By Jason McKeown

It was difficult to know whether this thumping victory truly marks the start of the Michael Duff era. With the new Bradford City boss serving a touchline ban, he watched from the stands while caretaker Mark Trueman remained in charge on the sidelines. But however the handover from Graham Alexander to Duff is defined, it continues to look a remarkably smooth one. This was another routine City success, with the Bantams again barely skipping a beat through a period that might easily have brought disruption.

Duff’s elevated view will have been an encouraging one. Here were the back-ups – 10 changes from Saturday – and here was a performance of calm assurance that will have taught the 48-year-old much about the strength in depth he inherits. The Bantams were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes and, true to their character, offered a lacklustre Rotherham very little encouragement thereafter, racking up a couple more after the break.

On the bench, Colin Doyle wore an earpiece that suggested some form of communication channel with the new manager. Yet there was little for Duff to intervene in. He could probably have put his feet up and enjoyed a cup of tea. There will be some tough examinations of his ability to keep City moving forward. This was not one of them.

It is to the credit of Trueman, Doyle and the players that they’ve brushed aside reasons to wilt in uncertainty and keep moving – and to Alexander for the high-performance culture he set, which continues without him. The City back-ups here perhaps had more to gain from a managerial change than their rested team-mates, and used this audition in front of the new boss to stake their claim for greater league involvement.

The first definitive Duff team selection, on Saturday, will be harder to make because of this.

Harder because Will Swan came in and produced a high-energy display that included bagging a brace. He opened the scoring inside three minutes, heading home a Corey O’Keeffe corner. Just after the hour, Swan expertly grabbed his second when terrible defending at the back allowed Stephen Humphrys to nip in and set him up.

Harder because Humphrys himself delivered one of those performances that remind you exactly what he can offer. He scored City’s second after Emmanuel Adegboyega’s dreadful mistake. City’s number 11 was everywhere, making a real difference. “If only he could play like this every week” remains a familiar refrain when it comes to Humphrys, and after this all-action display it will get another airing.

Harder because of an encouraging full debut from Harry Ibbitson, who showed quality and energy at left wing-back. Harder because George Lapslie pressed with purpose and poise, while Kieran Morgan and Henry Cartwright looked composed in midfield – nothing too flashy, but some eye-catching passes setting City away. Harder because O’Keeffe was excellent on the ball, and because the back three barely gave Rotherham a sniff.

It was all just so easy. For long spells, this felt less like a cup tie and more like a training exercise with a paying audience. The Bantams were only limited by their own ambition. O’Keeffe saw a cross deflect just wide of the post with Millers’ keeper Ted Cann getting nowhere near it. Humphrys hit a free kick from distance that flew over and soon after tried an audacious lob from the half-way line that bounced wide. Swan’s movement was great and he tested Cann with one effort. Just before half-time, Macaulay Gillesphey’s header rattled the post.

What of Rotherham? Not a lot. Their best chance came from a City mistake when a rash crossfield pass by O’Keeffe let Jill Buyabu in for a faint penalty shout when Cameron Dawson had to rush out to block his path. The on-loan Sheffield United man fell to the floor as he collided with the City keeper, but there was nothing doing. A tenuous shout at best.

It took the Millers 67 minutes to muster a shot on target when sub Kane Richardson hit a tame effort at Dawson. Seconds later, the 19-year-old produced an almost carbon-copy powder-puff shot at the former Miller stopper. But that was the extent of Rotherham’s credible goal threat. The difference in quality was colossal.

United have only won two games all season, and only one on home soil – that coming all the way back in August, when Duff himself was still in charge of Wycombe. In fact, Rotherham have only won four games of football full stop since City last locked horns with them, back in February. Rotherham are reeking of decline. Their trajectory could not be more different to City’s. One club appears to know exactly where it is heading; the other looks increasingly unsure how it got here.

You can only beat what’s in front of you, and City did that with the minimum of fuss. This was Hayden Matthews’ best performance since joining on loan. Reece Welch got more valuable gametime under his belt. Gillesphey will feel a bit better about life for gliding through a comfortable night.

Subs Adam Phillips and Nick Powell enjoyed late run-outs from the bench. The latter got on the scoresheet, once again, after he was brought down in the box by 18-year-old Harrison Duncan and converted the resultant penalty himself. O’Keeffe had a chance to set up Phillips for a fifth, but shot wide from a tight angle. No matter, the Bantams had steamrollered their way to a comprehensive win.

It’s a victory which means City have qualified for the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy for the fifth season in a row. They’ll have a group game to spare when they entertain League Two York City in early November. Duff will quickly learn that this is a competition City take seriously. And with such clear strength in depth, they could go very deep in this tournament.

All for another day. It’s now back to concentrating on the league, and consecutive home games that will definitely see Duff in the dugout. It’s hard to remember any Bradford City manager walking into a situation as strong as the one Duff begins with. Most new bosses arrive carrying a toolbox. Duff has inherited a fully functioning machine. The fascinating part now is seeing how much further he can take it.

Categories: Match Reviews

Tags: 2026/27, BCAFC, EFL Trophy, Football League Trophy, Rotherham United