'Fine margins': Bradford City boss Graham Alexander on away form in League Two and Carlisle United hoodoo

Only runaway leaders Walsall have taken more League Two points in front of their own supporters in 2024-25 than City. On their travels, it's somewhat different with the Bantams’ away record currently being only the 15th best in the division.

For his part, Alexander, whose promotion-chasing side head to lowly Carlisle United on Saturday lunch-time, believes its all about fine margins.

City's goals for and against are not too dissimilar to the side with the best away statistics in Port Vale, who have scored 16 times and conceded 15. Bradford have netted on 13 occasions and let in 17 goals.

Alexander said: "If you take out Notts County, the games we’ve lost have been (by) one goal and I think we’ve drawn games we should have won.

"But they are the fine margins we continue to work at. That’s what the league is at the moment with the whole of the top half apart from one team in front.

"A few teams have probably had this issue of turning those fine margins into their own favour. We’re hoping that the full squad now will be able to make those tight games go our way.

"We’ve shown that at Valley Parade over a considerable amount of time, but away form is something that we have to correct if we want to be successful.”

Psychologically, there would be no better place to start changing the narrative than Brunton Park where City are without a victory in 10 visits since August 1985. It is the location where their season also ended in heart-breaking fashion in the play-offs at the end of 2022-23.

Alexander, who has new signings Michael Mellon and Tommy Leigh in the mix for the trip to Cumbria alongside fellow January arrivals George Lapslie and Brandon Khela, added: "That record is not great. Sometimes when you hear on Sky Sports that it’s 60 years since someone’s won and it’s (only) four games because they’ve been at opposite ends of the league.

"But, as I’ve said many times, any past history is not on our shoulders. It’s not our concern. It’s about creating new memories and winning games.

"I don’t like those little things that might come into your mind and push your pre-emptive thinking towards one way or the other and that you’ll win or lose this game because of something in the past."