Newport County wrap up the 2023/24 season with a trip to Bradford City on Saturday afternoon, and the team will be looking to give Exiles a win to close out the campaign.
Graham Coughlan has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, but he may look to make some changes as he looks to turn our fortunes and end the season on a high.
Nelson Sanca retained his place in the starting XI last week against Salford and will hope to make it three in three to finish the campaign, while Scot Bennett will hope to hold down his position after returning from a small spell on the sidelines.
Pre-Match Thoughts
Spekaing ahead of the game, Graham Coughlan said: “We want to finish the season with a win.
“Bradford will be bouyant and they will be up for it. I watched them against Barrow and I thought they were excellent in the week.
“The luxury they’ve got is strength and depth. They have a system that works for them and a system that they have stuck with throughout.
“They overload the wide areas, cross the ball well and Andy Cook is a handful up top. They were doing all the things we were good at recently. It’s a going to be a tough, tough afternoon and we need to be at it.
“If ever you could restore confidence, pride, professional standards and give a little bit back to your club it would be this game.”
Opposition Form
After sitting in mid-table for the majority of the campaigns, The Bantams have made a late surge towards the League Two play-off positions, and a win on Saturday could, if results elsewhere go their way, see them land in the top seven.
Graham Alexander’s team is two points outside the play-offs, on a run that has seen them win five of their last six games.
Their last encounter ended in dramatic fashion, with Tyler Smith grabbing a 90th-minute winner away at fellow play-off hopefuls Barrow.
As one of the few sides in the division with something to play for this weekend, we can expect to face the strongest XI Graham Alexander has at his disposal. Andy Cook, who bagged a hattrick past us earlier in the season, will lead the line and will look to add to his 16 goal tally for the season so far.
The Bantams have no fresh injury concerns and will be buoyed by the return of Jamie Walker, who was dismissed for a second yellow two weeks against Walsall fifteen minutes after completing the brace that would hand his side the three points.
Ticket Info
You can find out about tickets for our clash with Bradford City HERE.
Last Time Out
Our last match with Bradford ended in a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Rodney Parade in September.
The visitors took the lead on the stroke of half-time, with Declan Drysdale deflected a low-cross into his own net. Two goals from Andy Cook and a first league-goal for Rayhaan Tulloch put us 3-0 down inside 30 minutes. An Omar Bogle goal gave us some hope, but Cook finished us off in stoppage time, completing his hattrick and securing a 4-1 win for the visitors.
Head to Head
Bradford have been a regular dance partner for us over the years, with us facing the Bantams 48 times. Our record against the former Premier League side is close, with Saturday’s hosts winning 22 and us winning 18. Nine games have ended in a draw.
Played for Both
Several players have worn the shirts of Newport County and Bradford City over the years. One of the most notable is our former manager, Michael Flynn. Flynny originally signed for us in the 1999/2000 season before heading to the Welsh leagues. He would sign for Bradford City nearly ten years later, playing 91 times for the Bantams.
After nearly three years in Yorkshire, he would come back to South Wales in 2012, going on to make 82 appearances for us before becoming our manager.
