Bradford City's blueprint to get back to the Championship is clear after two big announcements | OneFootball

Supporters hope that manager Graham Alexander and star player Bobby Pointon can fire the club to success after new deals.

Bradford City fans are hoping that the club’s fast start to life in League One continues after two key pieces of the squad recently penned long-term deals.

Manager Graham Alexander and homegrown talent Bobby Pointon were handed new contracts in July and August, keeping them at the club until 2028 and 2027 respectively. After taking The Bantams to promotion in May, Alexander has insisted that progress will not stop at the third tier. The club, who previously knocked on the door of the Championship in 2017, will be hoping to establish themselves as a top League One side immediately upon their return.

Pointon will also play a massive role in realising this target; the midfielder has been a constant presence since his transition into the first-team squad, scoring 13 times in claret and amber.

Bradford fans pleased to see the pair extend amid solid League One start

The moves were welcomed by supporters, who see the pair as integral to the club’s future, and as an embodiment of the positive work that Bradford have done over the summer. The Bantams have added multiple names to an already capable squad, which puts them firmly in with a chance of a top-half finish.

If City are to achieve this, the side must show that they can challenge the division’s top teams, and a victory over 24/25 play-off semi-finalists Wycombe in the season opener is a step in the right direction. And like that fixture, comprising of two goals in the first 15 minutes, a ‘fast out of the blocks’ mindset may well translate in their league process during the first weeks and months. If, by Christmas, City have amassed a reasonable point tally, there is nothing in their way of putting together a promotion bid.

City must begin unfazed, and in his interviews, Alexander often talks about targets and how he wants to continue to make progress.

League One is a harder league, but the matching that gap in quality is not completely unattainable in City’s first season back. Other teams have done it well, with a handful of sides going on to win back-to-back promotions in recent years.

The most notable example of this feat can be seen across the border at Wrexham, where former Bantams boss Phil Parkinson has overseen the club’s rise from the National League to the Championship in three seasons. While the financial backing of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny cannot be ignored, on the pitch the side have demonstrated that continued progress is achievable.

Alexander and Pointon symbolise culture change

A three-year deal for Alexander also comes as a statement of intent from the Bradford City board. It establishes that the club are serious about achieving. As for Pointon, keeping him put is a smart move, and if he continues in his excellent creative output, Bradford have a real chance.

Both contracts signify a renewed era at Bradford, and Alexander has done an extraordinary job of spearheading a culture change at the club since his appointment as manager in 2023. Progress is no longer a buzzword at Valley Parade, instead becoming emblematic of Alexander’s reign. With him in charge, the club’s hierarchy can rest assured that success will continue to follow with the right backing.