Mark Hughes is pleased to see the excitement amongst his players as his Bradford City side have closed the gap on the League Two promotion places to just 2 points following Easter Monday’s home win against Sutton United, writes the Telegraph and Argus.
His side sits 6th in the table, but with a potentially crucial game in hand over three of the teams above them and would go third should they gain the maximum points in that game. The Bantams haven’t tasted defeat since February 18th, when a 1-0 home defeat to Barrow left Hughes’ men 7 points adrift of 3rd and have gone 10 games unbeaten since.
The former Wales manager can sense a positive vibe in the dressing room at Valley Parade and said, “I haven’t got a problem if they start getting excited. I think they sense that we’re on the cusp of something special if we can get it done. But we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. All we talk about is the next game.”
The next game for Bradford is a trip to bottom side Rochdale, a team that has given themselves just a glimmer of hope of survival after earning 7 points from their last 3 games. Hughes then leads his time into what could be a deciding clash with Northampton Town on April 29th before travelling to Crewe Alexandra and ending the season at home to champions-elect Leyton Orient.
Hughes, who counts Manchester United and Barcelona among his former clubs as a player, is seemingly relaxed ahead of the run-in and is confident his side has what it takes to get over the line. “We’ve been able to claw that back and other teams are making a play for it as well. We’re obviously mindful of them. A couple of results went for us, others not so much. But that’s how it’s going to be between now and the end of the season. There are no givens at this stage. We’ve just got to try and take care of our own business and if we can do that, we’ll go very close. We’ve got some big tests ahead of us that we’ll have to overcome. But I feel confident given what I’m seeing and the mentality that we have. I think we’re in a good place at the right time.”
After taking over just over a year ago, the manager is happy with the strength in depth he has put together at his latest club, saying that those who come on later in games will be just as important as those who start the final six matches of the season.
“I’ve got good players and that’s the benefit of having a really strong bench,” he said. “I know if I put them on and whatever combination I choose, I know they have the ability to do the job that I’m asking.”
Writer’s View
Hughes will be hoping his side can continue their unbeaten run and will hope to convert some of the draws into vital wins to boost their hopes of automatic promotion. With the next two fixtures coming against bottom club Rochdale and woefully out-of-form Swindon Town, the Welshman will hoping for a maximum points return before a tough test against Gillingham and that huge fixture against the Cobblers.
The League Two promotion race is going to be a close one and one that will be worth watching out for. The games in hand for Bradford and Stevenage could be crucial, and the games between the chasing pack will carry extra reward for the side who comes out on top.
A primary school teacher turned writer, Tom has been part of The Real EFL for two years. He focuses on predictions, deep dives, and insightful content.
