2014–15 Bradford City A.F.C. season


The 2014–15 season was Bradford City's 112th season in their history, their 100th in the Football League and 102nd in the league system of English football. It was their second season back in League One after finishing 11th in the previous year.

Pre-Season News

After finishing 11th in the 2013-14 Football League One campaign the Bantams kept the majority of the squad for this season. However captain Gary Jones, winger Garry Thompson, midfielder Nathan Doyle, defenders Matthew Bates and Nathan Curtis were all released along with youth players Jack Stockdill, Louie Swain and Jack Bentley.
Bradford signed midfielder Matthew Dolan on a 1 Year permanent deal after spending the 2013–14 season on loan from Middlesbrough. Also defender Rory McArdle signed a new 3 Year deal with the club. Midfielder Billy Knott signed for Bradford on a 2-year deal after being released from Sunderland, who is described as a 'high-intensity' and 'high-energy' styled player. Bradford made their 3rd Summer signing ahead of the new campaign by signing midfielder Gary Liddle, after he was released by Notts County. Defender Stephen Darby signed a new 3-year deal with the club, who was also appointed as the club's new captain for the 2014–15 season.
It was announced that Blackburn Rovers would visit the Bantams in a pre-season friendly. A day after this news was announced the annual match against Guiseley was revealed to be played on 15 July. Bradford will also travel to Northern Ireland for a pre-season tour as they did in the previous year. There they will face University College Dublin and Shelbourne.
Another pre-season friendly match was confirmed on 29 May, it was announced the club would travel to Morecambe's Globe Arena on 2 August. That will be the first of two matches played within just over a week between the two clubs after they were both drawn together for the first round of the Football League Cup, which will be played in the week commencing 11 August again at the Globe Arena.

Pre-season and friendlies

DateOpponentsH / AResult
F–A
ScorersAttendance
12 July 2014GuiseleyAClarkson 13', 44', Dolan 27'
15 July 2014U.C.DAClarkson 41', 54'
19 July 2014ShelbourneASheehan 22', Clarke 29', 53', De Vita 76'
26 July 2014Blackburn RoversH
2 August 2014Hartlepool UnitedAClarke 72'

League One

Matches

The fixtures for the 2014–15 season were announced on 18 June 2014 at 9am.
The first game of the season saw City host Coventry City, the Bantams took the lead through a James Hanson goal however Coventry battled back to equalize through Reda Johnson. Bradford were awarded a penalty which Alan Sheehan converted, Johnson then netted for Coventry in the 89th minute only for Hanson to score a header from a Jason Kennedy cross in the 90th minute to ensure Bradford won their opening game for the first time in 6 years. The next game against Walsall ended with a 0–0 draw however the following game saw the Bantams win 3–1 against Crawley Town, Bradford took a lead early in the second half through a Hanson goal. Crawley equalized shortly after through Joe Walsh. Billy Knott fired the Bantams ahead before Mason Bennett wrapped the game up with a 3rd goal for Bradford. However the unbeaten run was short lived as Peterborough United came away with a 1–0 victory with City unable to score. Bradford's final game in August was a 2–0 win over Rochdale. Rochdale went close early on but former player Jason Kennedy slotted home a scrappy goal to give the Bantams the lead, 6 minutes later Hanson scored his 4th league goal of the season to ensure that City came away with the points.
DateOpponentsH/AResult
F–A
ScorersAttendanceLeague
position
9 August 2014Coventry CityHHanson 27', 90', Sheehan 49' 14,6214th
16 August 2014WalsallA4,5208th
19 August 2014Crawley TownAHanson 49', Knott 62', Bennett 77'2,2252nd
23 August 2014Peterborough UnitedH13,5468th
30 August 2014RochdaleAKennedy 60', Hanson 66'4,7584th
6 September 2014Yeovil TownHMcArdle 26'12,6015th
13 September 2014Swindon TownHThompson 10' 12,4868th
16 September 2014Milton Keynes DonsAMcLean 24', Clarke 26'7,1395th
20 September 2014Colchester UnitedA3,5246th
27 September 2014Port ValeHYeates 45'12,7039th
4 October 2014Crewe AlexandraHMcLean 72', Liddle 74'12,3867th
12 October 2014BarnsleyAKennedy 1'10,4997th
18 October 2014Sheffield UnitedH14,78411th
21 October 2014Bristol CityAClarke 20', Routis 85'12,54812th
25 October 2014Oldham AthleticAHalliday 45'5,83212th
1 November 2014Doncaster RoversHStead 45'13,34814th
15 November 2014Preston North EndAMcArdle 26', Yeates 86'10,30213th
22 November 2014GillinghamHLegge 56' 12,43412th
29 November 2014Leyton OrientHKnott 42', Clarke 79', Stead 81'12,48910th
13 December 2014ChesterfieldAClarke 57'6,80910th
20 December 2014Scunthorpe UnitedHMcArdle 32'12,8318th
26 December 2014Fleetwood TownAHanson 42', Morais 81'4,2785th
28 December 2014Notts CountyHKnott 41'14,5185th
10 January 2015RochdaleHStead 32'13,5715th
17 January 2015Yeovil TownA4,0096th
31 January 2015Colchester UnitedHMorais 77'13,9178th
7 February 2015Port ValeAHanson 41', Morais 65'5,2059th
9 February 2015Milton Keynes DonsHClarke 57', Hanson 70'11,9486th
18 February 2015Leyton OrientAHanson 21', 32'4,7607th
21 February 2015WalsallHClarke 51'13,5346th
24 February 2015Swindon TownAClarke 54'6,8126th
28 February 2015Peterborough UnitedA6,4948th
3 March 2015Crawley TownHZoko 9'11,6838th
10 March 2015Coventry CityAYeates 69'8,5669th
14 March 2015Notts CountyAStead 45'5,1669th
21 March 2015Fleetwood TownHStead 10', Routis 50'12,96312th
28 March 2015Oldham AthleticHClarke 71', 90'14,01010th
31 March 2015ChesterfieldH12,55110th
3 April 2015Doncaster RoversAMacKenzie 55', Clarke 64', McMahon 90'8,5927th
6 April 2015Preston North EndH16,0329th
11 April 2015GillinghamA5,2219th
14 April 2015Bristol CityH12,60911th
18 April 2015Sheffield UnitedAClarke 83'21,87912th
21 April 2015Scunthorpe UnitedAClarke 63'3,17610th
25 April 2015BarnsleyHStead 17'15,5608th
3 May 2015Crewe AlexandraAClarke 23'7,6087th

League table

FA Cup

DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A
ScorersAttendance
9 November 2014Round 1Halifax TownAStead 50', Morais 53'8,042
7 December 2014Round 2DartfordHClarke 10', Stead 31', Morais 58', Yeates 59'5,373
3 January 2015Round 3MillwallAKnott 6', 76', Nelson 70' 5,470
14 January 2015ReplayMillwallHHanson 8', Stead 17', Halliday 39', Knott 57'11,859
24 January 2015Round 4ChelseaAStead 41', Morais 75', Halliday 82', Yeates 90+4'41,014
15 February 2015Round 5SunderlandHO'Shea 3', Stead 61'24,021
7 March 2015Round 6ReadingH24,321
16 March 2015ReplayReadingA22,908

League Cup

The draw for the first round was made on 17 June 2014 at 10am. Bradford City were drawn at away to Morecambe.
Round 1 saw the Bantams take on Morecambe at the Globe Arena, a hard-fought game was decided in the last 10 minutes as Aaron McLean came off the bench to score the winner for Bradford. The second round draw saw Bradford pulled out alongside arch rivals Leeds United at Valley Parade. The Bantams went 1-0 down late in the game to 10 men Leeds however a 20-yard strike from Billy Knott a minute later leveled the score before James Hanson score the winner another 2 minutes later.
DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A
ScorersAttendance
12 August 2014Round 1MorecambeAMcLean 83'2,395
27 August 2014Round 2Leeds UnitedHKnott 84', Hanson 86'18,750
23 September 2014Round 3Milton Keynes DonsA5,707

Football League Trophy

Bradford were drawn against Oldham Athletic in the Football League Trophy. Bradford fielded a changed side from recent weeks and were unable to overcome the League One side eventually going out of the cup thanks to a late winner from substitute Jordan Bove.
DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A
ScorersAttendance
2 September 2014Round 1Oldham AthleticA2,535

Squad statistics

Statistics accurate as of 3 May 2015

Transfers

In

Loan In

Loan Out

Out