Swindon Town will be looking to bounce back after last weekend disappointing home defeat to Salford City with a much-improved away performance at Bradford City.
The mini run of impressive performances ended last weekend at home against Salford City. Two second half goals gave Gary Bowyer side the three points which included the winner from Ryan Watson four minutes from the end of the game. To go 1-0 up with a Harry McKirdy header and then concede the two goals that we did in the second half was criminal, came away from the game a bit downbeat and really could and should have got something out of the game.
It was two lapses of concentration which cost Swindon in the end, Salford played well in the second half and capitalised dearly on the defensive mistakes.
Ben Garner is his pre-match press conference today confirmed that Louie Barry is out injured after picking up an ankle injury in last weekend defeat to Salford. Jack Payne is available and will come back into the squad, Harry McKirdy has an ankle/foot issue and can manage that with an injection. Ben Gladwin is a long way back to fitness after his hamstring injury picked up against Scunthorpe United.
Predicted STFC line up
4-3-3
Wollacott, Hunt, O’Brien, Cooper, Tomlinson, Reed, Williams, Iandolo, McKirdy, Mitchell-Lawson, Davison.
Bradford City are in fifteenth position in the league two table with forty points from thirty-four games played this season in league Two.
On the 24th February Bradford City announced that Mark Hughes would be taking over as the new manager at the club with a contract running up the summer of 2024. This is Mark Hughes first job in management since his short stint as manager of Southampton in 2018. Hughes only lasted twenty seven games and was sacked in December 2018. Hughes has replaced Derek Adams who was sacked on the 15th February and just over a week later he returned to Morecambe a club he left in the summer to take the job at Bradford.
On the pitch for Bradford City its not pretty viewing, with one win in the last six games. That was a 1-0 away win at Stevenage on the 08th February. What has followed is grim reading if you are a Bradford City fan. A 2-0 away defeat to Harrogate town, which was before the Stevenage away win. Bradford City have lost the last four games in league two only scoring one goal in the process. Exeter City, a rejuvenated Oldham Athletic under John Sheridan, Harrogate Town for a second time in a month and last weekend Mansfield Town have all defeated Bradford city in recent weeks. This could be the perfect opportunity for Swindon Town to play them.
By Scot Munroe