Tuesday 8 April 2008
Coca-Cola Football League 2
Bradford City vs Barnet

Welcome to the Coral Windows Stadium for this evening's visit of Barnet. We extend our usual warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters who have made the long trip north for this evening's match.

This fixture was originally due to be played earlier in the season but was postponed due to Barnet's involvement in the latter stages of the FA Cup. I am sure that success provided a welcome boost to the coffers at Underhill, something which will also be true for Barnsley whose cup run finally came to an end with defeat at Wembley on Sunday. They will, of course, be disappointed that they did not make it all the way to the Final, but their success again shows just what is possible for clubs from the lower leagues.

It would be nice to think that at some point we will enjoy a decent run in one of the three cup competitions. The Johnstone's Paint Trophy, which is realistically our best chance of enjoying cup glory, seems to have also found a new lease of life just recently with almost 60,000 fans attending the Final last weekend.

I am sure the money that Barnet have made this year will be put towards strengthening the squad for next season. After starting this campaign very strongly, they have slipped away from the top of the league as the months have gone on, but they have still achieved a very respectable position in mid-table.

Talking of squad strengthening, over the next few days and weeks, Stuart will be making decisions on a number of players whose contracts are up at the end of the season. Some of the recent performances may have made his job a little harder than it might have been a few weeks ago - and certainly a lot harder than it would have been in the first half of the season.

One player you will have already read about is Peter Thorne who has agreed to extend his contract by another year which I am sure we are all pleased about. Peter wasn't really 100% fit until November and since that time he has averaged one goal every two games which is an excellent ratio for any striker. It is a shame our recent good run has come a little too late in the season, with our faint play-off hopes dying ultimately at Rochdale last week, however it has left us in much better heart as we prepare for the new campaign.

Away from matters on the pitch, I would like to give a little plug to the Bradford City Golf Day which we are holding for the first time in a number of years at Hollins Hall on April 30. There are still a couple of places available for teams of four and I am sure that it will prove to be an extremely enjoyable day out. Anyone interested should please contact our marketing department.

There might be a few divided loyalties amongst our friends from Bradford & Bingley this afternoon as the company is not only our main shirt sponsor but also that of Barnet through its Mortgage Express business. However, let's hope it is ourselves who are celebrating come the end of the night and we succeed in achieving three back-to-back home wins for the first time in a very long time indeed!

Enjoy the game

Julian Rhodes
Joint Chairman