Bradford look to regain form against play-off chasing Morecambe

Morecambe travel to Bradford hoping to maintain their position in the play-offs, while the Bantams look to haul themselves up the table.

Despite being in excellent form since Mark Trueman took the helm, Bradford still lie in lowly 20th. After taking over first team duties, Trueman guided the Bantams to an eight match unbeaten run which was ended last Tuesday away at play-off contenders Exeter. The run has helped the Yorkshire side build up an eight point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

After a strong Christmas period, Morecambe are winless in three but remain in the play-offs courtesy of consecutive draws against Stevenage and Bolton. The latter came thanks to a late equaliser from Brad Lyons, who scored with his first touch after coming on as a substitute to help keep the Shrimps in the top seven in the face of plenty of competition.

Team news

Bradford remain without attacker Billy Clarke and forward Lee Novak, but may be buoyed by the potential return of January signing Danny Rowe, who already has two goals in three Bantams appearances. Fellow new signing Andy Cook may also be available to bolster Bradford’s attacking option, with defender Niall Canavan another January signing looking to make his mark at Valley Parade.

Yann Songo’o is available again for Morecambe after an initial two match ban for his red card against Tranmere, although it is yet to be seen if the defensive midfielder will be used following a charge from the FA relating to alleged homophobic language. Lyons may be in contention to make his full debut for the Shrimps, following his heroics off the bench last Tuesday.

Ex-Bantam Nathaniel Knight-Percival told the Morecambe website:

“Having the game off on Saturday was a bit of a rarity especially at the moment.

“We have so many fixtures to play and the break could benefit us in a way.”

Knight-Percival also praised the form of his former club, saying: “Bradford have been in a good bit of form recently and their results have picked up.

“It’s anther game for us which we need to focus on and do our best to take a positive result from.

“We’re all feeling positive, so we just need to push on and keep picking up points and see where that takes us.”

Head-to-head

Morecambe are without a league win against Bradford since October 2010, with a goal from Paul Mullin – another player who has featured for both sides – sealing victory for the Shrimps that day.

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