Player Rankings
Power tops the rankings for a second week running while moving up a tier
Max Power becomes Bradford’s first Tier 1 player across a winless five-match window, while injuries to Antoni Sarcevic and Alexander Pattison contribute to their respective falls.
Second week for Power at the top of the rankings
News Images
Max Power has climbed from Tier 2 to become Bradford’s first Tier 1 player, edging clear with 76.1 points across another five-match winless spell. Rotherham’s 2-2 draw drops out of the rolling window, replaced by Bolton’s goalless stalemate—a change that reshapes the rankings without altering Bradford’s frustrating form. The captain now sits 14.91 points ahead of Ibou Touray, who jumped two places to second after moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2. Neill Byrne fell one spot to third despite scoring at Stevenage; his absence from Bolton proved costlier than his goal. Sam Walker’s quiet climb to sixth represents the biggest positional gain (up four places), while injuries sidelined Antoni Sarcevic and Alexander Pattison, both tumbling from Tier 3 to Tier 4 with limited minutes.
Power’s Relentless Consistency Drives Historic Breakthrough
Max Power’s 7.35 average rating across 457 minutes reflects the captain’s relentless presence rather than spectacular moments. Nine key passes, 10 tackles, 77.4% pass accuracy: foundations of Tier 1 status built through work rarely making highlights. His contribution score (48.18) dwarfs his performance score (24.47), testament to Bradford’s midfield structure resting largely on his positioning and distribution.
The Barnsley performance captures Power’s value: five key passes, one assist for Humphrys’ close-range finish, 7.6 rating—his highest across five matches. A late yellow card at Bolton represents the only real blemish. Since returning from suspension in the previous window’s second fixture, he’s started every game, covering ground as results deteriorated around him.
A 14.91-point gap to Touray gives him a cushion, but not much margin for error. Tier 1 only lasts if he keeps this level; one poor game or an injury-enforced absence and someone will close the gap. Alexander has increasingly built his system around Power’s presence; the captain’s elevation backs up that trust while hinting at how exposed Bradford could be if he ever needs a spell out of the side.
Max Power
MIDSummary
This five-game spell began with Barnsley at Valley Parade and ended with a point at Bolton, and across it Max Power increasingly looked like the player Graham Alexander has built his side around. Barnsley was the clearest example: 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. Stevenage demanded something different from him: Power operated in a more defensive role, focused on breaking up play and recycling possession in a second-ball-heavy contest rather than taking creative risks. Lincoln posed the hardest test. 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. At 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.
Bolton showed both sides of his game. Out of possession he sat in front of the back three, made tackles, and helped City absorb long spells of pressure; with the ball, he was the one stepping onto set pieces and almost nicked it with a second-half free-kick that flew just over. A late booking underlined how much defensive work he had to get through. The bottom line is that one assist across these five appearances only tells part of the story about his importance, but it does show how quickly League One managers have learned they need a plan to limit his influence.
Tiers over time
Season Stats
Touray Rises as Byrne’s Bolton Absence Proves Costly
Ibou Touray’s 428 minutes across five matches brought consistent defensive work: nine tackles, three interceptions, 6.93 average rating. The left-back’s assist at Barnsley and strong showings at Bolton (7.5 rating) and Burton (6.9) anchored a defense that conceded five but kept two clean sheets. His Tier 3 to Tier 2 leap reflects sustained improvement.
Neill Byrne’s third-minute goal at Stevenage couldn’t offset his absence from Bolton—the window’s most recent, highest-weighted fixture. The recency multiplier (1.15 for Bolton versus 1.00 for Stevenage) means missing the newest match cost more than scoring in an older one gained. Across four appearances he managed 280 minutes, 6.70 average rating, eight tackles, three interceptions.
Josh Neufville dropped one spot to fourth (1.58 points lost), Joe Wright climbed one to fifth (9.08 points gained). Both remain Tier 2, their defensive numbers broadly comparable: Neufville’s seven tackles and five interceptions across 424 minutes; Wright’s six tackles and five interceptions across 439 minutes. Wright’s superior average rating (7.03 versus 6.99) explains the overtaking.
Injuries Derail Sarcevic and Pattison
Antoni Sarcevic’s 232 minutes across three matches produced one goal (at Barnsley, in the window’s oldest fixture) and little else. An injury in late October disrupted his rhythm, forcing his absence from Stevenage and Burton—two missed fixtures that cost him points in the rankings—before a return from the bench at Bolton. His 6.61 average rating reflects limited involvement when available; his 15.13-point drop reflects injuries preventing consistent selection. The fall from seventh to tenth, Tier 3 to Tier 4, is simply what happens when a player keeps picking up niggling injuries.
Alexander Pattison suffered worse: five places lost, 20.23 points shed, the biggest fall in this week’s rankings. An Achilles issue sustained in mid-October against Barnsley forced him off and disrupted his month, limiting him to three short league appearances (143 minutes) in this window—his 6.68 average rating offering minimal impact. Where Sarcevic at least scored when fit, Pattison’s injury limited him to workmanlike coverage across substitute cameos.
Both are stuck in Tier 4 for now, and the only way out is getting fully fit rather than trying to play through niggles. Alexander has maintained throughout the season that he won’t rush injured players back, preferring caution to risking further damage.
Walker’s Quiet Climb Built on Defensive Foundations
Sam Walker’s four-place rise to sixth (7.97 points gained) came from doing the basics well every week. Two clean sheets (Lincoln, Bolton), 13 saves across five matches, 7.15 average rating. The goalkeeper conceded five—two at Barnsley, two at Burton, one at Stevenage—but his positioning kept Bradford competitive in matches their attacking struggles might otherwise have surrendered.
His contribution score (25.45) reflects the clean sheets and saves; the performance score (21.47) says he’s been solid rather than spectacular. At Bolton his three saves preserved the point; at Burton, two first-half goals left Bradford chasing with little he could do about either finish.
Sam Walker
GKSummary
While Sarcevic, Pattison and Humphrys cycled through injuries and absences, Walker was the constant. All five games, every minute; he was neither rotated nor rested.
Barnsley brought the kind of goal that ends up on highlight reels for all the wrong reasons – Reyes Cleary’s 60-yard lob from his own half. The broader consensus absolved Walker: the strike was outrageous skill rather than goalkeeping error. Against Stevenage’s direct approach, he dealt confidently with high balls and crosses despite conceding early. His best performance of the early part of the run came against Lincoln, where several important saves secured a valuable clean sheet. Walker commanded his area throughout, claiming crosses and starting attacks quickly when City absorbed spells of first-half pressure. At Burton, he conceded twice, but post-match criticism focused on midfield structure rather than goalkeeping.
Bolton may have been his standout display. In front of more than 26,000, Walker made key saves from Amario Cozier-Dubbery and Sam Dalby, held his nerve under a barrage of corners and free-kicks and helped Bradford become the first side to leave with a point in the league there this season. Over these five matches, he let in five goals and recorded two clean sheets. The numbers are still modest, but his consistency and presence in a constantly changing side were quietly important.
Tiers over time
Season Stats
What Next?
Barnsley drops out next week, replaced by Exeter (H) on 29 November. Bradford face bottom-half opposition—Exeter (20th), Plymouth away (23rd), Port Vale away (24th), Reading home (18th)—offering chances to end the six-match winless run. Power’s Tier 1 status demands that he keeps hitting similar levels in higher-weighted future matches; Byrne needs regular selection to reclaim second; Walker must maintain clean-sheet form against strugglers.
The injury situation persists. Sarcevic and Pattison need fitness before minutes, fitness before form. Alexander’s patience with rehabilitation leaves little room for mid-recovery returns. Power dominates when fit, Metcalfe provides steady backup, but depth remains a concern if either drops out. Exeter is a chance to restart the season—or to turn a six-game wobble into seven without a win.
