Pile-up

Last night's home draw with Brentford in the FA Cup means that there'll be yet another game for the Bantams to schedule before Christmas. From mid September to New Year's Day, they'll have had exactly two midweeks free of games. This is a combination of a) the number of cup games they've been involved in; b) the season starting two weeks later than normal because of the Olympics, and ending a week sooner because Wembley is needed for the Champion's League final on the day the Fourth Division play-off final is usually played; and c) the fact midweek games have generally been moved from the winter to the autumn in light of the last few bad winters and mass postponements.

That four of the games have gone to extra time - and potentially a fifth - means that the game on December 29th against Rochdale will be the equivalent of a 38th game of the season. That's a whole Premier League season, in half the time available. It looks highly likely that if they're involved in the playoffs, they'll be into the realm of playing 60 games, before any potential further advance in cup matches is is considered. With a small squad, already robbed of three central defenders through very serious injuries, that's a big ask.

Odd thing is, I was looking back at the 1995-96 season on Soccerbase to check on something I put on twitter related to the sacking of the Micky Mellon below. That season, we played.......60 games. The normal 46 in the league, six in the league cup (in the days of two legged ties), three in the FA cup, two in whatever the Johnstone's Paint Trophy was called at the time*, and three in the playoffs. But I don't remember that season as overly fixture congested. Of course, the playoffs extended the season to the last weekend in May, which might have something to do with it.

We still have some way to go to match Stockport's season a year later. In the 1996-97, they played 67 (!) games: 46 in the league; 11 in the league cup where they reached the semi-final; 4 in the FA Cup, and 6 in the Auto Windscreen Shield where they lost the two-legged northern final.

* Wikipedia tells me they were eliminated by the drawing of lots - trust something as weird as that to happen to them - after a three team group between themselves, Carlisle and Doncaster resulted in three 1-1 draws and all sides having an equal record. Further advance would have added even more games to the total.