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In an interview last week on Sky television Stan said he had just seventeen players and one of those Mark McGregor was still around a month away from playing so if West is ruled out then Stan will have to fill up his bench from outside his first team squad with Matt O’Neill the likely candidate.
There have thankfully been no other injuries reported and so the right back spot could well be the only concern unless Stan is considering a change of formation. I think he is more likely to start with his recent tried and trusted formation although with his comments on Blake getting into the box more he may opt for a 4-4-2 formation with Blake partnering loan player Delroy Facey.
If West is fit he could well take a place on the bench with Roche continuing in the side and that would see us line up: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, David May, Andy Todd, Mo Camara, Ian Moore, Tony Grant, Gareth Farrelly, Luke Chadwick, Robbie Blake, Delroy Facey. Subs: Dean West, Paul Weller, Richard Chaplow, Alan Moore, Graham Branch.
The Clarets team will field two players who have previously played for Bradford City. We signed Robbie Blake from them in January 2002 whilst Delroy Facey spent a loan period with them last season.
Bradford City will come with themselves with a former Claret in goalkeeper Marlon Beresford who will be playing his second game for them. Marlon is now recovered from the back injury that prevented him from signing for York in the summer but does now appear to be suffering from a loss of memory.
He is reported as saying that he has never previously played against the Clarets but did play on the Turf for Middlesbrough reserves. Poor Marlon, his last appearance on the Turf against us was in fact for Wolves reserves early in the 2001/02 season. Not just that, and as we reported earlier this week, he played in a 4th Division game for Northampton Town against the Clarets at the Turf in the 1990/91 season. We won 3-0 with an own goal and goals from John Francis and Roger Eli.
Nicky Law has no injury worries, in fact he is boosted with the return to the squad of Wayne Jacobs and Gareth Edds although both will probably have to settle for places on the bench as Law looks almost certain to field an unchanged side and that would be:
Marlon Beresford, Simon Francis, David Wetherall, Jason Gavin, Paul Heckingbottom, Nicky Summerbee, Paul Evans, Andy Gray, Lewis Emanuel, Dean Windass, Michael Branch. Subs from: Gareth Edds, Wayne Jacobs, Ben Muirhead, Luke Cornwall, Michael Standing, Danny Forrest, Kevin Sanasy.