Saturday’s meeting with Doncaster was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions in Yorkshire, Bradford City have been afforded 10 days to mull over a collection of one point from three League One contests since the turn of the calendar year, with the Bantams recording a draw at Colchester last time out.
Veteran and leading marksman Andy Cook opened the scoring at the JobServe Community Stadium after 35 minutes, but Graham Alexander’s side were unable to hold on in the second half for a first league away success since December 22, with Tom Hopper restoring parity for the hosts.
After falling short in the playoffs last season – losing to Carlisle United over two legs in the semi-finals – Bradford are struggling to keep pace with the top-seven race this time around, meaning the Bantams currently occupy 16th position, seven points behind MK Dons in seventh.
Alexander’s men have not enjoyed their recent matchups at the University of Bradford Stadium in League Two, earning just two points from three contests at their Yorkshire base, losing 4-2 to Crawley Town last time out at Valley Parade despite leading 2-1 heading into the final five minutes of normal time.
The Bantams have added quality on the flanks during the opening weeks of the January transfer window, recruiting left-footed youngster Tyreik Wright from Plymouth Argyle after the 22-year-old struggled for game time in the Championship under Steven Schumacher and most recently Ian Foster.
Following a wretched December and festive period which yielded just a single point and no victories to cheer, Salford have commenced their 2024 calendar with back-to-back results, drawing at home to relegation-threatened Forest Green Rovers before winning away at Crawley over a week ago.
After shipping 15 goals in the previous five fourth-tier clashes, a centre-back duo of Curtis Tilt and Theo Vassell were at their best to help goalkeeper Alex Cairns record a clean sheet last time out, with Manchester United academy graduate Kelly N’Mai arriving off the bench to net the winner in the second half.
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The Ammies’ meteoric rise up the English football pyramid has unsurprisingly plateaued in recent years, and now Karl Robinson’s men are battling against relegation to the National League during their fifth-straight campaign in League Two, sitting in 21st, eight points ahead of managerless Forest Green.
Key to Salford avoiding an unwanted scrap for survival in the closing months of the season will be the goalscoring antics of towering striker Matt Smith, who has already bagged 15 goals in 27 fourth-tier appearances, showcasing the talent which allowed him to be a regular at Championship level with Millwall and Queens Park Rangers.
Seventeen of the Ammies’ 27 League Two points have been collected away from the Peninsula Stadium in 2023-24, although apart from last weekend’s success at Broadfield Stadium, Salford have failed to win on the road in the league since the trip to Doncaster on October 24, when Smith netted a sensational hat-trick.
