Notts County will have one lingering Bradford City worry as they pursue promotion | OneFootball

The Magpies have the league's best away record, but they still face a trip to Valley Parade.

Notts County will have a lingering doubt over their trip to face Bradford City midway through April.

The Magpies have currently taken the most points away from home in the whole of League Two and, given their recent struggles at home, their three remaining tests away from Meadow Lane could be vital opportunities to pick up points in the race for promotion.

In the middle clash of those three away games, they travel to Valley Parade to take on Bradford. Graham Alexander’s side boast the division’s best home record and have lost just twice on home turf all season.

As far as League Two football goes, there simply aren't many tougher tests than the prospect of a trip to take on the Bantams. Bradford are averaging crowds of over 17,000 so far this season and even pulled in 23,000 through the gates for their victory over Colchester United in March, as part of a ticket offer put on by the club.

When things are going well, their fans can create a formidable atmosphere, producing an intimidating environment for visiting teams.

Up until their defeat to Tranmere midway through last month, Alexander's men had won 10 consecutive games on home turf. The strength of that run was compounded by the fact they conceded just three times throughout that entire spell.

Notts' clash with Bradford is a game that could be pivotal to both clubs’ promotion aspirations and, if they were to fall to defeat in West Yorkshire, it would surely put more pressure on them to win their remaining home games.

Notts have the division’s best away record

In a season of continuous twists and turns in League Two, Notts boosted their hopes of a top three finish with a commanding 3-0 win over MK Dons on Wednesday night.

The Magpies kept their 16th clean sheet of the season in midweek, once again showcasing the huge strides they have made defensively since last season.

Only Colchester and AFC Wimbledon have kept more clean sheets than Stuart Maynard’s side this term, and that rear guard effort has been crucial to their impressive form on the road.

Their previous victory away at Newport County last Saturday was their ninth of the campaign away from Meadow Lane and they have now taken 33 points from their 20 away games, a total which is the highest of anyone in League Two and accounts for over 50% of their current points total.

That away record has been particularly important for the club over the last month or so, when they’ve found playing on home turf to be a challenge at times.

The Magpies had taken just five points from a possible 15 at Meadow Lane across late February and then March, a run which included defeats to both Chesterfield and Barrow.

That, in part, can be attributed to the fact that their style of football is arguably better suited to playing away from home, where opposition teams tend to feel a little braver and are more willing to attack them, leaving gaps in their shape in the process.

The midweek win over MK showed signs that Notts are beginning to get over the issues they have while playing in NG2, which could be crucial if they are to get over the line and secure promotion to League One. But for now, it’s fair to say that their away form has played a huge part in ensuring their push for promotion has survived the last few weeks.

Maximum points away from home would go a long way to helping Notts’ promotion push

With the way League Two has been this season, it would be no surprise at all to see the race for automatic promotion go down to the final day of the season.

81 points has been enough to finish in the top three in two of the last four years in the EFL’s basement division. However, such has been the level of competitiveness so far this term, it’s very plausible that a team could go promoted with a total of below 80 points.

With that in mind, Notts could need to find another 12 points from their remaining six league games.

With trips to face Colchester and Bradford still to come, the Magpies face some tough assignments ahead of them, but, if they could pick up a reasonable points return from their three remaining away games, it could go a long way towards booking their place in League One for next season.

Victory at Harrogate, combined with a solid return from their two slightly sterner tests would at the very least take some of the pressure off their remaining home games.

Bradford, though, remains the elephant in the room. There will be no gimmies at Valley Parade and Notts will have to be at their best on their travels to maximise their chances.