(Image: Max Lomas)
WEDNESDAY night is a big deal for Bradford City Women, as they host neighbours FC Halifax in the FA Women’s National League Division One North.
The newly-promoted Bantams are looking to kickstart an upturn in form, with four league defeats in a row seeing them slip to third-bottom.
But they are also hoping to showcase their new home ground, the Regal Interiors Stadium, on a big occasion.
Scheduling clashes mean they have had to leave their long-time ground, Bradford (Park Avenue)’s Horsfall, so Wednesday represents a chance to show fans it is worth the extra miles to come and see them in Silsden.
City’s head coach and chairman Qasim Akhtar said: “It’s a shame we've had to move on from Bradford (Park) Avenue, but Silsden is an unbelievable facility.
“The people down there are amazing people and we want to create a fantastic atmosphere on Wednesday.
“We want as many people through the door as possible and it's obviously half term, so we're doing a couple of things like little Halloween competitions.
“For the game itself, we want the best atmosphere we can have to help us get three points.”
Silsden is not the obvious destination for a Bradford City side to play their home games, but Akhtar said: “Even though we've moved away from Bradford (Park Avenue), we've still got access to some of the best facilities in the trips.
“I know there's a lot of Bradford City fans on that side the Bradford district anyway.
“But the fans we've had that have been with us for the last few years, while we’ve played at Horsfall, we want to see those guys travelling over and being a part of it.
“We want them to continue being almost like our 12th person behind us.”
City will go into the game as underdogs, having only just been promoted, with Halifax two leagues above them last season.
Fax have started with six league wins from seven, as well as beating City 3-0 in the FAWNL League Cup.
They sit second in the table behind Leeds and asked what his side can do to close the gap to sides like that, Akhtar said: “With hard work and to keep working on the things that we can control.
“We want to keep improving every day and to keep getting better at the one percenters.
“After that, you turn up on the pitch and it's 11 players against 11 players, so whoever can show more quality and make less mistakes usually wins the game.”
City’s sticky patch right now does look likely to continue on Wednesday, but Akhtar insists there are mitigating circumstances as to why they have faded of late.
He said: “We’ve had injuries and some big players are out for us.
“Charlie Ramsden's not kicked a ball this season yet and Sydney Schenk played a few minutes in the first game then struggled from there.
Poor Charlie Ramsden is yet to play this season due to injury. (Image: Max Lomas)
“Hopefully we'll have Sydney back in the next few weeks.
“Marcie Heckingbottom, who we signed over the summer, she's been out, and Tara Duce has just come back into the squad.
“These are players that are competing for a starting shirt every week.
“To be missing four or five players from your squad when it isn't the biggest in the league anyway is difficult.
“But it's football, you get on with these things, you control what you can, and you work hard to get better every day.”