Bradford City manager Graham Alexander was delighted at his side’s defensive rearguard during a 0-0 draw with fellow promotion hopefuls Lincoln City last night.
The Bantams have enjoyed a stellar start to life in League One and had the opportunity to move to the top of the table at Valley Parade. However, with 3 successive draws which saw them concede 5 goals in the process, keeping the Imps at bay was the priority.
It was the visitors who started on the front foot and were made to rue their wastefulness in the early stages. Several chances went begging with Rob Street, James Collins and Tom Bayliss all missing good opportunities.
The second half swung in favour of Bradford. However, they were unable to find the breakthrough and the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.
A clean sheet and a battling point this evening. đŸ™Œ #BCAFC | #BRAvLIN | @OFFICEINTERIOR5 pic.twitter.com/u58SRLhTil
— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) October 28, 2025
Alexander Happy To Earn Shut Out
Having finished the game the stronger of the two sides, Alexander felt that his side were the most likely to have nabbed a winner. Speaking after the game, the 54-year-old said:
“I did (think Bradford looked capable of scoring at the end). The ball was bouncing around our box and within eight seconds it was in theirs and we were having a shot or getting it blocked.
“We had a couple of real good opportunities. Tyreik’s (Wright) had a good one and the keeper made a save, obviously Tommy (Leigh) had the shot from the penalty spot.
“I felt we could have made a better decision in the last minute or so elsewhere, but it’s really hard to keep your composure in a frantic game like that at the real vital moment.
“The will and the want of the players is what pleased me most.
“It was a battle. It took me back a few years.”
Mentality. đŸ§ #BCAFC | @PethBassSols
— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) October 29, 2025
“It was a severe test for us defending set pieces and the aerial threat and I thought to a man we competed really well.
“Second half, we still had to do the hard yards and had to grind. That’s sometimes what the game is.
“We needed a clean sheet. We need to improve our defensive end product.
“The whole team defends in a good way but there have been moments when we let ourselves down. I think Saturday was a case in point for the goal they scored.”
Writer’s View
It was a real battling performance from both teams and a draw was probably the right result. The pair had good chances but the stats show there was barely anything between them. Possession, shots on goal and shots on target was nearly equal and if either had have lost the game, they would have been incredibly disappointed.
Bradford have been one of the stand out teams in League One but clean sheets have been a problem. They had kept just two all season up until last night, so to keep another against a team which is both physical and attack-minded is a major plus.
