Our prediction for this League 2 match:
Bradford City play host to Rochdale at their Valley Parade in the League Two round 10. The Bantams do not seem to be at their sharpest, with the team failing to win the previous five league fixtures. Bradford City are low on confidence ahead of the visit of Rochdale, and given their anything but good display in a 2-1 loss at Crawley, we do not believe that home win should be considered.
Experienced attacker Andy Cook is widely expected to lead the line for the hosts. The Dale, on the other hand, aim to make amends for a 1-0 loss to Oldham, and seeing that both sides are likely to go for a win in Saturday’s clash, we are tempted to put our money on both teams to score. When the two teams met in the EFL Trophy two years ago Rochdale defeated Bradford City 2-1 at Valley Parade.
Highlighted Player (Anthony O\\\'Connor):
Born in Cork, the Republic of Ireland on October 25, 1992, Anthony O’Connor is a professional footballer who plays for Bradford City as a defender. His primary position is a centre-back, but he is used as both right-back and defensive midfielder as well.
The Irish footballer is a product of the Blackburn Rovers football academy, but he did not see any game action with the Riversiders at senior level. After ending his loan spells with the likes of Burton Albion, Torquay United, and Plymouth Argyle, Anthony O’Connor signed a permanent deal with the Pilgrims in 2015. At the end of the 2014/2015 season, O’Connor returned to Burton, signing a two-year contract with the Brewers.
In the summer of 2016, he moved to Scotland Premier League club Aberdeen where he scored five goals in 61 league appearances. In June 2018 he joined League Two side Bradford City. It has to be noted that Anthony O’Connor has eight caps with the Republic of Ireland U21 team.
Highlighted Team (Rochdale):
Nicknamed the Dale, Rochdale are a professional English club that compete in the League One (English third tier). Rochdale were founded back in 1907, after World War I, with the team beating Accrington Stanley 6-3 in their first league game 14 years later.
The Dale wear blue shirts with black stripes and blue shorts when playing at home, whilst gray is the dominant colour of their away kit. Spotland Stadium is the club’s home ground, with the venue holding no more than 10,249 spectators. Bury and Oldham Athletic are considered the club’s fiercest rivals, but they have built up rivalries with the likes of Halifax Town, Burnley, Stockport County, Wigan Athletic and Accrington Stanley as well.
Back in 1962 Rochdale made it to the Football League Cup final, with the team facing Norwich City in the title game. The Canaries proved to be a big catch for the Dale, but this is still considered the club’s biggest success. It has to be noted that the Spotland Stadium outfit have three Lancashire Cup titles as well (1948/1949, 1970/1971, 2004/2005).