Match preview: Harrogate aim to maintain hoodoo over Bradford

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Harrogate Town will be hoping to maintain their hoodoo over Bradford City when the two sides meet at Valley Parade tomorrow (February 8).

The fixture is Town’s last Yorkshire derby of the season.

Bradford are in good form, having won four of their last five league games, and currently sit seventh in League Two.

The Bantams have won their last six home games and Town have lost five of their last seven games away from home, which suggests a difficult fixture for Simon Weaver's men.

But there is plenty of cause for optimism among Harrogate supporters.

Despite the difference in the two clubs’ statures — Valley Parade holds almost 25,000 seats, whereas Wetherby Road seats 5,000 — Harrogate have regularly defeated Bradford since they were promoted to the English Football League in 2020.

Indeed Town have won seven of their last 10 meetings, with Bradford winning twice and the two teams drawing once. The last time the Bantams beat Town was in October 2022 and they have never beaten Harrogate by more than one goal.

Of the 24 teams in League Two, there is no one that Harrogate have won more matches against.

Signs of improvement

Having recorded their highest ever league finish in 13th place last season, Harrogate struggled to pick up points in the first half of this season.

But since their valiant FA Cup performance against Leeds United in January, they have had an upturn in form.

The Sulphurites drew 1-1 at home to Crewe Alexandra last week, in a hard-fought performance against the fifth-placed side.

They have picked up five points from their last five league games, having also narrowly lost away to Doncaster and MK Dons, and have increased their gap from the relegation zone to seven points.

In a recent interview following Town’s loss to MK Dons, Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said that they “deserved so much more and must take confidence from the performance".

In a pre-match interview yesterday (February 6), Weaver praised the team for their recent performances:

A peculiar milestone

Town have been busy in the January transfer window, bringing seven new players to the club.

Of the seven, striker Olly Sanderson will undoubtedly want to impress in a game which marks a particularly rare milestone.

Sanderson, who has joined on loan from Premier League team Fulham, spent the first half of the season on loan at Bradford City.

The forward featured for the Bantams in the reverse fixture against Harrogate in September, in which Town ran out 2-1 winners.

This means he will have played for both teams against the other in the same season, a rare event in league football.

Sanderson scored three goals in 16 appearances for Bradford, though he was unable to find the back of the net against Harrogate.

He has featured five times for Harrogate so far but is yet to get on the scoresheet.

Players to watch

Harrogate’s top scorer Josh March netted in last weekend’s fixture against Crewe and will want to continue that form at Valley Parade on Saturday. 

March has been a heavily influential player for Harrogate this season and he will be looking to add to his current tally of five league goals.

New signing Bryn Morris is also a player to look out for in the coming months for Harrogate Town. Signed from League Two rivals Newport County for an undisclosed fee in January, Morris has hit the ground running so far. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has fit right in at Wetherby Road and will likely be an important figure in a tough midfield battle.

In the absence of Bradford top scorer Andy Cook due to a knee injury, ex-Harrogate forward Calum Kavanagh has been in fine form in his stead, with four goal contributions in his last six appearances. 

Much like Sanderson, Kavanagh will undoubtedly have a point to prove on Saturday.