| Wrexham will be looking to build on the first win of
the season at home to Morecambe last week but will face a difficult
task as we travel to Bradford, one of the favourites for promotion.
Bradford were hotly tipped for a quick return to League
One following their relegation last season but have made a stuttering
start to the season and are waiting for their first win after their
opening two league games ended in a draw and a defeat.
The season started with a home game against
Macclesfield but the Bantams found themselves a goal down within ten minutes but Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu equalised on the stroke of half time in front of a
13,000 crowd. This draw was followed up with a defeat at Wolves in the
Carling Cup and last week Bradford lost out to the only goal of the
game at Shrewsbury.
Five figure crowds should be the norm this season
after the club slashed season ticket prices to below £150 for adults but
they have not offered the same discount to matchday prices and we have
to pay an extortionate £20 to watch fourth division football.
It is amazing to think that six years ago Bradford
were a Premier League team but their demise to League Two has been
sharp.
Last season, the Bantams struggled at home with only
five league wins at Valley Parade all season and not since before
Christmas. Dean Windass still
finished top goal scorer with 12 goals despite leaving for Hull in the
January transfer window. Ironically Hull managed to save their status as
a Championship club courtesy of goals from their £150,000 buy whilst Bradford headed for
League Two.
Former player Stuart McCall took over as manager for
the start of the season and faces an uphill struggle after a mass exodus
of players at the end of last season season. This is McCall's first
permanent job as a manager after previously being assistant to Neil
Warnock at Sheffield United but he did have a caretaker spell as manager of
Bradford in 2000 which lasted only two games.
Manager Stuart McCall was hoping to be the first
Bradford manager to spend any money on a player since November 2001 but
McCall's unknown main transfer target has had a successful start to the
season with his club and a deal is now unlikely until when the transfer
window re-opens in January.
Bradford have had a busy couple of weeks leading up to
the new season with five players arriving on a full time basis and a further three
players were signed on loan from Barnsley.
The most recent captures have been the strike pairing
of Alex Rhodes and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu three days before the first
game of the season. Both arrived on free transfers with Rhodes joining
from League Two rivals Brentford and Ndumbu-Nsungo also making the long
trip north from Gillingham.
Former Wales international (well 2 caps) Paul Evans
has arrived from Swindon to add experience to the midfield and
Hartlepool full back Darren Williams signed from Hartlepool after
being released at the end of last season.
The last game between the sides came on Boxing Day in
2004 when Chris Armstrong scored an injury time penalty to earn a 1-1
draw against ten man Bradford. Dean Windass was sent off within the half
hour but Chris Llewellyn some how missed from twelve yards out and
Bradford took the lead through Steven Schumacher until Armstrong
equalised from the spot with seconds to spare.
Wrexham took the honours in the home game that
season when Dennis Lawrence scored the only goal of the game after two
minutes and we are currently three games undefeated against the Bantams
after knocking them out of the Carling Cup in 2002.
Bradford lead the head-to-head between the two sides
with 29 league wins compared to Wrexham's 21 and there have been 14
draws in the 54 league games between the sides.
Brian Carey has options available to him after both
Steve Evans and Mark Jones came through unscathed from their game for
Wales in Bulgaria in midweek. Silvio Spann is unavailable to play after
only receiving work permit clearance late in the week.
Striker Peter Thorne has just returned to training for
Bradford but is not yet match fit and defender Matt Clarke is ruled out
after tweaking his back for the reserves. Rookie striker Luke Medley is
added to the squad after impressing Stuart McCall whilst playing for the
reserves.
Darlington and Shrewsbury remain the only teams with a
100% record after two games with Darlington looking to maintain this
record when they entertain Notts County who have started with two draws
this season.
Shrewsbury face a difficult task when they travel to
MK Dons but will be full of confidence after wins over Lincoln (4-0),
Colchester (1-0) and Bradford (1-0).
Rochdale are the only team to start the season with
straight defeats against Peterborough and Chester but will be
looking to collect their first points of the season when they travel to
Hereford.
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