"Everybody's cup final" - Sky Sports pundit drops Bradford City claim | OneFootball

Don Goodman has been speaking about Bradford City's chances in League Two for the remainder of the season

Former Bradford City striker and Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, has stated that his old club will need to improve in the second half of the season if they are to mount a promotion bid in League Two.

The Bantams are one of the fourth tier's big hitters when it comes to club stature, being one of just two sides in the division to have featured in the Premier League, alongside Swindon Town.

Of course, as recent seasons have proven, that hasn't been reflected in the West Yorkshire side's league positions since falling back into League Two in 2019, finishing in the play-offs on just one occasion, where they were defeated by Carlisle United in the semi-finals.

Last season saw Graham Alexander's side miss out on the post-season lottery by two points, despite a run of seven victories in their final eight games, which was a mass improvement on where the club found themselves at the time of the 53-year-old's appointment last November after Mark Hughes' dismissal.

Alexander is all too aware of the pressures that come with taking such a high-profile job in the lower leagues, and Goodman believes that the former MK Dons boss is the right man to take the club forward.

Don Goodman issues verdict on Bradford City's aims for the remainder of the season

At present, the Bantams squad, which possesses a core of experienced professionals, such as Andy Cook - who finds himself joint-second in the divisional scoring charts - are residing in 10th place in what is an extremely congested league table, as only ten points separate sixth-place Chesterfield and Harrogate Town in 20th.

Therefore, Goodman believes his old side aren't a million miles away from where they want to be, although improvements must be made in the upcoming transfer window.

“Bradford City are three points off the top seven and they've never too far away for the majority of this season. Andy Cook will always get you goals in the fourth tier and while you've got that, you've got a chance," he explained to CoinPoker.

“The data does suggest they should really be in the position they currently are which is midtable, so they will need to improve," the pundit added.

“I've said this before and what you do have to remember is that they're everybody's cup final as an ex-Premier League club with such a good size crowd in attendance at Valley Parade every week. There's always a desire from opposition teams to get one over on City."

“The second half of the season will be a big one as they've been languishing in League Two for far too long. They've got the right man in Graham Alexander and he'll know what is required in terms of January additions and the changes which need to be made," he continued.

The former Bradford striker stated : “This club needs to be at the top of League Two.”

Bradford City must live up to the expectancy from January onwards

Of course, the opening four months of the season in terms of a points accumulation and league position hasn't been disastrous for City, especially after losing the likes of Antoni Sarcevic, Aden Baldwin, Ciaran Kelly and Alex Pattison to long-term injuries across that period.

All four returnees, as well as Tyreik Wright, who will hope to continue proving himself to Bantams supporters after his switch from Plymouth Argyle last January, will give Alexander plenty of depth in order to navigate the crucial Christmas and New Year period.

Beyond that, the City boss has revealed that talks have begun with certain players and their current employers in order to boost the squad and enhance their play-off bid.

“We’ve spoken to certain individuals and a couple of them were really positive in the aspect of potentially joining us at the start of January. Fingers crossed that’s the case because we’ve got games to win right from the start," he said via the Telegraph and Argus.

Given the expectation levels which surround the club who boast by far and away the strongest average attendance figures in League Two, Alexander and the hierarchy will hope to stick to their word, and see the club return to League One for the first time in six years if strong momentum can be fostered as soon as possible.