Bradford City have key Valley Parade advantage over Walsall and other promotion rivals - it peaked v Tranmere | OneFootball

The Bantams are living up to their reputation of having the best home support in the fourth tier

The race for promotion in League Two shows no signs of letting up right now, with plenty of teams still harbouring hopes of finishing in the top three at the end of the season.

Walsall are wavering, Colchester are on the charge, and Bradford City are building up a head of steam as we enter the crux stage of the campaign in the fourth tier, with everything still up for grabs with nine matches remaining.

While they may have lost their last two, the Bantams had lost just twice in their last 20 league matches before then, with Graham Alexander’s side positioning themselves in second spot, with a three-point buffer within the automatic promotion places.

The whole city seems to be getting behind their side’s promotion push right now, with Valley Parade proving to be an intimidating venue for any visiting side, and that considerable home advantage could make all the difference in the run for promotion.

Bradford City continue to lead the way in League Two promotion stakes

With a number of incentives run by the club, Bradford have consistently had the highest attendances in the fourth tier, with those in attendance rarely falling below 15,000 across the current campaign.

With an average of 16,764 through the gate so far this season, the Bantams have an average crowd that dwarfs the rest of the division, with Notts County (10,433) the only other side to reach five figures.

The number of locals coming through the turnstiles is double all but two sides in the division, with promotion rivals AFC Wimbledon, Doncaster Rovers and Port Vale average around the 7,000 mark, while league leaders Walsall have failed to average 6,000.

The belief is growing each week within the Yorkshire outfit, and as we reach the point where each and every game can be vital in the push for promotion, even more people are coming through the gate, with a season-high 18,845 taking their seat for the visit of Tranmere Rovers last time out.

As always seems the case in football, that big day out was spoiled by relegation-threatened Rovers stealing a 1-0 win thanks to Josh Hawkes penalty, as City missed the chance to draw level on points with the league-leading Saddlers after tasting defeat.

Those crowd numbers are only going to swell as the season hots up in the next few weeks, and there is no place like Valley Parade once it gets bouncing, with the Bantams needing plenty of support for four crucial home matches on their agenda before the end of the campaign.

High-flying Colchester United come to town this weekend, before play-off contenders Crewe Alexandra and Notts County make the visit to Yorkshire in April, before the season comes to a climax in a home clash with Fleetwood Town in May.

If things continue as they are, the atmosphere will be at fever pitch come the visit of the Cod Army, where the Bantam Brigade will be out in force to try and get their team over the line.

Bradford City use Valley Parade factor to their advantage

It hasn’t always been the case that Bradford have used the intimidatory factor of Valley Parade to their advantage, with only nine home wins last season emphasising that fact.

The hosts could buckle under the pressure of having to perform to the masses each week, with a huge crowd also adding to huge expectations put on their shoulders, with promotion always the aim of the game for the former Premier League side.

But this campaign it has been a much different story, with no side coming close to their 14 league wins on their own turf, with the Tranmere loss marking just the second time a team had come away from their lair with three points all season.

45 points from 19 matches marks a massive return for a side who have been in outstanding form since the start of December, with their previous dropped points at home coming three weeks before Christmas.

Once the City support gets roused, there are few places like it across England, never mind just in the fourth tier, with its hodgepodge nature only lending to its charm as they urge their side on to victory.

The Kop itself holds more fans than most grounds in the division, and as they continue to whip up into a frenzy with every passing match day, the Bantams are finally using their considerable stature to their advantage this season, with promotion the most realistic it has looked in some time.