Bradford City boss Graham Alexander welcomes 'rising quality' as winds of change start to blow through BD8
Their 1-0 victory over Swindon Town was more turgid than tantalising, yet was another step in their recovery from a difficult period.
Crucially, the Bantams removed a monkey from their backs by ending a six-game winless league run.
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Hide AdIt followed an impressive EFL Trophy win over Stockport County, with the return to form aided by the dwindling length of their injury list.


"We wanted to get back on the horse today,” said Bantams boss Graham Alexander. “Win the game, close that gap above us, give ourselves a bit of confidence going from this full week really.
"It was a really important win today - for the players, for myself, for the supporters, because it’s been a difficult couple of months. We spoke about the players we’ve had missing for three months, probably, and you see them slowly coming back.
"Ciaran Kelly, Aden Baldwin, Antoni Sarcevic, Alex Pattison. You can see the rising quality of the group, the confidence in the group because they see good players coming back. If we can keep the squad as strong as it is right now, I believe we’ve got a good chance of consecutive wins.”
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Hide AdThere was no magic feeling within Valley Parade, with the lack of excitement on the pitch reflected in the quiet nature of the stands.


It has been a difficult place to be of late but Bradford do appear to be turning a corner.
Swindon went into the game with back-to-back wins under their belts but barely laid a glove on Bradford, who were comfortable in contrast.
“I think the best team did win but it was a difficult game,” Alexander said. “You earn the right to win.
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Hide Ad"Our goal came from that same thing, their goal kick up to the centre-forward, we win the first contact, we play a ball behind their back line and we get the winning goal from it. We’d have liked another goal, in the second half especially.
"I thought we had some opportunities, but the actual goal threat against was extremely minimal, against a team coming off the back of two wins, against a centre-forward who’s just scored a hat-trick.
"The players handled the game really well. It wasn’t a fluid game, we understood that, but we’ve won a difficult game.”
The Bantams are now 10th in the League One table, three points adrift of the play-offs. Amid blips or purple patches, it is always healthy to remain aware of quickly a side can catapult up the division or slide down it.
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Hide AdForm, after all, is temporary. Calum Kavanagh embodied that as he answered critics with sharp instincts to open the scoring.
Bradford have leaned rather heavily on the prowess of Andy Cook at times, therefore a variation of threats in the final third is welcome.
"It’s important that we’re never a one-man team,” Alexander said. “Today, and I would say this week, we’ve certainly not been that. We’ve shown 17/18 players over the last three games who have helped us score goals, win games and win points. I’m delighted for them all.”
Cook was crowded by defenders for large portions of the game and Swindon were not the first team to pay close attention to the marksman in an attempt to nullify him. They will not be the last, either.
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Hide AdBradford’s build-up play was promising, although slick moves were repeatedly wasted by a lack of precision when it came to the final ball.
If the Bantams can sharpen their instincts in the final third, they should be able to inflict some damage.
“Maybe how incisive we were against Stockport on Tuesday, we were so good on that aspect of it, maybe we thought it would be a little bit easier today and didn’t take as much care,” Alexander said. “That’s part of our learning process as a team and individual players. We’ll work on that because I do think there’s a real goal threat there.”
With the midway point of the campaign approaching, the stars do appear to be aligning at last.
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Hide AdAlexander’s task is to make sure it is not merely a false dawn, as another wasted season will only further fray the patience of a fanbase that has grown weary in recent years.
Bradford City: Walker, Huntington, Baldwin, Shepherd; Benn (Halliday 45), Smallwood, Evans (Sarcevic 60), Pointon, Richards; Kavanagh (Walker 88), Cook.
Unused substitutes: Doyle, Kelly, Sanderson, Oliver.
Swindon Town: Barden, McGregor, Sobowale, Delaney, Kirkman; Brown (Tshimanga 61), Kilkenny, Cain (Wright 84); Glatzel (Longelo 80), Smith, Drinan.
Unused substitutes: Bycroft, Cox, Cotterill, Ofoborh.
Referee: Edward Duckworth (Lancashire)