Bradford City captain Antoni Sarcevic believes Thursday night’s showdown with Sheffield Wednesday presents the perfect opportunity for the Bantams to send an early warning to their League One rivals.
The newly promoted side travel to Hillsborough knowing they will face one of the teams widely expected to compete near the top of the division.
The match, which will be live on Sky Sports, comes with the League One season still in its infancy. But Sarcevic insists that makes the encounter even more intriguing rather than less important.
“It’s going to be unbelievable,” Sarcevic told Sky Sports. “Hillsborough’s always a great place to go. I’ve had so many good games there where the atmosphere’s unbelievable.
“We’ll take so many fans with us and, even though it’s as early as it is, I think it’s going to be a game that could sort of show where each other are at for the season.
“I know it’s only the second game in and I’m not disrespecting any other team in the league, but Sheffield Wednesday are a team that, at the start of the season, everyone would tip to be challenging at the top end.
“That’s where we see ourselves, so I think it’s going to make for a really good game.
“We’re all excited, we can’t wait for it and hopefully it’ll be a good one for us.”
Bradford’s promotion to League One last season was followed by an impressive campaign that saw them go all the way to the play-offs.
Their promotion charge eventually ended in the semi-finals against Bolton, but the experience has strengthened the belief inside the Bradford camp.
Sarcevic, who has been handed the captaincy, says the club’s ambitions have moved beyond simply establishing themselves in the division.
“It’s not only because of the disappointment [of losing in the play-offs], but with the way our gaffer thinks and the way this football club thinks, we definitely want to be challenging at the top end this year after what we did last season,” he said.
Bradford have also strengthened their squad during the summer, bringing in players with established League One experience.
For Sarcevic, that additional quality could make the difference as Bradford attempt to turn last season’s surprise run into something even bigger.
“We’ve brought in some good lads, good players and established League One players who I think will really benefit this team this season.
“Last season we were a bit of a surprise package, coming up from League Two, and what we did last year was unbelievable. We’ve added such good strength to our squad now.
“We’ve got a lot of options and a lot of experienced League One players who I feel will benefit and help the team a lot this season.
“I think we’ve got to look at it that way. The year we had last year, we can’t just accept that or think that was a one-off. We want to go again and go one better this season.”
The visit to Sheffield Wednesday offers Bradford more than another league fixture. It is an early examination of whether their ambitions can withstand the pressure of facing one of League One’s heavyweight contenders.
For Sarcevic, the message is clear: Bradford are not entering the campaign simply to enjoy their return to the division.
And with a strong travelling support expected at Hillsborough, Thursday night could provide the Bantams with their first major opportunity to prove that last season’s remarkable campaign was not a one-off, but the beginning of something bigger.
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