Interim Manager looks ahead to trip to Valley Parade tonight
Dean Saunders returns to one of his former clubs tonight expecting as tough a game as Reds have had all season.
Bradford City, for whom Dean played in the Premier League, may have lost their last two games but they have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a home tie against Reading on Saturday.
They are in the play-off positions and have a potent goal threat in fit-again James Hanson, who scored when City won 3-1 at Crawley in August, and ex-Red Billy Clarke among others.
Dean said: “We’re in a run of four very tough games and this is probably the hardest.
“They are a very strong side. Any team who can go to Stamford Bridge and beat Chelsea 4-2 will demand a lot of respect. There aren’t many teams in Europe who can say they have done that.”
Much has been made of the condition of the Valley Parade pitch but Dean does not want the players to be side-tracked by what they will have to play on.
“It’s the same for both sides,” he said. “It might make the game a bit more fragmented but we’ll have to deal with it.”
Reds trained at Huddersfield on Monday in preparation for the game as they bid to build on a run of seven points from their last three fixtures.
“We’ve done well and it’s a shame our form isn’t yet reflected in our league position,” added Dean.
“But if we keep picking up points eventually we will climb the table. The boys are still very confident of getting out of the bottom four and if we stick to the game plan and work as hard as we’ve been doing we will give ourselves a chance of getting something at Bradford.”
Admission to tonight’s game is available on the gate at Valley Parade for Reds’ fans in the Midland Road Stand. For more information click here
