Bradford City will be without Bobby Pointon for their key clash against Yorkshire rivals Barnsley as the Bantams look to gain ground in the playoff hunt.
Graham Alexander’s side have a healthy eight-point margin between them and seventh-placed Huddersfield Town, but could lose their second-leg home advantage for the semi-finals if they fail to keep up pace with both Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County, who have games in hand due to their involvement in the EFL Trophy.
Star Attacker Sidelined
However, Bradford will head to Oakwell without Bobby Pointon at their disposal ahead of a scan to assess an ankle injury the 22-year-old sustained against Stevenage.
City’s home-grown prospect only lasted 18 minutes during their 1-0 loss at Valley Parade to Alex Revell’s side, and according to BBC Radio Leeds’ Jamie Raynor, Alexander is still waiting for the results of the scan and has already ruled out Pointon’s involvement against the Tykes.
The news leaves City without two of their star players on the left-hand side to face Conor Hourihane’s men, with Tyreik Wright also expected to be out until the end of the month.
On a positive note, Bradford have Newcastle United loanee Harrison Ashby available for selection after the former QPR man returned to training after missing the Stevenage clash.
Ashby Return Could Be Key To Success
After providing the through ball which led to Bradford City’s first goal in a comeback win over Wycombe Wanderers, Harrison Ashby finally delivered a statement performance since making the switch to West Yorkshire in January.
The 24-year-old could have a major role to play between now and the end of the season, with his flexibility on both sides of the defence being a key asset at a time when Tyreik Wright remains sidelined.
Ashby allows both Ibou Touray to return to his usual centre-back position and could allow Josh Neufville to become that creative outlet on the left wing should Alexander opt to swap the former AFC Wimbledon man to the opposite flank.
Attacking Rejig Needed
However, with Bobby Pointon out, Bradford do face a major headache in how to set up their forward line heading down to Barnsley.
The return of Kayden Jackson from injury will do a lot to allay the worries, and could see Stephen Humphrys make a move out to the left side as an attacking midfield partner to Antoni Sarcevic.
Graham Alexander has favoured using Humphrys up front though, meaning it could be the former Derby County man who lines up deeper, giving their summer signing the nod up top to try and topple his former side.
However, depth is the big issue for City, with Paul Mullin out of favour and both Will Swan and Ethan Wheatley struggling to find the net when given the opportunity in recent months.