The Game
Argyle v Bradford City. Saturday, 6 December. 12.30pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Bradford were promoted last season, finishing third in Sky Bet League Two, a position attained via a goal from former Pilgrim Antoni Sarcevic in injury time, in the Bantams’ final game of the season.
They have carried their form on to this season, in which they have lost just two of their 17 league games. They have won eight and drawn seven, giving them 31 points, and placing them third at this stage.
Bradford won four of their first six, drawing the other two, before their first loss of the season, which came at Doncaster Rovers. Their response was to win the next three, beating Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City and Blackpool.
There then followed a winless streak of six games – although five of these were draws. Bradford returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Exeter City last weekend.
The Gaffer
54-year-old Graham Alexander was a right-back throughout the majority of his playing career, featuring on the pitch for Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End and Burnley. The defender also represented his nation, receiving 40 caps for Scotland.
Upon retiring, Alexander spent a short period at Preston as Head of Youth Development before leaving to become Fleetwood Town’s manager in December 2012. In his nearly three years at Highbury, Alexander led the Reds to promotion before being sacked.
Next came two seasons at Scunthorpe United in which the Scot came close to another promotion, losing to Millwall in the League One play-off semi-final. Ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, Alexander took charge at Salford City, who were then in the National League. He led them to promotion at the first time of asking, but was sacked just over a year later.
Next, Alexander had a stint in Scotland with Motherwell, which lasted just over a year, before he returned to England to become MK Dons’ head coach. He was then sacked after just 16 games, despite winning League Two Manager of the Month four weeks previously.
Less than a month later, he was picked up by Bradford City, where he remains. In his two years at Valley Parade, Alexander has achieved promotion out of League Two, and boasts a win percentage of over 50%.
The Squad
Leading goalscorer Bobby Pointon will miss the game, through suspension, but former Argyle midfielder Antoni Sarcevic (below) remains a potent threat. Sarcevic, who claimed his ninth career promotion last season, has five goals to his name this time round, having scored seven in 28 in 2024/25. Sarcevic represented Argyle from 2017 to 2020, scoring 20 goals in 132 games.
Defender Joe Wright scored the winning goal against Exeter last week, and has been impressive in the heart of Bradford’s defence. Now aged 30, Wright spent many years with Doncaster Rovers, before moving to Kilmarnock, north of the border, to play over 100 games. He signed for Bradford in the summer.
Another close-season addition to Bradford’s very experienced squad was Max Power. Given the captaincy on arrival, 32-year-old Power is formerly of Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland, and has also spent time playing for teams in Saudi Arabia and Denmark.
Previous Meetings
Argyle and Bradford have not met since 2019/20. Both games that season ended in a 2-1 home win. At Home Park, goals from Byron Moore and Joe Edwards gave the Pilgrims the three points; at Valley Parade, later in the season, a late Ryan Hardie goal was not enough to rescue anything for the Greens.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with Argyle Breakfast, starting at 10am, brought to you by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Erin will return for the Pre-Match Show, from midday, alongside Marc Edworthy, before commentary of the game comes from Charlie Price and Ian Stonebridge.
Match passes to watch this game are available overseas. In the UK and Ireland, it is live on Sky Sports+. CLICK HERE for more information.
