Bradford City eye swoop for 27-y/o attacker

New Bradford City boss Derek Adams is reportedly eager to tempt Morecambe’s Cole Stockton to Valley Parade, as reported by Alan Nixon

Adams took Morecambe into League One this season, winning the play-off final against Newport in what is seen as a major achievement. The Shrimpers have struggled for years now in League Two, but Adams revolutionised the club and has left them with a bright future.

Stephen Robinson has taken over after his successful stint at Motherwell. One of his first actions will be to keep hold of Stockton, who scored 15 times for Morecambe, including one on the final day of the season when they beat Bradford 2-0. It seems that, along with Adams having worked with Stockton, could see him stay in League Two with his former manager.

Stockton began his career with Tranmere Rovers, enjoying loans spells with Vauxhall Motors, Southport and Morecambe. He later moved to Heart of Midlothian, then had permanent spells with Carlisle and Tranmere without major success. He finally settled at Morecambe in 2019, scoring six goals in 35 outings in 2019/20. This season he impressed significantly and was a key part of Adams’ successful side.

As for Bradford City, they finished 15th last season for Bradford City and have had nine managers since 2017/18, including two stints for Stuart McCall. Mark Trueman and Connor Sellars were handed the job in February 2021 permanently but relieved of their duties just three months later. That led then to Derek Adams, who has twice been to the League Two play-off finals with Plymouth and Morecambe and got the Pilgrims promoted in 2016/17.


Get in the mood for Euro 2020 with our European Championships quiz

1 of 15

Which of the following teams was NOT appearing at their first European Championships in 2016?


Our View

Without falling into an easy trap, Morecambe will have a tough time of it next season. If they cannot hang on to the likes of Stockton, it speaks volumes about the belief of players in their squad. Does Stockton think his career will be better served with a smaller club in League One or a big club in League Two?

However, when you consider the achievements of Accrington Stanley, a club on the same sort of scale as Morecambe, survival won’t be impossible. It might be a blow to lose last year’s star striker, but they can offer prospective players League One football and the chance to work under Robinson, who is carving out a reputation for himself in club management. 

1 of 18

Who is this?

Podcasts

About Gary Hutchinson 537 Articles
Founder

1 Comment

  1. Bradford may be a bigger club but look the number of seasons that they have failed to get even close to promotion. A change in manager may help but will the Bradford fans put up with the style of football under Adams if by Christmas their chances of promotion appear to be slipping away again?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.