Player Rankings
Power Tops Rankings List for First Time
Max Power's 7.38 average rating secures top spot for the first time across Bradford's five-match winless spell, edging Neill Byrne by just 0.46 points, while Bobby Pointon's return from injury sparks a six-place surge.
Max Power ranked number one.
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Max Power tops this week’s player rankings for the first time this season, rising from third to first despite a five-game winless run complicated by injuries throughout the squad. Bobby Pointon returned from a shoulder injury to surge six places, while Antoni Sarcevic and Stephen Humphrys missed matches through injury, forcing Graham Alexander into constant rotation. The captain's score of 68.13 edges Neill Byrne (67.67) and Josh Neufville (61.11) across matches against Rotherham, Barnsley, Stevenage, Lincoln, and Burton. Pointon's leap from 18th to 12th marks the biggest rise, while Tyreik Wright drops five spots to 16th. All this resulted in one player achieving the required points to be classed in Tier 1 - top form, with Tier 2, strong form, hosting 3 players.
Four Draws, One Loss Through Injury-Hit Spell
These five matches brought Bradford's worst league sequence since promotion—0.8 points per game from four draws and one loss. At Rotherham on 2 October, they trailed 2–0 before Sarcevic's 56th-minute strike and Pattison's late equaliser salvaged a point. Against Barnsley, Sarcevic and Humphrys twice gave Bradford the lead, only for Reyes Cleary’s spectacular 60-yard strike and Patrick Kelly’s equaliser to earn Barnsley a draw.
At Stevenage, both Sarcevic and Humphrys were unavailable through injury, forcing Alexander to shuffle his front three. Byrne's early goal raised hopes of taking top spot, but Harvey White's 18th-minute volley ensured a 1–1 draw. Bradford's goalless draw with Lincoln saw Pointon remain sidelined recovering from his shoulder problem. Burton's 2–1 victory on 8 November completed the winless run. Jake Beesley and Charlie Webster scored within five first-half minutes before Pointon's penalty offered brief hope.
Power Hits 7.38 Average Despite Winless Run
Power missed the first match—suspended for the Rotherham draw—but his four subsequent appearances showed why Alexander built his midfield around him. His 7.38 average rating across 360 minutes led all regular starters. He created nine chances and assisted Humphrys at Barnsley, though Bradford scored just six across five matches. Power's return brought three draws across four matches—only Burton inflicted defeat. Without him at Rotherham, they trailed 2–0 before Pattison's 81st-minute rescue.
Max Power
MIDSummary
The captain’s suspension at Rotherham was keenly felt in a makeshift midfield that never quite settled during the 2–2 comeback from 2–0 down. His first game back, against Barnsley, showed the difference: Power was everything Bradford thought they were signing – an assist, constant availability to receive, and the vision to move the ball from side to side and into dangerous areas. He controlled the tempo for 90 minutes in a game where City generated 26 shots to Barnsley’s 10, drawing on multiple League One promotions’ worth of experience. It was a key moment in his season.
Then opponents adjusted. As it happened, Stevenage demanded something different from him: Power operated in a more defensive role, focused on breaking up play and recycling possession in a hostile, second-ball-heavy contest rather than taking creative risks. Lincoln posed the hardest test of this five-game run. Michael Skubala dropped James Collins deeper to create an extra midfielder, crowding Power and Jenson Metcalfe in central areas. Power kept demanding the ball despite being outnumbered, but struggled to unlock the compact block in front of him. By Burton, the pattern was familiar. His positioning became part of the problem – too deep to hurt Burton, and unable to move the ball cleanly through a packed midfield. The bottom line is that one assist across four appearances only tells part of the story about his importance, but it does show how quickly League One managers learned to limit his influence.
Tiers over time
Season Stats
Byrne Falls to Second Despite Goal at Stevenage
Neill Byrne's fall from first to second belies continued defensive excellence. The centre-back scored Bradford's opener at Stevenage, with Ibou Touray's cross finding him unmarked after three minutes. His 369 minutes across all five matches brought nine tackles and six interceptions, yet his 6.22 average rating—including a 5.0 mark in a brief substitute appearance against Burton—couldn't match Power's consistency.
Byrne's contribution score of 52.84 actually exceeds Power's 41.38, reflecting the defensive foundation he provided. Josh Neufville completes the top three despite slipping from second, appearing in all five matches while contributing one assist alongside seven tackles. His 7.5 rating against Barnsley came without a goal involvement, yet his 7.00 average and 41.53 contribution score couldn't prevent Power's rise. Neufville sits 7.5 points clear of fourth-placed Ibou Touray (53.63)—a three-man breakaway at the top.
Pointon Penalty Sparks Six-Place Climb
Bobby Pointon's leap from 18th to 12th is the biggest riser this week. The 21-year-old academy product appeared in the opening match at Rotherham (6.3 rating, 90 minutes) before picking up a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the next three games—Barnsley, Stevenage and Lincoln. His return came against Burton, where he converted a 76th-minute penalty in front of the Kop end. Alexander had backed Pointon to take the spot kick despite his injury absence, and the 7.2 rating reflected broader contributions beyond the penalty.
Pointon's 180 minutes across two appearances makes his six-place surge a reminder of the quality he provides. His total score climbed from 16.09 to 28.01, showing how productivity per minute can drive rankings even without regular starts.
Bobby Pointon
MIDJoe Wright rises four places to sixth, featuring in all five matches despite Bradford's injury-disrupted rotation. His 7.00 average rating matched Neufville's while his defensive work—five tackles and four interceptions across 342 minutes—provided consistency when results disappointed. Stephen Humphrys rises three places to ninth after scoring against Barnsley in a 7.3-rated performance, though he missed Stevenage through injury days later. Selection fragmentation ran through the entire period—Sarcevic and Pennington injured, Pattison carrying problems, rotation forced rather than chosen.
Tyreik Wright drops five places to 16th. The winger’s 180 minutes were spread across a mix of starts and substitute appearances, with his 7.3 rating at Stevenage suggesting effectiveness when given time. Yet Alexander's selections consistently favoured other options, partly because injury forced squad management choices rather than purely tactical ones.
Tyreik Wright
MIDRotherham drops from the five-match window next, replaced by the crunch trip to high-flying Bolton. Strong performances against top opposition carry extra weight through the opponent difficulty multiplier, while poor ratings cost more. Power can extend his lead with another 7+ display. Byrne needs a clean sheet to close the 0.46-point gap. Pointon's momentum from the penalty could continue if selected. One match at Bolton could reshuffle the top ten and reveal who truly steps up when Bradford need them most.
