I think the majority of Bradford City fans will look back on the season like we have and just wonder what actually happened? What we thought was going to be a fantastic season didn't go to plan at all and had a few twists and turns before finally showing some promise however, it was a little too late in the end and we ended up finishing 14th in League 2, way off the mark of where most fans thought we would be. 

The pre-season build up made all us fans pretty hopeful for the season ahead with Derek Adams coming out with plenty of promises and interviews saying the sort of thing he had in store for us but we saw just a few months into the season those promises were definitely not going to happen and morale in the squad had dropped massively. It didn't take long for fans to start turning on Adams & owner Rupp after performances were absolutely shocking and nowhere near what those players in that squad were capable of, it just looked like they didn't want to play. Still the club kept Adams around and even with his post match interviews angering fans even more due to his ego and the fact he didn't seem to care about the results he was still there to oversee the January transfer window. 

It is safe to say there were some fantastic loan signings like Jamie Walker and Dion Pereria (who we never even saw play under Adams yet turned out to be a fantastic signing when he did play) and then there were some more questionable ones like Daly who we just didn't get the best out of and Bass who somehow became a solid first choice 'keeper even after a fair few questionable mistakes. I think the biggest shock of the window though was us losing our captain Canavan right at the end of the window leaving us short of experience in the centre back position, this was clearly due to something in the background due to how it shocked almost everyone. 

Finally though not long after the end of the transfer window the club finally got rid of Adams with his ego seeming to get the better of him and we had a brief spell of Trueman being back in charge stepping up from the assistant role. What makes the Adams sacking even better is how he said 'you will never find a better manager than me' .... well step aside Adams as us Bradford City fans had a massive shock when the club announced the new managed to be Mark Hughes, no one expected it. In fact it was that much of a shock I honestly believed it was the parody account that had announced it not the actual Bradford City one and honestly I still can't get my head around that it is Hughes in charge now and who knows maybe we might get out of League 2 sooner rather than later with him in charge.

The best part about the Hughes appointment for me though was seeing those players who looked awful under Adams finally start looking like footballers again, they started to show up and actually play some football. They were moving the ball around and actually trying to score and creating some great chances whilst they were at it. At times with how they were moving the ball around it didn't feel like we were watching a League two team it looked much better quality and gave us hope for what the future holds at the club. even players who were missing for most of Adams reign seemed to slip back into the squad and make an impact. We saw Peraira magically recover from an injury that kept him from playing under Adams and he soon became a fan favourite after putting in some great performances. Even Gareth Evans returned to the squad after a long time on the sidelines and showed us what he was capable of  it is just a shame we have now released him as I think he could have done well under Hughes next season. 

Even though the players were starting to perform much better unfortunately results just weren't falling in their favour and we still weren't picking up those points that could have helped us climb the table a fair bit towards the end of the season but at the end of the day a 14th place finish is way better than we expected around the festive period.  

The team started to look so much better and honestly it has set the standard pretty high for us fans for the new season but I think we could definitely be in for a treat as the Hughes rebuild is well underway with us making some pretty good signings early on in the transfer window rather than leaving everything to the last minute plus we are keeping hold of some key players from last season. With a nice mix of new and old I think the season could go pretty well if the players settle into the Hughes way of playing early on and I think with more to be done in the transfer window we could see the club go from strength to strength in some positions where quality has been lacking lately. 

At the end of the day though last season didn't go to plan but it was nice to be back in Valley Parade watching the team we love with fellow fans rather than having to sit and watch it on a laptop screen through ifollow. I don't want to get my hopes up too high going into the new season as we saw how that played out last time but there is a real sense of excitement in the air at the moment so let's hope next season is so much better.

What did you think to Bradford City's 2021/22 campaign?

Well at least one thing can be said about the 2021/22 League 2 season... it was good to finally be back in the stadium, after the pandemic kept us out of the ground for so long it was just nice to be sat with other fans chatting & watching the game together rather than being sat at home watching games on the TV. You really can't beat the feeling & the atmosphere of those live games. It was a bit of an interesting season too with some teams doing a lot better than expected and others being nowhere near the mark, but don't worry Bradford City will have their own post coming very soon because what a season that was for us fans. 

The season saw Forest Green Rovers finally make their way out of the league and into league one after finishing the season as league winner but it very nearly didn't go that way with it being a very close race between both Forest Green & Exeter for that top spot. Forest Green just about held on though and won the league whilst Exeter gained automatic promotion after finishing in second place. The 3rd and final automatic promotion spot was anyone's really but it seemed a bit far fetched for Bristol Rovers to gain it seeing as they needed to win by 7 goals in the final game of the season... somehow though Rovers did it by beating Scunthorpe 7-0 on the final day to sneak into that final automatic spot. Now a few have questioned this result with Scunthorpe's fate been sealed earlier on in the season but honestly I don't think you can take away from how well Bristol Rovers have done all season and it is nice to see them progress into league 1. The final promotion spot was eventually taken by Port Vale after their fantastic win at Wembley vs Mansfield who are a team that have really surprised me this season and I didn't expect them to finish as high up the table as they did. 

As for the relegation spots I think it is safe to say that the first was decided pretty early on in the season as Scunthorpe just couldn't seem to hit the ground running and they were far from the team we were used to seeing and I am hoping they don't stick around the National League too long and soon bounce back but I guess only time will tell with that one. It is also a shame to see Oldham drop into the National League because they are a club with a lot of history and one who provide a good atmosphere when they have visited Valley Parade, with the right investment I can't see them staying out of the EFL for too long but it is just a case of are they going to invest to get back to where they should be? 

A surprise team for me this season definitely has to be Sutton United, I honestly didn't expect them to be in the position they were in at the end of the season, if I am 100% honest I thought they would actually be fighting for survival but they finished the season comfortably in 8th and were really pushing towards that final play off spot in the final weeks of the season. I thought Tranmere would have done much better than they did too but I guess things just didn't fall into place for them and they finished 9th. Talking about surprises of the season I think the biggest one for me was seeing struggling Bradford beat Forest Green at The New Lawn, I definitely expected us to come away with a heavy defeat but we really stepped up and showed what we would have been capable of if we gave it our all throughout the full season but as I said earlier we will have a whole post on Bradford City very soon. 

We are only a few weeks into the off season and we are already seeing plenty of movement before the new season begins and I think with some of the recruitment we have seen we could be in for a very interesting & entertainment. add in the new teams that have been relegated from League One and those coming up from the National League us fans could really be in for a treat. 

We are already on countdown for the new season and will have more League 2 content coming before the opening weekend but for now you will be finding us glued to social media keeping an eye on all the transfers taking place in the league.

Will you be keeping a close eye on League 2 next season? 

 

Over the years that I have been supporting Bradford City we have had some great players but also had some massive flops too. My earliest memories are of watching Bradford playing in the Premiership with some fantastic names that really stood out then as I grew old and the teams changed there were plenty more names that stood out and in my opinion made an impact. So here are those players who made it onto my list of favourite past Bradford City players, I have to admit these were definitely easy picks as these are always the names that stand out to me when anyone asked who my favourites have been over the years. 

Stuart McCall

Current Bradford City manager Stuart McCall is a Bradford City legend in my eyes, he was a fantastic player in the midfield for City over the years and made a definite impact. He's also been back to manage the team and is currently trying his best to get the current side back in form like he did in his last stint at the club when they reached the League 1 play off final. There is also that fantastic moment where he is celebrating on top of the car with a can of beer and falls off which makes me laugh every time. 

Dean Windass

I don't know what it is about Windass but he has always been a player I have loved for City. Bagging himself 75 goals in his two stints at the club in my eyes he was fantastic it was great growing up having a player like him on the team I watched. Plus that goal he scored for Hull to win them promotion you just can't beat it. 

Rory McArdle

I would happily have Rory back at the club any day as he was a player I loved to watch play. A real no nonsense defender who put in some brilliant challenge and provided some great goals in his 183 appearances for the club between 2012 & 2017. I am sure he often mistook being a defender for being a wrestler with some of the challenges he made but he always made the defence that little bit safer when he was playing. 

Stephen Darby

It is actually thanks to Darby I ended up following Man City women but that is a story for another day. Darby was a great player at right back for the club and to be honest it shows just how good he was for the club when you look at how that position has declined since he left the club to head to Bolton. For me Darby was a great captain and was really influential in the clubs success during the time he was playing for the club.  

Benito Carbone 

Benito Carbone is a name I think I am always going to remember. Carbone was at the club just as I was really enjoying the game with my mum, he is probably the first big name (well big for Bradford)  I ever picked up on and although he wasn't at City for long he is always going to be one of my favourites. I do believe if he stayed at the club a little longer and I was a bit older to appreciate the game at the time he was with us he may be even further up my favourites list.

David Wetherall 

The hero that kept us in the Premier League for another year. This for me made Wetherall one of my favourite players in its own right as that goal against Liverpool kept us in the league. Unfortunately he was hit with plenty of injuries whilst at the club but he still went on to make 304 appearances for the club in just under a 10 year period which for any player is a great achievement. 

If you follow or have watched Bradford City who would make your list of favourite past players who have worn that Bradford City shirt? 

 

I never thought I would see the day that football and other sports were cancelled but that is what 2020 held for us. Competitions were either put on hold or cancelled all together which was crazy as who would ever expect that? When the leagues did eventually return fans weren't allowed back in the grounds so games were behind closed doors which was a very strange atmosphere whilst watching it on the TV, it just didn't feel the same. Fans were eventually allowed to return to the grounds but only in small numbers and the rules kept on changing meaning no one actually knew where they stood and clubs weren't bringing in the revenue that they usually would. It was certainly challenging times for clubs especially those lower league ones. It definitely was a strange year not going to as many games as I usually would but I know we will be back properly hopefully in the near future.

Even though there weren't many games to report on we still managed to adapt and create other content that helped us see the blog and social media channels grow. To say we have only been going for just over a year it is crazy to see the progress we have made already. We even got asked if we would like to work with Bradford City Women again which was absolutely fantastic as it has been great writing the articles for them and working with them. We even managed to sponsor a player which was fantastic as that was one of the main goals for the year and we ticked that off. 

The love for football shirts definitely grew through the year too as most of the time was spent looking at them on Instagram, twitter and YouTube my collection didn't grow too much but I did make a few new additions with more I want to add in the very near future, writing about shirts definitely helped reignite that love. 

Now that we are in the new year lets hope that some normality returns so we can get back to reporting on games, working on more content out of the house and getting on those stadium tours we hope to do. I am looking forward to seeing where 2021 takes us. 

Carrying on our 'In Conversation Series' we have recently had the chance to have a chat with Allyson Matthews, treasurer of Bradford City Women. It was great to hear from someone who deals with the financial side of things at a lower league club, especially one that hasn't shied away from talking about money troubles recently so here is what Allyson had to say...

I’m currently the treasurer for Bradford City ladies, and have been in post for the past 7 or so years. As the treasurer I deal with the financial side of the club: banking, subs, administration tasks, etc.

 

I took up the post when my daughter Rosie (McDonnell) was playing for BCWFC. She was the one who got me into football!...at the age of 7 she ‘nattered’ to play. Having gone through the formalities of girly things: ballet, swimming, gymnastics etc I eventually gave in and took her to a local boys team – Bradford Tigers.As the only girl she was welcomed into the team and continued to play until the rules came in that she could not longer play mixed football. She signed with a local ladies team at the age of 11 and has continued to play ever since for several 

teams at different levels and leagues.

 

I currently support Portsmouth ladies FC, but also follow the Armed Forces Women, Royal Navy Women (Rosie’s current teams) and of course Bradford City Women’s FC.

 

My best football experience was at the England V Germany game at Wembley in November 2019 –Wembley is such an amazing stadium, the atmosphere with all the young people supporting women’s football was just fantastic I felt proud to support England. Rosie was chosen by the armed forces to represent the Royal Navy to lay a remembrance wreath before the game.

 

Unfortunately the last few seasons have been quite difficult at the club (BCWFC), with the loss of players, management, loss of committee members and the junior sections becoming part of football in the Community. A new manager joined us last season 2019/20 & I’m hoping he will rebuild the club and return it to Premier League football one day. Coronavirus has affected everyone not just in sport. I think it will be some time before people will be able to attend matches and support their local teams, also the question of a second wave? Will the forthcoming season begin and/or play out to the end who knows?.

 

I would love to encourage more people to volunteer  to help run clubs, our committee has been together for quite a few years. I think it’s easier for junior clubs I.e. parents helping out etc, but it is more difficult for senior sides, there doesn’t seem to be as much enthusiasm. Most of our committee work full time outside the club, we have to make time to attend meetings, sometimes it is difficult when you have been working all week. I don’t know much about the rules/regulations of football,  teams and players from other clubs – although I should do by now!. I know that during my time at Bradford City, I enjoy the involvement, the people I meet and work with, I would recommend being a volunteer.

 

You can find the club on Facebook and twitter under Bradford City Women’s FC.

Who would you like to see us chat to next?

As the new seasons approach I will be doing prediction posts for those leagues I watch regularly and follow the most. This is just a personal opinion based on what I have seen previously, heard about in preseason you will all have your own opinions but the blog posts over the next few weeks will show mine. We will do a check in on these at the start of January and then again at the end of the season. To kick off this little prediction series we are going to be looking at how I think League 2 is going to play out. 

As a Bradford fan of course I am going following this league closer than others as it is where my team play, it is also the league I watched most last season (when it was being played). Unfortunately last season McCall didn't really have the time with the club last season due to it ending early but I think he could have really made a difference to the squad and got us back to winning ways. We have Barrow and Harrogate who were promoted up into the league with it being Harrogate's first time it is going to be intesting to see how they do. Then we have Bolton, Southend and Tranmere who were all relegated from League One, could they bounce back or are they going to stay in League 2 a little longer? Bolton have really suffered thanks to financial issues lately but can they get back on track? 

So here is how I think the league is going to finish? 

Bolton

Southend 

Bradford City 

Forest Green Rovers

Tranmere  

Exeter

Cheltenham

Scunthorpe

Leyton Orient

Salford

Oldham

Port Vale 

Newport

Crawley 

Grimsby 

Walsall 

Mansfield 

Carlisle

Colchester

Stevenage 

Cambridge 

Morecambe

Harrogate 

Barrow 

I really do think Bolton have the ability to bounce straight back up and win the league if the signings they have brought in can gel together quickly. I also think Bradford can really push for promotion with McCall in charge as we know he can get the best out of players plus the pre-season vs Huddersfield showed we had really strengthened during the off season. In terms of the bottom of the table I just think Harrogate & Barrow may struggle in the league especially coming off the back of not playing regular football before preseason, I really hope I am wrong on this one though as they are teams with quite a bit of potential. 

So there you have it that is my league 2 prediction. Who do you think will make up the top and bottom 3? 

Following on from last week's look at the Bradford City 2020/21 home shirt today we are going to take a look at the Bradford City 2020/21 away shirt which to be quite honest with you I prefer over the home shirt as Avec have gone for one of my favourite City away shirt colourways. The shirt is in the Barcelona style navy clue and claret which I absolutely love and have loved when we have had it in previous year. I love how this seasons shirt features fading claret stripes as it just makes it a little different from previous. 

Similarly to the home shirt the away shirt also features the overlapping V neck collar which doesn't actually look V neck. You also have the cuffed ribbed sleeves similal to the home shirt and I love how they haven't put these in claret but have kept them in the navy blue that flows with the shirt a lot better. 

The sleeves also have the Avec taping just like the home shirt but this time in white. The taping just adds a little something extra to the shirt and stands out without taking over the shirt. It is different to what we have had in previous years but again it fits in without looking out of place. 

Again this shirt is a lightweight, interlock polyester that is designed to keep you dry and comfortable which if is like last year as I said with the home shirt this is going to be spot on as I actually prefer the comfort of the Avec shirt compared to some of the bigger branded football shirts. This is another shirt with the side mesh panel are again something that I always welcome to shirts as if I am wearing these to work out in I like that extra air flow. 

Just like the home shirt the JCT600 and Mitton group logos take centre stage in the white so they stand out but don't take away from the design of the overall shirt and the white just flows with the rest of the design. You also have the club badge, one star and Avec logo on the front with the traditional black ribbon on the back to pay tribute to the victims of the Valley Parade fire disaster. 

To finish off this kit the team will be playing in blue shorts & socks with the claret & white trim which all flows well with the design not like some kits where nothing matches and they look out of place. 

What I loved most about this launch though was how Bradford actually got their women's team involved. It was great to see Katy Woodcock & Maisie Norde in the images along side men's team players Richards-Everton, Callum Cooke & Connor Wood. I always love to see the male and female sides linking up together, I just hope there are more things like this in the future as the women's team can definitely benefit from it in the long run.  

If you are looking to pick up this shirt it will cost you £49.95 for the adults, £45 for the youth, £37.50 for the juniors and £26 for the Infants which comes with shorts.

Out of the shirts we have seen so far from Bradford I think I do prefer the away to the home shirt just because it is in the navy and claret colour. Which do you prefer?

The Avec taping on the sleeve is finished off with the cuffed sleeves which for me is fantastic as I do actually enjoy having the cuffed sleeves as I feel it gives a better fit. The overlapping V neck collar in the amber colour is fantastic as it just has the neckline stand out breaking up the stripes.