Town will be looking to kick start their new reign under Gavin Gunning with a win against visitors Bradford City this afternoon.
Bradford have had a tricky season so far, but with former MK Dons manager Graham Alexander in charge, the Yorkshire side will be looking for a change of form in the second half of the current campaign.
With only one win in their last seven league games, Bradford will be looking for a win more than ever with their test against Swindon being next up.
A lowdown on the visitors
The club was founded in 1903 and immediately elected to the Football League Second Division. Promotion to the top tier followed as they won the 1907–08 Second Division title and then they went on to win the 1911 FA Cup final, which remains the club's only major honour. They were relegated in 1922 and again in 1927, before winning the Third Division North title in 1928–29. Another relegation in 1937 did allow the club to go on to win the Third Division North Cup in 1939, however, a further relegation followed in 1962 to leave the club in the newly created Fourth Division. They secured promotions back into the third tier in 1969 and 1977 but were relegated in 1972 and 1978. They found success in the 1980s under the stewardship of first Roy McFarland and then Trevor Cherry, winning promotion in 1981–82 and following this up with the Third Division title in 1984–85, though they were relegated out of the Second Division in 1990.
Bradford was promoted back into the second tier via the play-offs in 1996, before securing another promotion in 1998–99 to reach the Premier League, marking a return to the top flight after a 77-year absence. They entered Europe and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000–01 but ended the campaign with relegation from the Premier League. A succession of financial crises followed as the club entered administration twice in two years and further relegations followed in 2004 and 2007 to leave the club back in the fourth tier. They found success under the management of Phil Parkinson by reaching the 2013 League Cup final and then going on to win that year's League Two play-off final but were relegated from League One in 2019.
The club's home ground is the 25,136-capacity Valley Parade, which was the site of the Bradford City stadium fire on 11 May 1985, which took the lives of 56 supporters. They are the only professional football club in England to wear claret and amber and have worn these colours throughout their history. They have though been known by various nicknames, with the "Bantams" being the most used nickname as it appears on the current club crest. Supporters hold West Yorkshire derby rivalries with Huddersfield Town and Leeds United, as well as a historic Bradford derby rivalry with the now non-league side Bradford (Park Avenue).
Iconic Match: Swindon Town 4-1 Bradford City
Swindon's Nathan Byrne scored a 16-minute hat-trick as the Robins came back from a goal down to beat Bradford.
The visitors went ahead early on when Josh Morris struck before Billy Clarke's poor penalty was saved.
After the break, Byrne curled in his first before his close-range finish under goalkeeper Ben Williams put the hosts in the lead.
Byrne's third came after a mazy dribble and striker Jon Obika secured three points when he slotted home the fourth.
Head-to-head
19/20: Swindon Town 1-1 Bradford City
20/21: Swindon Town 1-3 Bradford City
21/22: Bradford City 1-2 Swindon Town
22/23: Bradford City 1-1 Swindon Town
22/23: Swindon Town 1-0 Bradford City
23/24: Bradford City 1-0 Swindon Town
The manager: Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander signed for the Bantams in November 2023, putting pen to paper on a deal until 2026.
Alexander had a long playing career making over 800 appearances for clubs such as Burnley, Preston North End and Luton Town.
He started his managerial career at Fleetwood Town in 2012, in his first full season in charge he guided them through the League Two play-offs and got the club promoted into League One.
Bringing a wealth of experience, he has managed other clubs across the EFL including Scunthorpe United, Salford City and most recently MK Dons. He also had a stint in Scotland with Motherwell, getting them European football.
One to watch: Liam Ridehalgh
The full-back recently extended his stay at the University of Bradford Stadium on an initial one-year deal.
The left-back joined the Bantams in the summer of 2021, and after totalling over 60 appearances in claret and amber, will stay at Valley Parade until at least the summer of 2024.
A product of Huddersfield Town’s academy, the full-back spent the majority of his career at Tranmere Rovers, where he was part of the side that achieved and consolidated their status in the EFL.
Featuring over 200 times for the Birkenhead outfit, and winning their 2019/20 Players’ Player of the Year award, Ridehalgh joined City, where he has been a mainstay at left-back.
