Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has called on his players to be creative in front of goal during their trip to AFC Wimbledon in League Two.
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00:00Several weeks ago a charge for automatic promotion perhaps seemed an unlikely idea for those at Bradford City, including manager Graham Alexander, and yet now this is a distinct possibility.
00:11Bradford City remained unbeaten in January in all competitions, winning the majority of their matches, including an impressive 3-0 win over league leaders Walsall at Valley Parade.
00:21The accumulated points have seen them move into 4th place and level on points with 3rd placed Notts County, who sit inside the all-important automatic promotion spots.
00:32With promotion rivals Wimbledon next up, what can Bradford expect from their fixture and how will they aim to continue their winning run against a very able side?
00:43I would guess it will be a tight encounter. I think there will be margins that you want to go your way but every duel will be fiercely contested I think from both teams.
00:55I think it's a game, I think earlier this season they were exceptionally hard to break down and I think the same will be the same on Saturday but we could have said the same going into the Walsall game as well
01:09and we could have scored more than the three that we got so each game is a challenge. I don't want to get bogged down on just certain parts of it.
01:17I think we have to take Wimbledon as a whole and make sure we compete on both sides. It's not just going there to defend and press but we have to be creative as well
01:26and I think the balance from the team is there at the moment. We have to work exceptionally hard to keep it so it's going to be a competitive game.
01:36There is clearly confidence at the club regardless of who the opposition is as was shown against Walsall with Alexander highlighting the need to use that to be creative in advanced areas of the pitch.
01:47The need for balance and stability will remain important though which Alexander also made abundantly clear in his press conference.
01:56Alexander also revealed that he still has a full squad for the tie against Wimbledon with no fresh injury concerns at present, something which has given him a selection headache
02:06although he remarked that this was a good thing from his perspective, albeit frustrating for those who have not played as regularly as others in the squad.
02:17The need for a capable squad at this stage of the season is paramount however as games can change with substitutions or in-game changes in tactics.
02:26Alexander has given lots of praise to his squad in recent weeks and believes that they are capable of achieving something special this season
02:35and he was also confident that no members of the team would bring standards down.
02:41This has been evident in recent weeks given the unbeaten spell but Alexander and his players know it will need to continue if they are to maintain their promotion push
02:50and even to challenge to be in the top three come the end of the season in May. That would certainly be a brilliant achievement for all at the club.