that does not produce its own first team goalkeepers. Haidi will do very well to reverse that trend.

The wing back slots hint at the floor challenge

Josh Neufville is clearly going to start the season as first choice right wing back, and that’s totally understandable. Neufville had a blistering start to his Valley Parade career a year ago, accelerating Brad Halliday’s exit from the club and then keeping January loanee Harrison Ashby well out of the picture.

But there was a tail off from Neufville mid-season. And despite recovering, he never hit the same heights as that initial burst of brilliance. In his defence, Neufville was often a marked man, with opposition sides wise to his rampaging runs and ability to get on the end of centre back diagonals.

Nevertheless, Neufville goes into this season with questions over whether he can rediscover those early season performances of 12 months ago. There was a period where he was so irresistibly good, it seemed unlikely we’d be able to keep him for long and a Jenson Metcalfe-type move would occur. That won’t happen just yet, but if Neufville gets his full confidence back he might just attract a flurry of scouts to Valley Parade in the coming months.

Behind him there isn’t much competition. Pre-season has seen Harry Ibbitson and even Kayden Jackson perform at right wing back. George Lapslie had a couple of games in this position. Still, it’s hard to believe City won’t bring in some form of more specialist cover before the window closes.

On the left-hand side there was no real need to find a new ceiling with City having some fine options. Ibou Touray held the starting berth for much of last season but lost it to a flying Tyreik Wright. It will be really interesting to see what happens here this season, but if Wright’s soaring confidence levels are maintained – and pre-season performances suggest so – his greater attacking ability will give him the starting edge.

Wright’s second spell at Valley Parade initially featured more downs than ups. But his mojo returned with a flourish over the second half of last season. Everything is set up for this to truly be Tyreik’s season – one where his reputation could easily rise to being one of the league’s best players.

If Wright does indeed thrive as left wing back, Touray is not a bad player to be a back-up – a definite strong floor. Touray may also find he is again asked to play left centre back.

Familiarity on the right of central defence, but the left sees change

The hybrid abilities of Touray might prove especially valuable this season with the summer exits of City’s two left-sided centre backs, Ciaran Kelly and Curtis Tilt. While Kelly’s departure was planned, Tilt’s was not.

City have recruited Macaulay Gillesphey to replace Tilt, and he moves North with well wishes from Charlton supporters who will forever cherish his Wembley play-off final goal that took the Addicks into the Championship, 15 months ago. Gillesphey found it tougher going in the second tier and lost his place after a late January 4-0 thrashing at Millwall.

Gillesphey looks a great signing on paper. At 30, he should still have plenty of mileage in the tank and offers a wealth of experience from his time at Charlton, Plymouth, Brisbane Roar and Carlisle United. His stats suggest he excels at the long diagonal passes that Aden Baldwin has consistently delivered to huge effect, and playing the pair on each side of the back three could offer City greater dynamism and variety in how they launch attacks.

Baldwin himself has had another difficult summer with a reoccurrence of an injury problem that has impacted his previous two pre-seasons at Valley Parade. But he’s on his way back, and when completely fit will surely nail down a regular berth once again. Last season he was outstanding and is fully deserving of the new two-year deal recently signed. That contract may prove just as much about protecting City as it is keeping Baldwin in employment. Because holding onto Baldwin will be a challenge in future if he keeps up last season’s standards.

The other part of the regular back three will likely be a straight fight between Joe Wright and Matt Pennington. Neither are especially dynamic on the ball but both are solid, dependable defenders who enjoy making tackles and mopping things up. They also both have a useful eye for goal.

Big, big things were expected of Wright a year ago and he didn’t quite live up to it, with his mid-season performances pretty mixed. He thrived at the end of the campaign when he won back his place, but has had injury problems pre-season that should give Pennington the edge initially.  

There’s also the back-up support of Reece Welch, who has joined following a successful trial after his release from Everton. The Huddersfield-born centre back couldn’t make a strong enough impression on Merseyside, but has played regularly at various England youth levels and offers clear promise. It’s unlikely Welch will start the season in the team but will no doubt get his chance along the way. At 22-years-old, he has very little senior football experience and so this is a big move for him. 

Keep an eye out for Oscar Lunn, who has signed a professional deal and looked good in pre-season. And as well as Touray, Callum Connolly could also fill in at the back if absolutely needed. Initially, a loan move for Lunn seems likely.

So the goalkeeper situation now looks stronger. The back three has been refreshed without losing its identity. The wing-back positions remain in good shape.

Whether Alexander has genuinely widened his trusted core, however, remains open to debate. Because the biggest questions about this squad don’t lie at the back.

They lie in midfield.

In Part Two, we’ll examine the engine room, the attacking options and whether this Bradford City side has enough goals to build on last season’s encouraging return to League One.

Categories: Opinion, Previews

Tags: 2026/27, BCAFC