It's never over until it's over: Why Bradford City boss Graham Alexander won't give up on League Two play-offs - and with good reason

In League Two, more than any of English football’s top-four divisions, that remains the case towards the business end of the table .

Which brings us to Bradford City.

In anyone’s language, it has been a disappointing season for the claret and amber.

They suffered a hangover from the 2022-23 play-off near-miss and as late spring turned to summer, high summer and then the autumn, they still couldn’t cast aside those bitter events at Carlisle United’s Brunton Park home on May 20.

It stalked City and culminated in Mark Hughes losing his job in early October.

His permanent replacement in Graham Alexander provided some welcome early hope. Come the festive season, City were one place off the play-offs and entitled to eye a promotion push in the second half of the campaign.

In true ‘Bradford City’ fashion during their penance in the lower divisions, that positivity soon dissipated in a depressing post-Christmas return of five points from a possible 24, featuring no victories in eight largely grim matches.

After the 0-0 home draw with AFC Wimbledon earlier this month, they found themselves in 18th place in the table. Going nowhere is the phrase you are looking for.

Then came the potential lightbulb moment as the Bantams became the first team to take three points from Wrexham’s imposing Racecourse Ground citadel since the opening day of the season. When Alexander was coincidentally in the away dug-out, but this time with MK Dons.

Alexander’s old club, who sacked him in mid-October, were then summarily dispatched 4-0 on Tuesday night as City found the ruthless edge which they had been lacking since the Yuletide season.

Now, all of a sudden, the gap between the final play-off place is not so insurmountable.

City, in 13th spot, are four points behind seventh-placed Notts County, although they have played a game more.

Notts visit Valley Parade on March 2, with six of Bradford’s next eight matches in all competitions, including an EFL Trophy semi-final with Wycombe next Wednesday, being at home.

For historical context, there’s also the events of 2012-13 to consider for City. In mid-March of that season, they were in 12th place, but ended the season in the final play-off spot in a year which memorably saw them reach Wembley in the League Cup showpiece.

They famously concluded that campaign with promotion at the very same venue.

No-one of a sensible disposition would put their head on the chopping block to predict a promotion tilt for City in 23-24. But a top-seven place still remains possible.

Crucially, one earlier chapter in the managerial career of an experienced lower operator in Alexander also t ells him as much.

Alexander said: "It’s not about the games or position, but the points tally. When I took over at Scunthorpe (in late March 2016), we had nine games left and they were 13th in the table.

"We won seven of those games and missed out on the play-offs on goal difference.

"No-one gave us a hope of doing that and we just turned it on. If it is mathematically possible, I will sweat blood and so will my team to make things happen, without a shadow of a doubt.

"It only becomes a potential change of focus when it is impossible, mathematically.

"While it is not in my nature - and I don’t want it to be in my teams’ nature - to give anything up.

"That’s not us looking ahead and promising people we can do something.

"There’s lots of things in life where if you talk about them way in advance, then they think you are crazy.

"But crazy things happen sometimes. We’ve got to believe that we have the attributes to do that."

City’s clinical edge in Tuesday night’s handsome victory showed what they have been missing so far in 2024.

Matty Platt, Calum Kavanagh, Andy Cook and Clark Oduor all found the net as City took their chances at key moments against a side right in the play-off picture.

Afterwards, Alexander was left to reflect on just a second home league win of his tenure, the first arriving in his first game in charge in front of the Bantams faithful on November 25.

It has arrived at a timely juncture for everyone connected with the club, who will be seeing a fair bit of BD8 before the winter is over.

Alexander commented: "For us to do anything, we must have a consistent run.

"We have not lost many games in the last 17 or 18. It's just the draws that have been hurting us.

"We've played two really good teams in League Two who are flying high and that should give an extra confidence booster, not only to the players, but the supporters and everyone who works for the club."