City Edge Tightly Fought Contest against Blackpool 

Written by Lee pasquariello

After a terrible New Year’s Day performance against Mansfield, Bradford City needed a good response. And that is exactly what they did, a 2-1 win, which means that they can keep the pressure on second placed Lincoln once again.  

It was interesting to see the lineup prior to this game as five changes were made by Graham Alexander. Tilt, Sarcevic, Swan, Neufville and Baldwin (who had returned from injury) were brought in, which meant all three of the starting centre backs from the last game (J. Wright, Kelly and Byrne) were either on the bench or not in the squad at all. This in my opinion was needed, as all three of them struggled hugely.  

First Half: Immediate Impact and Baldwin’s strike 

The changes made by Graham Alexander were instantly noticeable as City looked to start strongly. Josh Neufville in particular looked very sharp after being restored to the team, and looked dangerous at times with his runs down the wing providing a great outlet.  

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute as a result of this pressure. It was Aden Baldwin, who was making his 100th league appearance that finished it, picking up a loose ball from a corner who finished excellently in the top right corner. After watching this goal back, the Blackpool keeper didn’t even move! 

The confidence in the team surged after this goal, and City looked dominant on set pieces. Blackpool’s defence, and ex Leeds keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Blackpool goal looked genuinely shaky whenever a ball was swung in. Baldwin should have had another with a close-range header. On another day Calum Kavanagh might have had one as well, but instead he failed to get any connection at all on a cross that came to him.  

Blackpool’s best chance of the half came right on half time, almost scoring directly from a cross. Blackpool’s Dan Imray went round Ibou Touray, the cross went in and missed everyone before hitting the post.  

Second Half: Finding a Way to Win

The second half began just like the first half ended, Blackpool fighting hard to grab an equaliser, and they didn’t have to wait that long.  The goal came in the 56th minute, with Blackpool’s centre half Andy Lyons sending a long ball forward, which Ashley Fletcher picked up and finished easily past Sam Walker. It was a poor goal for City’s defence to concede and threatened to break their momentum. 

It was good to see new January signing Louie Sibley come on during this game, replacing Calum Kavanagh in the 62nd minute. Sibley has good experience in this league, winning promotion with Derby, and his introduction in this game was a move for Alexander to bring this experience to a tight midfield battle. Although his debut was quiet today, he was part of the game management that saw City retake the lead.  

The defining moment happened in the 67th minute, a long ball was sent forward by Neufville, Blackpool’s centre back Oliver Casey missed the header and it fell straight to Will Swan, who ran into the box with pace before finishing low into the bottom left corner, scoring his first since the loss at Doncaster back in September.  

From that point on, the defensive unit, most notably Curtis Tilt who put in an excellent performance against one of his former sides, truly held firm against Blackpool’s pressure. Tilt was dominant in the air and tackling well, ensuring the mistakes for the goal didn’t lead to any more chances.  

There was a brief scare towards the end of the game though. In added time, around the 93rd minute, Blackpool thought they had levelled it, only for the linesman’s flag to be raised due to a high foot. This ensuring that City held on for a massive three points away from home, and to finish this massive festive period with 9 points from 12.  

Looking ahead

The team now have six days off until the next match, which is at home against Rotherham. This break in matches comes at a good time for the team after this period, having played four matches in the space of ten days.  

Hosting Rotherham at Valley Parade is a good opportunity to keep building momentum. Rotherham are not doing well this season and find themselves 22nd in the table. Although, having said that, City can’t afford to be complacent. Today’s win against anther struggling side in Blackpool cements our position in 3rd place at the time of writing. We are now 2 points behind 2nd place Lincoln, who won today 5-2 against 12th place Peterborough

Finally, with the January transfer window open and with new signings like Sibley already getting minutes, it shows the competition in this team in terms of places is high. If City can maintain the resilience they showed today, then 2026 could prove to be very exciting.