Bradford City secured a valuable away point with a 1-1 draw at Reading's SCL Stadium on Saturday. Jake Beesley gave the visitors an early lead, scoring in the 9th minute, before Udoka Godwin-Malife levelled for the hosts in the 67th minute of the second half.
The result extends Bradford City's unbeaten run to five matches and keeps them firmly in the automatic promotion places. They sit second in League One with 16 points from their opening eight games, a position they will look to consolidate when they host Leyton Orient next weekend. The team's goal difference stands at plus 7, a key metric in the tightly contested promotion race.
Manager's view
Reading boss Leam Richardson acknowledged the quality of the opposition but felt his side deserved more. "I think for 70 minutes I was really pleased. I thought we were the better team and in control," he said. Richardson also pointed to a strong start to the second period. "From my point of view, you then want to go and win the game, stay strong and keep controlling it."
He praised Bradford City as a consistent team over the last two seasons. Despite his disappointment, Richardson highlighted the performance of goalscorer Godwin-Malife, who he said was excellent for 75 minutes before his decision-making dipped. He added that his team's overall performance was a positive step, but lamented the individual error that led to the Bradford goal.
Squad update
The draw came at a cost for Bradford City, who lost striker Jack Marriott to an ankle ligament injury in training. Managerial comments confirmed he will be sidelined for a number of weeks following a scan. His absence opens a door for other attacking players in the squad to step up during a busy period. The manager confirmed that Calum Kavanagh and Bobby Pointon are among those who will be given opportunities in the coming fixtures.
Looking ahead, the focus shifts quickly to Valley Parade. Bradford City welcome Leyton Orient on Saturday, 10 October. Orient currently sit 11th, making it a key fixture for City to maintain their strong early-season form. The full squad list shows the options available as the team prepares for that match. Following that, City face a midweek trip to face 8th placed Barnsley, a run of games that will test their squad depth.
More detail at Yahoo Sports
Bradford City's unbeaten run now stands at five matches after their 1-1 draw at Reading. The club's recent form is 4W-1D-0L. Data experts Opta have now predicted the final League One table using their supercomputer, factoring in the weekend's results. Bradford City remain second with 16 points from eight games.
