3 months ago
Bradford City vs Notts County - League Two 2008/2009 preview
The season starts - and how we love the start of the season when all are equal - with a highly fancied Bradford City taking on one of the division’s also rans or so the pundrity would tell us.
The Bantams bested County at Valley Parade 3-0 thanks to a Peter Thorne hat-trick last season and Thorne hopes to start this year in the same way. He is expected to partner Barry Conlon in the forward line as Michael Boulding returns to training from injury but is off starting the game. He will be on the bench.
Also missing from City is Chris Brandon - how close his home town club debut must be - with either Kyle Nix or Omar Daley looking at filling in on the left. Daley may be called to replace suspended Joe Colbeck on the right wing but Willy Topp has shown well on the right flank in pre-season balancing out the speedy Daley in the same way Brandon is expected to do Colbeck.
Paul McLaren will probably be partnered by Lee Bullock in the midfield. Such expectations on one player one struggles to recall.
Graeme Lee is skipper and slots in alongside either Matthew Clarke or Mark Bower with the former expected to get the nod although Stuart McCall may favour Bower against the County frontman Jamie Forrester.
Pauls Arnison and Heckingbottom are full backs in front of Rhys Evans as City look to start the season in keeping with the high expectations for the year ahead.