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LEAGUE TWO 21st FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP
First Round TOP SCORERS Ade Azeez, Jevani Brown (8)74 Season Preview 2019-20 FourFourTwo
BRADFORD CITY CAMBRIDGE UnITED
2019-20
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
FFTVERDICT
3RD FFT VERDICT
20TH
After one of the worst seasons in
the club’s history, former Blackpool
gaffer Gary Bowyer is the perfect
man to steady the ship and propel
the Bantams upwards once more.
Ruthless in his shake-up and with
some eye-catching signings, there
should be no relegation hangover.Although Cambridge ended the
2018-19 campaign poorly to finish
just six points above the relegation
zone, they were never truly at risk.
The main worry is how much they
will improve this time around. They
certainly need a goalscorer, for
starters. There’s work to be done.The big talking point among the fans
is whether, after Edin Rahic’s ruinous
18-month ownership saw us plummet
to League Two having been in a final
at Wembley and minutes away from
the Championship, we can get shot
of all the players who make this our
best-paid squad since the early 2000s
before they drag us into non-league.
The player I’d happily drive to
another club is all of them. I’d pay for
a 16-seater minibus and drive the 16
contracted players as far away from
Valley Parade as the fuel tank would
allow. Then I’d pay to fill it up again,
keep driving and pay the ferry fee, too.
This season will be different because
Rahic was forced out, because we now
have a manager who is proven at this
level, and because it isn’t scientifically
possible for it to be any worse.
The best away ground is definitely
Morecambe’s. It’s Bradford-on-Sea,
with great pies in the ground. I’ve still
not Googled where Forest Green is.
The pantomime villain will be anyone
to do with Salford – the new Crawley,
Rushden & Diamonds, Fleetwood...
I won’t be happy unless we start to
play 4-4-2 with wingers and a big man
up top next to a fast little tricky chap.
Look out for midfielder Danny Devine.
He made his senior debut in 2016 but
he’s 21 now. League Two could be his
big opportunity this season.
The best club social media account
is @TheWidthofaPost, which is pretty
balanced and fair-minded.
The signature local dish is easy to
guess in Bradford. My personal pick is
a mutton masala (very hot) from the
Sheesh Mahal.
The other recommendation for
away fans is to look at the buildings.
The ones that didn’t get flattened in
the 1960s date from when Bradford
was the richest city in the country.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Gary Bowyer [below] has a good
League Two track record. He does
seem fairly cautious, but that served
us well with Phil Parkinson.
If he left, he should be replaced by
a golden statue of Phil Parkinson.
We’ll finish in May.The big talking point among the fans
is the new kits produced by Hummel,
because they’re absolute worldies!
This season will be different because
Colin Calderwood [above] has sorted
out the defence. Joe Dunne was the
popular choice last season but, due
to a lack of transfers and his admirable
desire to play beautiful football, it just
didn’t work out.
Did you know that Cambridge is the
birthplace of football. In 1848, a group
of Cambridge University students put
together definitive rules and pinned
them up around Parker’s Piece. When
the FA was set up, they adopted these
as the official rules of the game.
Save the date for the local derbies
with Stevenage [September 28 and
January 18]. The first month is key for
us, though. Since returning to League
Two in 2014, Cambridge have a win
percentage of 25 per cent in August.
The pantomime villain will be Kevin
Ellison. It always is, isn’t it?I won’t be happy unless the club are
transparent with supporters regarding
the finances. Thankfully, bridges are
now being built with the introduction
of a fans’ parliament.
Look out for forward Tom Knowles.
The academy product was on every
fan’s lips as the first team struggled.
He has been loaned to seven different
clubs since 2017, and has scored and
made goals wherever he’s been. He
marked his return to the Abbey last
season with a stunning free-kick, so
fingers crossed he gets game time.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that there’s a real trust in Calderwood,
partly as he has bags of experience at
the top level of the English game, but
also because he’s so calm and speaks
with so much clarity. He comes across
as laid-back, yet knows exactly what
he wants to do, the plans he’s going
to put in place, and how he’ll be able
to achieve his targets.
We’ll finish 12th. I’d be happy with
that. It’s probably the toughest one
to call since we were promoted, but
I believe that with efficient spending
and Calderwood at the helm, we’ll
challenge for the play-offs in time.FAn FILE
KEITH WILDMAN
@TheRecordCafe
FAn FILE
OLLIE SLACK
@YABAcufc