Bantams boss: Unpredictable scores are beauty of League Two

The Bantams are trying to make it three wins on the bounce when they tackle recent leaders Gillingham tomorrow.

They face opponents reeling from three straight losses, including a home defeat last week against Accrington who were second from bottom.

That shock result and Morecambe climbing off the foot of the table by winning at high-flying Barrow are reminders of the unpredictable make-up of the fourth tier.

Alexander said: “I think that’s the beauty of this division and English football. I don’t think there are any gimmes because it’s such a competitive country.

Ex-City loan striker Dara Costelloe scores Accrington's winner at Gillingham (Image: PA)

“The supporters demand that. Nobody goes with their heads bowed waiting to be beaten.

“That’s why if you let your guard down, you’re going to get a slap. We don’t want to get slapped too often.”

City go into the game in seventh spot, a point behind fifth-placed Gillingham and three off leaders Port Vale. But Alexander is not consumed with the “volatile” league table.

“Traditionally, League Two is the most competitive division,” he added. “Teams can finish near the bottom one season and be in the play-off picture or even the top three the next because there’s such turnover of people at this level.

“It’s not a surprise when you see the table and who’s up there and who’s not. It’s quite volatile in that respect.

“We take our season so far as a case in point. When we had everyone fit and available and strong, we were picking up really good results.

“When we lost a lot of players in a really short space of time, we had a difficult moment. We’ve recovered from that.

“It’s not just the ones returning but those other players have had time to settle into the team and find their feet.

“Each team have their challenges during a season and sometimes it can affect results.

“We’re going to have days when we’re not at our best but we still have to churn out performances and points.

“If you do the basics well, your confidence grows from that.”

City showed they could string winning runs together last season and fans will be hoping to see a similar snowball effect after the back-to-back victories over Newport and Tranmere.

Bobby Pointon celebrates his goal in the win against Newport (Image: Thomas Gadd)

But Alexander insists the mindset in the squad must remain on the level.

“We know we’re capable of that but that belief can be punctured at any time.

“We can’t be too dramatic about things. If we win a couple, we don’t go too high and if we don’t, then we’re not on the floor.

“We’ve got good, experienced players in the squad that can help each other and communicate that balance that’s needed.

“We have to reset each week and make sure we’re ticking a lot of boxes to win a game of football.

“It’s topsy-turvy. It’s about people, character and personality and the more you work with players, the more you get to know what makes them tick.

“The biggest challenge is being the best we can be. We’re wrong if we think we’re there and can just focus on other people.

“We have to be sure we produce our best game because anyone can beat anyone at any level – internationally, League Two, Premier League – if you’re not right.

“The ones that have consistency year in, year out have the best mindsets.

“I think we’ve made great strides with that as a group of people. We’ve had our challenges and faced up to them and been humble enough to put the work in to correct them.

“That stands us in good stead for the future because there will be many more challenges to come.”