SHRIMPERS
Centre back Bilel Mohsni completes his two-match suspension, while all the rest of the walking wounded remain out, except maybe captain Craig Easton, missing since mid-March with a calf problem, who would be a welcome return to midfield and as has trained all week I'll put him in. (Then again I did last week!)
Not a bad side then, and if the Bradford of last week turns up should have enough there to win if they can be arsed, and they should be with new contracts to be signed.
However, sometimes City are more relaxed away from those five-figure Valley Parade crowds and they know a win will take them to that magic 50-point mark so a draw could be on the cards.
But it's my 5th wedding anniversary, what better place to spend it than Roots Hall on a Friday night under the lights, and I'm expecting the players to realise they have to help the celebrations get going and grab the three points in a 2-1 win!
Possible Southend United: Morris, Clohessy, Coughlan, Barker, Prosser, Ferdinand, Grant, Easton, Hall, Sturrock, Corr.
Subs: Evans, Nesbitt, Comminges, Bouzid, Soares, Crawford, Asante.
COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!!
Vote in the battle of the two best Shrimpers strikers:
www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/interactive/voting_polls.asp
OPPOSITION
Former Shrimpers right-back Lewis Hunt will not play after making 19 appearances this term for the Bantams, a 20th would set off a 12-month contract extension which the club do not want to committ to.
For the full story:
www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/
no_roots_hall_return_for_bradford_citys_lewis_hunt_667754/index.shtml
Midfielder Lee Bullock played in that position, maybe not too well as they lost 3-0 at home to the Gulls, (report below), but Bradford boss Peter Jackson may have little choice.
Nine-goal James Hanson is on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, where he will probably be joined by winger Kevin Ellison due to a thigh problem.
Full story on that one here:
www.teamtalk.com/bradford-city/6871061/Jackson-won-t-push-pair
So that should leave Michael Flynn and Gareth Evans as the starting strikers for City , but Jackson may consider a change or two, with old friend Scott Dobie in contention, as well as Jake Speight and Chib Chilaka.
Like Luggy Jackson is looking to youth to fill the subs bench and second year apprentice defender Adam Robinson will be eager to make his first team debut at some time on Friday.
More on that here:
www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2338745,00.html
Player to watch:
Tom Adeyemi
If he was fit we may have gone for top scorer James Hanson, but as he's out, we're go for the 19-year-old midfielder on loan from the Canaries who our Bantam 'in the hot seat' Alfie Tennant from http://bantamsfan.co.uk/ said: 'Tom Adeyemi who is on a season-long loan from Norwich City has probably had the biggest impact. His performances haven't always been great but he's improved as the season has progressed any he's definitely one to watch out for in the future....sadly he won't be wearing a Bradford City shirt.
For more on the young lad, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Adeyemi
Last Time Out
Away; Macclesfield Town 0 Bradford City 1 (played on Tuesday, April 5th, 2011.)
Report: www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10266~52950,00.html
Home; Bradford City 0 Torquay United 3 (played on Saturday, April 9th, 2011.)
Report: www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10266~52341,00.html
Beeb Highlights: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/9453635.stm
Life in the Bottom15 Morecambe 41 6 7 8 24 28 7 3 10 24 32 13 10 18 48 60 49 -12 16 Hereford United 41 4 10 7 22 27 8 3 9 25 34 12 13 16 47 61 49 -14 17 Cheltenham Town 41 6 6 9 24 30 6 6 8 29 42 12 12 17 53 72 48 -19 18 Bradford City 40 9 2 9 23 23 5 3 12 15 30 14 5 21 38 53 47 -15 19 Macclesfield Town 41 6 5 10 24 35 6 6 8 28 33 12 11 18 52 68 47 -16 20 Lincoln City 41 7 4 10 18 36 6 3 11 25 36 13 7 21 43 72 46 -29 21 Northampton Town 41 7 8 6 36 31 2 8 10 17 33 9 16 16 53 64 43 -11 22 Burton Albion 40 8 6 6 30 27 2 5 13 16 36 10 11 19 46 63 41 -17 23 Barnet 41 7 4 10 27 33 3 7 10 23 35 10 11 20 50 68 41 -18 24 Stockport County 41 4 10 7 28 48 4 2 14 15 40 8 12 21 43 88 36 -45
PREVIOUSLY At Southend Utd. (13) At Bradford City (15) Results Total % Results Total % Southend Utd. 6 46.15 Bradford City 11 73.33 Bradford City 0 0.00 Southend Utd. 2 13.33 Draws 7 53.85 Draws 2 13.33 Goals Total Av.pg Goals Total Av.pg Southend Utd. 21 1.62 Bradford City 28 1.87 Bradford City 11 0.85 Southend Utd. 15 1.00 On Neutral Ground (0) Overall (28 matches) Results Total % Results Total % Southend Utd. 0 0.00 Southend Utd. 8 28.57 Bradford City 0 0.00 Bradford City 11 39.29 Draws 0 0.00 Draws 9 32.14 Goals Total Av.pg Goals Total Av.pg Southend Utd. 0 0.00 Southend Utd. 36 1.29 Bradford City 0 0.00 Bradford City 39 1.39 Records Highest Aggregate 7 Bradford City 6 - 1 Southend Utd. 1958/1959 Highest Southend Utd. score: 4 Southend Utd. 4 - 1 Bradford City 1976/1977 Highest Bradford City score: 6 Bradford City 6 - 1 Southend Utd. 1958/1959 Season Date Home Score Away Competition 2010/2011 Fri 27 Aug Bradford City 0 - 2 Southend Utd. League Two 2005/2006 Sat 10 Dec Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City League One Tue 09 Aug Bradford City 0 - 2 Southend Utd. League One 1996/1997 Sat 12 Apr Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City League Division One Sat 05 Oct Bradford City 0 - 0 Southend Utd. League Division One 1990/1991 Sat 06 Apr Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. Third Division Fri 28 Dec Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City Third Division 1983/1984 Mon 16 Apr Southend Utd. 2 - 1 Bradford City Third Division Sat 17 Sep Bradford City 1 - 1 Southend Utd. Third Division 1982/1983 Sat 05 Feb Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City Third Division Sat 25 Sep Bradford City 1 - 0 Southend Utd. Third Division 1980/1981 Wed 04 Mar Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. Fourth Division Fri 12 Dec Southend Utd. 3 - 1 Bradford City Fourth Division 1976/1977 Sat 23 Apr Bradford City 2 - 0 Southend Utd. Fourth Division Fri 12 Nov Southend Utd. 4 - 1 Bradford City Fourth Division 1969/1970 Wed 24 Sep Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. League Cup 1968/1969 Fri 02 May Bradford City 3 - 2 Southend Utd. Fourth Division Fri 22 Nov Southend Utd. 2 - 0 Bradford City Fourth Division 1967/1968 Sat 20 Apr Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. Fourth Division Sat 25 Nov Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City Fourth Division 1966/1967 Sat 17 Dec Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. Fourth Division Sat 20 Aug Southend Utd. 2 - 1 Bradford City Fourth Division 1960/1961 Sat 01 Apr Bradford City 2 - 1 Southend Utd. Third Division Sat 12 Nov Southend Utd. 0 - 0 Bradford City Third Division 1959/1960 Tue 29 Sep Bradford City 3 - 1 Southend Utd. Third Division Mon 21 Sep Southend Utd. 2 - 1 Bradford City Third Division 1958/1959 Sat 28 Mar Bradford City 6 - 1 Southend Utd. Third Division Sat 08 Nov Southend Utd. 1 - 1 Bradford City Third Division
REF
The man in the middle is The man in the middle is Mark Brown from East Yorkshire.
And he gives an interview here: http://refworld.com/referee/2222/1/mark-brown.
His assistants are Carl Brooke and John Farries. The fourth official is Ian Crouch.
FIXTURES
League Two
Friday, April 15th; Southend v Bradford, 19:45.
Saturday, April 16th; (all kick-offs 15.00): Accrington Stanley v Oxford Utd, Burton Albion v Cheltenham, Bury v Barnet, Chesterfield v Macclesfield, Crewe v Lincoln City, Gillingham v Morecambe, Rotherham v Hereford, Shrewsbury v Stockport, Stevenage v Aldershot, Torquay v Port Vale, Wycombe v Northampton.
BET
Southend (to win) - 15/3, Draw - 5/2, Bradford City (to win) - 11/4.
For all the footy odds go here: www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-two/
Bradford City's 1911 F.A. Cup winning side
Founded in 1903 to introduce the sport to the West Riding of Yorkshire, which until then had been almost entirely inclined towards rugby league.
Before they had even played their first game, City were elected to The Football League to replace Doncaster Rovers in Division Two, and took over the Valley Parade stadium, which has been their permanent home ground ever since.
The club achieved early success by winning the Division Two title in 1908 and the FA Cup in 1911, both under the management of Peter O'Rourke, before they were relegated from Division One in 1921-22.
City suffered a second relegation five seasons later, but when O'Rourke was reappointed as manager before the 1928-29 season, they broke several club records to earn promotion back to Division Two.
After eight seasons in Division Two, City returned to Division Three, and they remained in the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system until 1985-86. During that time, they endured several periods of financial hardship, and in 1985, their ground suffered a disastrous fire in which 56 people died, on a day the club and their fans were supposed to be celebrating success on the field.
In 1987-88, the club came close to returning to the top division when they missed out on promotion on the final day of the season. However, following relegation back to Division Three, it was not until Geoffrey Richmond became chairman in January 1994 that the club's fortunes were lifted. He helped to take the club to their first appearance at Wembley and subsequently into the Premier League, where they played for two seasons.
Following Richmond's self-proclaimed "six weeks of madness" and the collapse of television channel ITV Digital, the club suffered its first spell in administration. Another period under administration followed, and City have dropped through the leagues of professional English football back to the bottom tier of The Football League.
After a year in charge the then Bantams boss Peter Taylor, the former Shrimpers player and manager, decided to leave the club in February 2011, after that Saturday's League Two game with Stockport County.
Spud had replaced Stuart McCall in February 2010. Spud signed a one-year extension to his contract in April 2010, which would have expired at the end of this season.
Taylor told BBC Radio Leeds at the time: "I'm not a fool, I can tell that I'm probably not the most popular manager Bradford City's ever had. I'm not prepared to walk away, I'm prepared to take this difficult job head on."
Present Bantams interim boss Peter Jackson
There's certainly great potential for someone to get it right at Valley Parade, City piss the home attendence averages in the bottom tier with every league game bringing in over 10,000 punters, incredible loyalty, and at the moment interim manager Peter Jackson has a chance to make the move permenant.
Jackson is Bradford born and bred and played 278 games for the club as a central defender between 1979 and 1986 and has also been in charge of Huddersfield Town (twice) and Lincoln City.
For a far more comprehensive history of the club, go here:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bradford_City_A.F.C.)