Bradford City v Cheltenham Town: Team spirit behind successful chopping and changing

BRAD HALLIDAY has hailed the spirit helping Bradford City make squad depth such a strength in the second half of the season.

Manager Graham Alexander says he usually likes to keep a settled side, but the Bantams’ has been anything but in 2025.

In 12 League Two games, he has started 22 players, and it has helped his team take 29 points from a possible 36 – the most by any English league club this year.

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Jamie Walker joined the list at Salford City on Saturday in a team featuring four changes from the win at Bromley. There are likely to be more for Tuesday's visit of Cheltehnam Town, especially as Antoni Sarcevic and Romoney Crichlow went off injured in the first half at Moor Lane.

Rested to the bench after his late winner at Bromley and with Alex Pattison's Achilles making him a doubt, Bobby Pointon is an obvious choice to come back if Sarcevic cannot make it. Paul Huntington replaced Crichlow.

Such chopping and changing only works if those not playing show the right attitude and Halliday, who scored his first goal this season in the win at Salford, sees that as a key part of City’s success.

"We've got such a brilliant squad," said the wing-back.

"Lads are not making squads but they're messaging us and they're delighted for us.

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TEAM SPIRIT: Bradford City wing-back Brad Halliday (Image: Tony Johnson)placeholder image
TEAM SPIRIT: Bradford City wing-back Brad Halliday (Image: Tony Johnson)

"Every day in training the atmosphere around the place is brilliant.

"It is hard at times to keep everyone on board but this club and this group of lads is special."

With a full League Two programme on Tuesday, second-placed Bradford could have narrowed the gap to leaders Walsall to a point, be in the play-off places or somewhere inbetween by the morning.

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