Bradford City facing potential triple injury blow ahead of Barnsley clash | OneFootball

Bradford City could be operating without three of their top players for the Barnsley test

Bradford City could be without a number of key players for their home clash with Barnsley, with Andy Cook, Nick Powell and Bobby Pointon carrying knocks.

The Bantams have been one of League One’s surprise packages so far this season, after securing promotion to the division on the final day of last term.

Manager Graham Alexander recruited cleverly during the summer window, bringing in talents such as Max Power, Josh Neufville and Will Swan, who have all performed excellently thus far.

After 11 matches, Bradford sit second in the standings behind Stevenage, another side that have performed higher than predicted during the first quarter of the campaign.

Alexander’s side have enjoyed strong victories over teams such as Stockport County, Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City, who would all be expected to compete for the promotion-paying positions.

These results highlight that the Bantams’ flying start isn’t a fluke, and they have what it takes to defeat even League One’s best outfits.

Up next, Bradford welcome Barnsley to Valley Parade, another team who started the term strongly. The Tykes have wobbled somewhat in recent weeks but are still well in the mix for a play-off fight.

With another three points crucial for both sides, having your best players available for selection is crucial for either manager.

Graham Alexander provides Bradford City injury update ahead of Barnsley game

Given how important securing another win is, Bradford supporters will hope their side can operate at full strength for their clash with Barnsley.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post after Bradford City’s 5-1 triumph over Everton U21s in the EFL trophy, Alexander revealed that a few of his players weren’t at 100 percent fitness.

Andy Cook missed the Everton clash after reporting some discomfort after an in-house game last Friday, while Nick Powell is being assessed after picking up a muscle strain.

Bobby Pointon was another notable absentee against the Toffees after picking up a knock.

"We played a bounce game in-house on Friday because 12 days between two games is a long way to go," stated Bradford’s boss.

"He (Cook) played the full 40 minutes of that. It was just two 20s.

"But he reported a bit of stiffness Monday morning after that, and it was just the risk. He's on cue to train (on Wednesday).

"Nick's picked up an injury so he's going to see somebody today. He’s got a muscle strain.

"Bobby has picked up a knock as well. So we're going to assess him in the next couple of days as well."

Although Bradford City are still waiting to see if three of their players will be available for Barnsley’s visit at the weekend, there was some largely positive news that came out of their battering of Everton U21s.

Calum Kavanagh hasn’t been in action since a friendly with Middlesbrough in late July, when he picked up a shin injury.

However, the 22-year-old played 45 minutes against Everton U21s in the EFL trophy, providing both a goal and an assist to Bradford’s 5-1 victory.

Alexander revealed in his press conference that the plan was to always give Kavanagh 45 minutes, which isn’t a tactic he usually deploys when getting players back to full fitness.

"I told him before the game," revealed Bradford’s boss to the Yorkshire Post. "I don't usually do that, but I didn't want him to hold back in the first half, thinking he had to last 90 minutes.

"I wanted him to play at a high intensity. Him jogging around for 90 minutes is a waste of time.

"He needs to be that little hand grenade all over the pitch.

"Telling him before the game, I thought he’d blast himself for 45 minutes and he did.