Bradford leapfrog Sheffield Wednesday at League One summit as Alexander shrugs off Preston links

Bantams end 58-year wait and take top spot

Bradford City's 58-year wait for a victory over Luton Town ended in decisive fashion on Saturday, with the result sending the Bantams to the top of League One above Sheffield Wednesday.

It has hardly been a classic in front of goal — Bradford have scored just seven goals in seven games — but they have conceded only four, the joint-best defensive record in the entire EFL. That resilience from front to back has made Graham Alexander's side extremely difficult to beat.

Predictably, given his history at Deepdale as a player, Alexander has been linked with the vacancy at Preston North End. But Aaron McLean, the former striker turned Final Score pundit, believes the Bantams are exactly the right club for him.

"Bradford are a massive club, you only have to listen to the noise they make at Valley Parade and the support they get and Graham Alexander is an outstanding manager who is at the right club for him to continue progressing.

"This season, their bouncebackability has stood out. They won their first two games, then after back-to-back defeats you are looking at them and thinking, 'oh was it just a good start' but then they go and win three in a row, so even in adversity they can bounce back and respond in the right way."

Can the Bantams' defensive platform underpin a promotion push?

The obvious question, McLean acknowledges, is whether such a frugal return in front of goal can power a promotion challenge.

"Is their lack of goals sustainable for a promotion challenge? No, probably not but, at the moment, it hasn't needed to be because they have been so good defensively and so hard to beat.

"And that's from front to back and when they do get their noses in front, they know how to see games out. I expect their conversion rate to improve and Bobby Pointon is a fantastic young striker who I have tipped to be one of the best strikers in the division over the next few seasons."

If Pointon can begin converting Bradford's defensive solidity into goals, the Bantams' early-season perch atop League One could prove to be far more than a curiosity.