Bradford City's professional manner in backing up Walsall rout stands them in good stead for promotion battle

The Bantams were back after Saturday's game where they did not just end Walsall's 16-match unbeaten League Two run and seven-game winning streak, they walloped them 3-0 in front of one of the division's biggest crowds of the season.

On Tuesday they went from top to bottom, playing the league's weakest side in front of a much sparser midweek crowd. At one point early in the first half there was the kind of buzz of chatter you get at a cricket or rugby union match, albeit quickly stopped by goalmouth action.

Visiting manager Derek Adams, unbeaten against Bradford since they showed him the door in less than gracious circumstances on his part, was in the press box, his touchline ban removing a lightning rod to whip up some fervour.

In his squad were Luke Hendrie, Callum Cooke and Yann Songo'o, all of whom wore claret-and-amber, Hendrie the son of a club greats.

That noise ringing in your ears is an alarm bell.

It was louder on Tuesday as the game neared its conclusion with the Bantams still only a goal to the good. But typical Bradford City stayed at home and let professional Bradford City do the job we ought to have expected, albeit far less comfortably.

When Calum Kavanagh opened the scoring on 30 minutes you felt a second was probably all it needed, but that stayed at home too, for all Bradford's control and 16 shots.

Even in the fourth added minute they should have scored again, but when Tommy Leigh released Alex Pattison, Antoni Sarcevic somehow did not get enough on the cross with a defender on his case but the goal gaping.

When the Bantams switched off for a second around the hour, Sam Walker plunged to his right and brilliantly kept out Hallam Hope's header to preserve his third consecutive clean sheet.

That Bradford were able to back up such a big victory after the Lord Mayor's show was a triumph not just for the depth of their squad, but the way manager Graham Alexander used it.

Wary of the pitfalls, he could have sent out an unchanged XI but as well as being the star of Saturday, midfielder Pattison is also emblematic of the physical fragility of a number of players in this squad, and Wimbledon away is another big test on Saturday. He played his part from the bench instead.

“I would have liked to have made more changes but I was wary that if I’d made four or five we’d be seen as taking Morecambe lightly and I would never do that,” said Alexander. “I’ve explained to the players I believe we have a really good squad but if I only say it and don’t use it, then those words mean nothing.

“It will be the way. We’ve got midweek game after midweek game and two tournaments, the league and the EFL Trophy. In the EFL Trophy next week, there are four (cup-tied) players who can’t play for us.

“It (rotating) is not something I’ve been used to doing, especially with winning teams but I just believe what we went through at the start of this season, it’s commonsense knowing the challenges we’ve got in front of us to try and manage the group of players.

“You can’t tell me we weakened the team by bringing in Tommy Leigh and Tyreik Wright. They are top players.”

Leigh impressed on his first Bantams start, initially at inside-right, then centre-forward, involved in much of what was good when Bradford attacked. Bobby Pointon was the best player on the pitch, Kavanagh's goal his sixth in 10 games. Like Pattison, Lewis Richards came off the bench to good effect.

January signings Michael Melolon, Brandon Khela and George Lapsile were unused substitutes, striker Mellon still awaiting his Bantams debut.

“Saturday was potentially an opportunity to have brought him on at 3-0,” Alexander admitted. “But I wanted to finish with the nil.

“I think Michael will get his opportunity. He’s got to train hard, which he’s trying to do, (and) to understand what we’re about. I think his last 90 minutes was about 14 months ago.”

Alexander's balancing act is all good in theory, but needs the right characters, the right balance and the right numbers to work.

“You can't win a league just with 11 players, you need a good squad depth and I feel like we've got that,” said centre-back Jack Shepherd, on loan from Barnsley.

“The lads that are on the bench, the lads that aren't even making the squad, no one's down and being disappointed.

“Everyone's keeping happy faces around the changing room and the training ground, no one's being down and negative.

“Everyone's backing every single one of us all the way.”

Nine wins in 11, five on the trot, three straight clean sheets, Pattison and Richards fresh for Plough Lane. False alarm everyone.