Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has confirmed a double injury boost ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Accrington Stanley as the Bantams welcome back Jamie Walker and Dan Oyegoke.
Midfielder Walker has been a long-term absentee, having last played in the win against Doncaster Rovers on December 22nd. The Scot went off following a heavy tackle.
Defender Oyegoke, on loan from Premier League Brentford, is another who has spent a prolonged period on the sidelines since having shoulder surgery. He was last seen in Alexander’s debut game, a 2-1 defeat at home to Barrow.
He successfully played an hour for a Brentford B team on Tuesday evening in a friendly match and will now return to West Yorkshire and is available for selection. He’s expected to train with the squad on Friday.
Midfielder Richie Smallwood also returns having completed a two-game suspension. The Bantams struggled to a 1-1 draw in the midweek game against Doncaster Rovers.
Unfortunately, it’s not such good news for Matty Platt or Alex Pattison, who both remain out. However, they have resumed work on the grass this week.
The West Yorkshire side sit 15th in League Two and will be pleased to have both players back for Saturday’s trip to managerless Accrington Stanley, who sit just one place below them. Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Alexander said:
“Jamie’s done considerably more than he has done in previous days, so we’ll see how he is. He’s looking good to be fair.
“We want to make sure he’s physically ready. Mentally, he’s been ready for a couple of weeks. He’s been out for quite a while now and we don’t want anything serious going wrong again.
“He has been out for nigh on three months and has only trained with us this week. He has done a lot of physical training with the medical staff prior to that. Getting that competitive level and the experience of having a tackle, that’s only been exposed to him this week.
“He’s a player that plays on the edge in that manner where it’s all out. He doesn’t play in a controlled way, it’s street football almost.
“He’ll throw himself into tackles, take people on, he’ll shoot and cross and run back to defend. He’s an all-action player.
“That’s why the training is so important to us and we expose him to as much of it as possible before letting him loose in the battle of the game.
“When Jamie is fully fit and firing, we know the quality he brings to our team.”
On Oyegoke, the ex-Mk Dons boss added:
“Dan made a good impression on us in the first three days before our first game. He came on in that game and unfortunately went back off injured after 10 minutes and we haven’t seen him since.
“Even in those three days, we saw what a really good athlete he is and how comfortable he is in possession.
“He’s always been desperately keen to come back and play. It was the right decision to keep him signed on with us for the loan and it’s turned out really prudent with the injuries we’ve had.
“It’s like signing a new player for me because we basically only had him for 10 minutes.”
Writer’s View
Smallwood is a marmite player in a lot of fans eyes, but he does a lot of the work that goes unnoticed. He will be a big return this weekend.
Walker may make the bench but it seems a long shot for him to start against the Lancashire side. A Jamie Walker that comes on from the bench will still add a lot of flair and quality.
Oyegoke has struggled to break into the first team consistently, purely due to the form of Brad Halliday who has pretty much nailed down that right-wing-back role. He will return with a hunger though, ready for any slip ups from his colleague.
