Sparks could fly as Mark Hughes’ Bradford City seek revenge against Doncaster Rovers following opening-day drama

Sparks could fly when Mark Hughes’ Bradford City side visit this weekend.
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The reverse fixture on the opening day of the season was packed with enough drama and controversy to fill a prime time TV slot despite ending in a 0-0 draw.

With just six minutes on the clock Bradford debutant Emmanual Osadebe broke his leg in two places following a robust tackle from Doncaster’s Liam Ravenhill.

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The then teenager had been a late stand-in for the injured Tommy Rowe.

Bradford City boss Mark Hughes.Bradford City boss Mark Hughes.
Bradford City boss Mark Hughes.

After Ravenhill was removed from the field of play for his own protection, Lee Tomlin saw red in bizarre circumstances.

The home crowd – a League Two record high of 19,368 – grew increasingly frustrated as their expensively assembled side failed to break down a resilient Rovers defence.

Tensions on the pitch reached boiling point at the final whistle, resulting in a red card for Bradford substitute Kian Harratt.

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Hughes couldn’t hide his frustration at full time, telling reporters: “They had a lot of guys going down too easily holding their heads and the ref bought that.

“It was a definite game plan from them and fragmented the game.

“19,000 people came here today to watch a game of football and unfortunately we didn’t really see one because the opposition didn’t want to engage.”

Adam Clayton captained Doncaster that day but will be in opposition colours on Saturday, having joined the Bantams last month and quickly settled into the starting XI.

Bumper Crowd

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With around 4,000 travelling fans making the short journey from West Yorkshire, an electric atmosphere awaits.

It will likely be the best turnout at the Eco-Power Stadium this season and could see more than 10,000 fans in attendance for the first time since February 2022, when 11,217 saw Doncaster defeated by Sheffield Wednesday.

Just two points separate Rovers and Bradford in the tightly congested League Two play-off race with both sides hoping to bounce back from defeat last time out this weekend.

Hughes’ men went down 1-0 at home to Barrow, ending a five-game unbeaten run, while Doncaster’s run of three straight wins and clean sheets came to an end away to Sutton.

George Miller and Caolan Lavery both missed gilt-edged opportunities in that match but will have an extra incentive to perform this weekend, having both previously played for Bradford.