# 2018–19 Bradford City A.F.C. season

The 2018–19 season is Bradford City's 116th season in their history, their 104th in the English Football League and 106th in the English football league system.

## Pre-season

On 18 May 2018, Bradford City announced two friendly games against Farsley Celtic and Sheffield United. Three days later, they revealed further matches with Guiseley and local derby against Bradford Park Avenue. On 23 May 2018, a further date away at York City was added to the preseason schedule followed by an away date against Harrogate Town announced on 11 June. On 22 June 2018, a further away date against Carlisle United was announced.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 7 July 2018 | Farsley Celtic | A | A–A | Match cancelled due to safety concerns | |
| 10 July 2018 | Guiseley | A | 1–2 | Powell 46' | |
| 14 July 2018 | York City | A | 0–1 | | |
| 17 July 2017 | Sheffield United | H | 2–3 | Payne 53', Brünker 80' | |
| 18 July 2018 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 2–1 | Colville 71', Clare 90+1' | |
| 21 July 2018 | Harrogate Town | A | 2–7 | Clare (2) 59', 66' | 1,082 |
| 28 July 2018 | Carlisle United | A | 0–1 | | |

## Competitions
### League One
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 20 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 50 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle (R) | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 56 | 80 | −24 | 50 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 22 | Walsall (R) | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 47 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 23 | Scunthorpe United (R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 53 | 83 | −30 | 46 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 24 | Bradford City (R) | 46 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 49 | 77 | −28 | 41 | Relegation to EFL League Two |

#### Result summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 27 April 2019. Source: Statto.com

#### Matches

On 21 June 2018, the League One fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
| 4 August 2018 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 1–0 | Payne 19' | 7,625 | 10th |
| 11 August 2018 | Barnsley | H | 0–2 | | 18,986 | 13th |
| 18 August 2018 | Southend United | A | 0–2 | | 6,295 | 18th |
| 21 August 2018 | Burton Albion | H | 1–0 | Payne 32' | 15,302 | 9th |
| 25 August 2018 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 1–2 | Colville 90+1' | 15,563 | 13th |
| 1 September 2018 | Fleetwood Town | A | 1–2 | Doyle 23' (pen.) | 3,347 | 17th |
| 8 September 2018 | Blackpool | A | 2–3 | Doyle 59' (pen.), Payne 64' | 4,393 | 19th |
| 15 September 2018 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–2 | | 15,709 | 21st |
| 22 September 2018 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–2 | Miller 81' | 8,481 | 22nd |
| 29 September 2018 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–0 | | 15,916 | 22nd |
| 2 October 2018 | AFC Wimbledon | A | 1–0 | Payne 45+1' (pen.) | 3,630 | 19th |
| 6 October 2018 | Sunderland | H | 1–2 | A. O'Connor 52' | 19,487 | 22nd |
| 13 October 2018 | Accrington Stanley | A | 1–3 | Doyle 62' | 3,346 | 22nd |
| 20 October 2018 | Rochdale | H | 0–2 | | 15,875 | 23rd |
| 23 October 2018 | Coventry City | H | 2–4 | A. O'Connor (2) 62', 78' | 11,075 | 24th |
| 27 October 2018 | Gillingham | A | 0–4 | | 4,399 | 24th |
| 3 November 2018 | Portsmouth | H | 0–1 | | 16,393 | 24th |
| 17 November 2018 | Peterborough United | A | 1–1 | A. O'Connor 10' | 8,046 | 24th |
| 24 November 2018 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | Ball 25', Payne 28' | 19,084 | 24th |
| 27 November 2018 | Luton Town | A | 0–4 | | 8,568 | 24th |
| 8 December 2018 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 3–3 | Payne (2) 4', 18', Miller 53' | 9,092 | 24th |
| 15 December 2018 | Walsall | H | 4–0 | Caddis 34', Ball (2) 52', 61', Doyle 83' | 15,314 | 22nd |
| 22 December 2018 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | Payne 10', Doyle 27' (pen.) | 16,130 | 20th |
| 26 December 2018 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | | 46,039 | 21st |
| 29 December 2018 | Rochdale | A | 4–0 | Knight-Percival 23', A. O'Connor 48', Doyle 60' (pen.), Miller 89' | 5,673 | 21st |
| 1 January 2019 | Accrington Stanley | H | 3–0 | L. O'Brien 21', Doyle 30', Wood 49' | 16,318 | 20th |
| 12 January 2019 | Barnsley | A | 0–3 | | 14,962 | 22nd |
| 19 January 2019 | Southend United | H | 0–4 | | 15,517 | 23rd |
| 26 January 2019 | Burton Albion | A | 1–1 | Akpan 68' | 3,162 | 23rd |
| 29 January 2019 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 4–3 | Grant 19' (o.g.), L. O'Brien 38', Doyle 60', Ball 90+6' | 14,906 | 21st |
| 2 February 2019 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 0–0 | | 4,586 | 22nd |
| 9 February 2019 | Fleetwood Town | H | 0–1 | | 15,365 | 23rd |
| 16 February 2019 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–0 | | 15,855 | 23rd |
| 23 February 2019 | Walsall | A | 2–3 | Doyle 12', A. O'Connor 54' | 5,503 | 23rd |
| 2 March 2019 | Portsmouth | A | 1–5 | Akpan 65' | 17,657 | 23rd |
| 9 March 2019 | Peterborough United | H | 3–1 | Butterfield 70', Doyle 83', L. O'Brien 86' | 15,890 | 23rd |
| 12 March 2019 | Luton Town | H | 0–1 | | 15,992 | 23rd |
| 16 March 2019 | Oxford United | A | 0–1 | | 6,681 | 24th |
| 23 March 2019 | Blackpool | H | 1–4 | Ball 90+2' | 16,307 | 24th |
| 30 March 2019 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–1 | | 11,630 | 24th |
| 6 April 2019 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 0–1 | | 16,496 | 24th |
| 13 April 2019 | Bristol Rovers | A | 2–3 | L. O'Brien 16', Knight-Percival 90' | 8,418 | 24th |
| 19 April 2019 | Coventry City | A | 0–2 | | 11,711 | 24th |
| 22 April 2019 | Gillingham | H | 1–1 | Mellor 10' | 15,686 | 24th |
| 27 April 2019 | Scunthorpe United | A | 3–2 | Clarke 2', Anderson 12', Doyle 15' | 4,528 | 24th |
| 4 May 2019 | AFC Wimbledon | H | 0–0 | | 17,817 | 24th |

### FA Cup

The first round draw was made live on BBC by Dennis Wise and Dion Dublin on 22 October. The draw for the second round was made live on BBC and BT by Mark Schwarzer and Glenn Murray on 12 November.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 10 November 2018 | Round 1 | Aldershot Town | A | 1–1 | Knight-Percival 71' | 2,455 |
| 20 November 2018 | Round 1 Replay | Aldershot Town | H | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Fowler 101' (o.g.) | 2,248 |
| 1 December 2018 | Round 2 | Peterborough United | A | 2–2 | Mellor 84', Colville 89' | 3,750 |
| 11 December 2018 | Round 2 Replay | Peterborough United | H | 4–4 (2–3 p) | Miller (2) 22', 72', Ball 53', Caddis 58' | 3,486 |

### EFL Cup

On 15 June 2018, the draw for the first round was made in Vietnam.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 14 August 2018 | Round 1 | Macclesfield Town | A | 1–1 (2–4p) | Colville 62' | 1,422 |

### EFL Trophy

On 13 July 2018, the initial group stage draw bar the U21 invited clubs was announced.
| Pos | Lge | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L1 | Barnsley | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | Round 2 |
| 2 | L2 | Oldham Athletic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 | Round 2 |
| 3 | ACA | Everton U21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | L1 | Bradford City | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 2 | |
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 25 September 2018 | Group Stage | Everton U21's | H | 1–1 (6–5 p) | Miller 90+2' | 902 |
| 9 October 2018 | Group Stage | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–4 | Brünker 49' | 1,015 |
| 13 November 2018 | Group Stage | Barnsley | A | 1–2 | Ball 8' | 2,925 |

## Squad statistics

| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Trophy | EFL Trophy | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | Richard O'Donnell | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Joe Riley | 5(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 6(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Adam Chicksen | 26(2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31(2) | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | Paudie O'Connor | 8(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Anthony O'Connor | 41(1) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48(1) | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Sean Scannell | 15(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17(1) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | Jake Reeves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Eoin Doyle | 40(4) | 11 | 3(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Jack Payne | 33(6) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 40(7) | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | Tyrell Robinson | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | George Miller | 18(21) | 3 | 2(2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22(23) | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 13 | GK | Ben Wilson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Kelvin Mellor | 17(3) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19(3) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Jacob Butterfield | 11(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11(4) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Billy Clarke | 6(8) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6(8) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | Jermaine Anderson | 9(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9(4) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | Omari Patrick | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Hope Akpan | 24(4) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27(4) | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Nathaniel Knight-Percival | 34(1) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40(1) | 3 | 12 | 2 |
| 23 | DF | Connor Wood | 18(4) | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 20(6) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Daniel Devine | 2(1) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Calum Woods | 5(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | Jordan Gibson | 1(10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3(10) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Cameron Hawkes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | Josef Hefele | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | Tom Clare | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | DF | Reece Staunton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | Luca Colville | 3(8) | 1 | 0(2) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4(10) | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | Eliot Goldthorp | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 1(3) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | DF | Paul Caddis | 25(2) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27(2) | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| 39 | MF | Lewis O'Brien | 38(2) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 43(3) | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| 40 | FW | David Ball | 30(5) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 37(5) | 7 | 9 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | Josh Wright | 15(3) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17(5) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 47 | MF | Raecce Ellington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - | – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | – |
| Players out on loan for rest of the season |||||||||||||||
| 4 | DF | Ryan McGowan | 22(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25(1) | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Shay McCartan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Jacob Hanson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Alex Jones | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | Callum Gunner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | George Sykes-Kenworthy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players left during the season |||||||||||||||
| 5 | DF | Matthew Kilgallon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Jim O'Brien | 5(6) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9(7) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Sherwin Seedorf | 1(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 4(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Kai Bruenker | 4(13) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6(16) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Thomas Isherwood | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Ellis Hudson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | Curtis Peters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | FW | Reece Powell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | MF | Karl Henry | 3(1) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Statistics accurate as of 4 May 2019

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date from | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2018 | CF | Tom Clare | Barnsley | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | CB | Thomas Isherwood | Bayern Munich II | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | CB | Anthony O'Connor | Aberdeen | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | GK | Richard O'Donnell | Northampton Town | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | RB | Joe Riley | Manchester United | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2018 | LB | Connor Wood | Leicester City | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2018 | CM | Josh Wright | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 4 July 2018 | CM | Hope Akpan | Burton Albion | Free transfer |
| 19 July 2018 | RW | Sean Scannell | Huddersfield Town | Undisclosed |
| 28 July 2018 | GK | Ben Wilson | Cardiff City | Free transfer |
| 31 July 2018 | RB | Kelvin Mellor | Blackpool | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2018 | CF | Eoin Doyle | Preston North End | Undisclosed |
| 14 August 2018 | RM | Luca Colville | Huddersfield Town | Free transfer |
| 13 September 2018 | CM | Jim O'Brien | Ross County | Free transfer |
| 16 November 2018 | RB | Paul Caddis | Blackburn Rovers | Free transfer |
| 23 November 2018 | DM | Karl Henry | Bolton Wanderers | Free transfer |
| 17 January 2019 | CM | Jermaine Anderson | Peterborough United | Undisclosed |
| 23 January 2019 | RB | Calum Woods | Preston North End | Free transfer |
| 31 January 2019 | AM | Billy Clarke | Charlton Athletic | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2018 | DM | Timothée Dieng | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2018 | GK | Colin Doyle | Heart of Midlothian | Mutual consent |
| 1 July 2018 | CF | Joel Grodowski | Hammer SpVg | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | CB | Alex Laird | Free agent | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | CM | Nicky Law | Exeter City | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | RB | Tony McMahon | Oxford United | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | GK | Lukas Raeder | Rot-Weiss Essen | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | GK | Rouven Sattelmaier | SV Darmstadt 98 | Released |
| 1 July 2018 | LM | Reece Webb-Foster | Lancaster City | Released |
| 5 July 2018 | CF | Dominic Poleon | Crawley Town | Undisclosed |
| 19 July 2018 | DM | Romain Vincelot | Crawley Town | Undisclosed |
| 1 August 2018 | CF | Charlie Wyke | Sunderland | Undisclosed |
| 2 August 2018 | CF | Paul Taylor | Doncaster Rovers | Free transfer |
| 31 August 2018 | CB | Matthew Kilgallon | Hamilton Academical | Mutual consent |
| 18 December 2018 | RM | Ellis Hudson | Free agent | Mutual consent |
| 24 December 2018 | DM | Karl Henry | Free agent | Mutual consent |
| 4 January 2019 | RB | Jacob Hanson | FC Halifax Town | Undisclosed |
| 7 January 2019 | CF | Kai Brünker | SG Sonnenhof Großaspach | Mutual consent |
| 8 January 2019 | CM | Jim O'Brien | Notts County | Released |
| 23 January 2019 | CB | Thomas Isherwood | Free agent | Mutual consent |

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 16 July 2018 | CF | George Miller | Middlesbrough | 31 January 2019 |
| 16 July 2018 | AM | Jack Payne | Huddlesfield Town | 31 May 2019 |
| 31 August 2018 | MF | Lewis O'Brien | Huddersfield Town | 31 May 2019 |
| 3 September 2018 | CF | David Ball | Rotherham United | 31 May 2019 |
| 8 January 2019 | CB | Paudie O'Connor | Leeds United | 31 May 2019 |
| 31 January 2019 | CM | Jacob Butterfield | Derby County | 31 May 2019 |
| 31 January 2019 | CF | George Miller | Barnsley | 31 May 2019 |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 4 July 2018 | DF | Jacob Hanson | Halifax Town | 1 January 2019 |
| 24 July 2018 | SS | Shay McCartan | Lincoln City | 31 May 2019 |
| 28 August 2018 | CF | Omari Patrick | Yeovil Town | 2 January 2019 |
| 25 January 2019 | CF | Alex Jones | Cambridge United | 31 May 2019 |
| 31 January 2019 | LW | Jordan Gibson | Stevenage | 31 May 2019 |
| 31 January 2019 | CB | Ryan McGowan | Dundee | 31 May 2019 |
| 13 March 2019 | FW | Tom Clare | Boston United | 31 May 2019 |