Tranmere Rovers look to build on a big win last weekend at home to Salford City, as Micky Mellon’s side hit the road to face Bradford City on Tuesday evening.
Tranmere Rovers could go just one point from the play off places should results go their way tomorrow evening, but a strong Bradford side stand in their way.
The hosts, Bradford City, sit in 8th place in the Sky Bet League Two table, and three points could solidify their position in the play-offs – however, they come into the game with just one win in the last five.
A win for Tranmere on the weekend meant that Rovers have now done the double over Salford City – and Bradford look to do the same to Tranmere this mid-week, with the reverse fixture at Prenton Park in September ending in a 2-1 win for City.
Rovers have won more of fixtures against the Bantams since the first meeting between the two sides in 1927, with Tranmere winning 37 and drawing 20 out of 89 ties.
The home team come into the game with just 5 home wins all season, drawing 6 and losing 3. This could provide motivation for the Whites side visiting The University of Bradford Stadium.
One To Watch: Andy Cook
A familiar name to all Rovers fans, Andy Cook, is one to watch for the Tranmere defence on Tuesday evening.
The English striker, aged 32, started his career in the Carlisle United Academy at a very young age, before signing his first professional contract in 2009. He failed to make an appearance for United, with loan moves out to Workington and Barrow across a 2-year spell.
He later signed permanently for Barrow, and across 3 spells (2 loans and permanent transfer), Cook featured 74 times, scoring 19 goals.
This got his move to Grimsby Town where he stayed for 2 years, scoring 14 in 73 games, before moving back to Barrow for his fourth spell at the club, where he scored 47 goals in 87 games.
He then made his move to Prenton Park, where he was a key part in Tranmere’s promotion back to League Two, scoring 49 goals in 85 games.
Walsall then signed Cook on a permanent basis and moved then to Mansfield in 2019. He enjoyed loan spells with Tranmere Rovers and Bradford, before moving to Bradford on a transfer – and has since made 87 appearances over the two spells, scoring 34 goals.
This season, he has scored 18 goals in 31 games – meaning he is definitely one to watch for Tranmere.
The Manager: Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes is one of the most prolific managers of this footballing era, and has managed Bradford City since February 2022.
Born in Wales, Hughes came through the Manchester United Academy System, where he signed his first professional deal aged 17, playing 89 times for the first team in the heart of the attack, scoring 37 times.
He then joined Barcelona, where he only featured 28 times over a 2-year spell, however, also enjoyed a loan move in Germany with Bayern Munich at this time.
He returned to Manchester United, scoring 83 goals in 256 appearances between 1988 and 1995, before signing for Chelsea.
He also signed for numerous other clubs towards the end of his playing career, including Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers, as well as featuring 72 times for the Welsh National Team.
He took his first step into management as a player-manager, whilst still playing for Southampton, as he managed Wales between 1999 and 2004.
He then took his first step into club management where he managed the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Southampton and Queens Park Rangers, but will be best known for his 5-year management spell at Stoke City.
Match Coverage:
You can also follow the action through our social media channels below, with full text coverage during the fixture, followed by a match report.
Twitter: @tranmererovers
Facebook: @trfcofficial
Instagram: @tranmererovers
Match reaction from Micky Mellon and a player will follow on our website and YouTube channel.