Bradford City 2Sarcevic 56, Pointon 84Reading 0
Written by Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst)
The absence of novelty was the most striking feature. This victory could scarcely have proven more comfortable for Bradford City, who continue to nurture useful habits and consistent standards. It’s fair to say pulses have raced quicker at other points of the season. But no matter. Reading were put to the sword by City’s most mature performance of the season.
By earning a third straight win, the Bantams continue to make the extraordinary seem so ordinary. They stay second in the league, with a healthy eight-point cushion over seventh. 37 points from 19 games represents City’s best start to a season in 38 years. Maybe we should check the label to remind ourselves: Bradford City are still listed as a newly promoted side.
They didn’t look fresh-faced or starry-eyed here, dismantling Reading with the clinical efficiency of a wily old stager. It continues a shift in tone that represents Phase Three of their cinematic 2025/26 adventure. After the giddy, exuberant noise of their fast start (Phase One), followed by the hesitant insecurity of a small wobble (Phase Two), they’re now quietly totting up wins and building an increasingly strong platform.
So sure, this wasn’t the wild excitement of beating up Wycombe, Luton, Stockport, Huddersfield and Cardiff early doors – but it was a day to warm hearts amid cold temperatures. City battled, probed and pressed, eventually wearing Reading down. And in doing so, they chalked up the most routine of victories you could hope to see.
Even the identity of the goalscorers carried an unremarkable feel. Here’s Antoni Sarcevic. Again. On the scoresheet for the second week running. A 14th goal, in fact, in 34 starts and seven sub appearances since joining the Bantams in 2024. And now here’s Bobby Pointon finding the back of the net. Again. On his 100th City appearance no less – and, blimey, how did One Of Our Own reach his century this fast?
Sarcevic and Pointon now have seven goals each this season and are contesting an unlikely two-way battle for City’s top scorer trophy.
It took a bit of time for the goals to arrive. The game started with a bang, both teams exchanging good early chances – Stephen Humphrys having a long-range drive well saved, and Sam Walker denying Kamari Doyle one-on-one after a poor Aden Baldwin backpass – before settling into a war of attrition. Reading matched City’s 3-4-3 shape, leading to a first 45 minutes of cancelling each other out. Best skip forward to the second half.
That’s where it eventually opened up. City always looked the more purposeful and ambitious side, and they wore Reading down. There was a lovely balance to the team with Jenson Metcalfe seemingly establishing himself as first choice partner to Max Power and enjoying arguably his best game for the club. Brad Halliday was surprisingly recalled ahead of Josh Neufville – a tough, but fair decision on the jaded-looking summer signing. Though Halliday was slightly rusty before the interval, he really came into his own after the break.
Halliday was aided by a half time decision to swap Baldwin and Joe Wright’s positions in the back three. As Wright went central to deal with the physical threat of Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Baldwin shifted to right-sided centre back and provided more effective underlapping support to aid Halliday. It all left City better poised to strike.
On 56 minutes, a home attack. Humphrys held up the ball well and laid it off to the outstanding Ibou Touray. The cross to the far post was contested with some success by Halliday, and the ball fell nicely for Sarcevic to volley home from just in front of the penalty spot.
Before the goal, Reading had narrowly edged the shot count. After falling behind, they mustered just two efforts on goal. Pretty tame stuff – even after the introduction from the bench of the well-known Jack Marriott. Some bark, no bite. The Royals looked a powder puff side, whose only possible exit out of the division is downwards.
It was tame from Reading because City made sure it was. The visitors were reduced to knocking the ball around in vain hope of finding chinks to exploit, all while under relentless pressure from the press. Power was back to his early season standards. Defensively, City were superb. Ciaran Kelly seemed to be on his way out a few weeks ago, but he followed up his return from the cold at Plymouth with a terrific performance that suggests he really can make this step up.
And just like at Home Park, City’s level of control and assurance when defending a lead was hugely impressive. They controlled the tempo, hounded Reading whenever the visitors came forward, and were measured but ambitious in how they attacked.
Their courage to take risks at the right time was rewarded with a second, seven minutes from the end. And it was delivered by probably the best player of the pitch – Tyreik Wright. With Bobby Pointon back from suspension and Touray returning to left wing back last week, Wright might have been forgiven for fearing he would be dropped for this game. But Graham Alexander selected him ahead of Pointon, and he responded with a wonderful 90-minute display of trickery, intelligence and bravado.
Wright received possession just inside the Reading half with space to run. He darted towards the box, raced past the former City centre back Paudie O’Connor and sent over a delicious cross that substitute Pointon nodded home at the back post. A lovely, lovely City goal that owed so much to Tyreik. After a largely tepid return to the club in 2024 it seems we’ve unlocked the Tyreik Wright of his first loan spell in 2022/23. And that is some weapon.
It all meant City could see out the final stages in comfort. And keep that winning home habit. It’s now seven wins from 10 at home in the league this season. Rewind the clock exactly a year, and it’s 20 wins in the 25 home games of the last 12 months. Shall we rewind a bit further? Go on then. Since March 2024, City have now won 27 of their last 33 Valley Parade league matches. In-cred-i-ble.
It’s no wonder, then, that afternoons as good as this have become our run-of-the-mill. After years of dismal home records, we are truly being spoilt by the regularity of exiting Valley Parade with the amiable satisfaction of three points. This is the New Normal. Long may it continue.
What it all means is still hard to say. But what we can declare is that the mini-slump is over – and that the damage wasn’t bad at all. City have played their way back into form. Four clean sheets in a row. And still only two (two!) league defeats all season. The Bantams are just 10 points away from a total that would have secured survival in this division last season, and we’re not even at the halfway mark. It all means our sights should remain firmly upwards.
Do we dare to dream of back-to-back promotions? The fear of jinxing it all, by calling out what’s in front of our eyes, remains strong. The idea of Championship football next season still feels too improbable. But with only four more League One rivals still to play at least once this season – and all four can be neatly characterised as not pulling up any trees – what, really, is there to fear? What reason do we have not to dream?
There’s an awful long way to go, of course. Improvements to the squad will undoubtedly be needed in January – the absence here of Andy Cook, Alex Pattison and Calum Kavanagh from the 18 felt telling. But City look to be in wonderful fettle. So far, they’ve made the step up to League One look easy. Performances as assured as this show how far they’ve come – and hint at how much further they can go.
‹ Bradford City make it back to back wins as they avoid a banana skin in Devon
Categories: Match Reviews
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