Bradford City team news as trio make positive progress after injuries

Bradford City's injury problems are easing, but not quickly enough to have any impact on the weekend.

Antoni Sarcevic, Aden Baldwin and Clark Oduor have all ticked off important milestones this week, but none will be fit enough to face Aldershot in the FA Cup first round on Saturday.

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"Antoni Sarcevic, Aden Baldwin and Clarke Oduor have been out on the grass, but only with the medical team," revealed manger Graham Alexander. "It's a step forward, I think. Alex Pattison will be on the grass later in the week."

On Oduor specifically, he added: "He was out on the grass with the medical team, running. I think it's just a pain threshold thing because I don't think there's any problem with future injury, it's just bruising. It had swelled up the week he got it and now that's gone down."

Out since August, central defender Baldwin had been due back by now, but had a setback in his recovery.

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"He picked up a different injury in his rehab," explained Alexander. "Nothing major but enough to stop his recovery from the other injury.

"It was disappointing but these things can happen."

Meanwhile, Matt Abbott is set to move on three months after joining the club as physiotherapist, having been offered a job in the Premier League.

BRUISING: Bradford City's Clarke OduorBRUISING: Bradford City's Clarke Oduor
BRUISING: Bradford City's Clarke Oduor

"Matt came to see me last week to say he'd been offered a role at Everton and he wanted to take it," said Alexander.

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"We always have to understand the person and their own career progression. We'll never keep people here under duress.

"He'll be working with us until we recruit somebody else."

Alexander also revealed he had a lengthy conversation with Stefan Rupp when the Bantams owner was in the country to watch the team against Doncaster Rovers.

"He came in on the Thursday to see me in the office and we had a good chat – me, him and Ryan (Sparks, the chief executive) – about the issues we've had in the last couple of months," said the manager. "He was really pleased with the position in the league considering all those problems.

"We just touched on January and what we potentially might have to do. We didn't go into depth."

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