Bantams are feeling bruised

BRADFORD City will be without a cluster of star players when Burton Albion visit the Coral Windows Stadium tomorrow.

The biggest loss for the Bantams is star winger Omar Daley.

The Jamaica international is still recovering from the serious knee injury which fans claim was the main reason their sideʼs promotion push fizzled out last season.

Other absentees are likely to be midfielders Steve OʼLeary (broken toe) and Chris Brandon (hamstring) and Peter Thorne, last termʼs top scorer, who is nursing a calf strain.

Despite their problems, Stuart McCallʼs men have climbed to ninth place in the table, level on points with Albion, thanks to three successive victories.

Goalkeeper Simon Eastwood believes tighter defending has been the foundation for Bradfordʼs recovery from a poor start to the season.

He said: “Weʼre gelling as a back five, which is important, so itʼs looking good.

“The morale with the lads is high because of the way weʼre playing.

“Weʼve picked it up after the first couple of games and showed the character that we can go out and do it.” The Bantams are expected to include three nonleague recruits in their line-up - centre-half Steve Williams (Bamber Bridge), winger Scott Neilson (Cambridge City) and Guiseley striker James Hanson.

McCall, who coached Albion boss Paul Peschisolido during his playing days with Sheffield United, had to look for basement buys after budget cuts at the former Premiership club.

The fixture takes Albion back to the scene of a heartbreaking FA Cup first round defeat in 1995.

The Brewers, then managed by John Barton, were beaten 4-3 by a late Ian Ormondroyd goal, but the outcome could have been much different.

Minutes before Ormondroydʼs goal, midfielder Doug Keast hit the Bradford crossbar with a longrange lob.

Albion club skipper Darren Stride, who scored twice that day, is the sole survivor in the Burton ranks and would dearly love to see revenge exacted after all those years.

ALBIONʼS League Two rivals Accrington Stanley face a battle for survival Stanley have been given less than eight weeks to find £308,000 by Inland Revenue or face being wound up.

"We really need to pull on heartstrings," chairman David O'Neill said.

"It's amazing how the supporters fund and clubs are joining in, but we just need to have a coordinated approach to collecting money."

A number of initiatives have already been launched which include Burnley's offer to hand over gate receipts from a friendly at Turf Moor on Tuesday.

Accrington chief executive Rob Heys said the gesture will provide impetus to the campaign.

"It's fantastic that a club that have made it into the Premier League and are a long way away from the football scale that we're in have shown that they remember their local neighbours and we're very grateful for that," he said.

"Bury fans have also talked of having a bucket collection .

"A couple of weeks ago there was a lot of talk about fans fighting but things like this sum up what football is all about."

Accrington were served with a winding up order in May for unpaid taxes, with the club understanding they had 12 months to find the money.

But following a change in the deadline, O'Neill said they had to rethink their strategy.