Bradford City

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Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Image source, Getty Images

Bradford City loanee Paul Mullin says the recent lack of opportunity at parent club Wrexham has been difficult to take.

Mullin was Wrexham's leading man during the first two promotions under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, but the 31-year-old found himself on the sidelines for much of last season as they went up to the second tier.

He spent the first half of this campaign on loan at Wigan Athletic before signing for Bradford in the January transfer window.

"It's something I've found quite challenging over the last 18 months. It was sort out of the blue, after everything that I've done and then getting surgery," Mullin said.

"I'm never going to accept it, what happened, because it's something that I find quite tough, but that's football and you move on.

"I've got an opportunity now at a massive club to be successful here and write another chapter in my career.

"I just want to play games and be successful. I don't really feel like I've got anything to prove."

Mullin started up front in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at fellow League One promotion hopefuls Luton Town.

Jamie Raynor
BBC Radio Leeds' Bradford City commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

It's been seven years since Bradford City last went into a January window as a League One team. The new-found novelty would always prove a conundrum.

Positioned third on New Year's Day, would the division's overachievers stick and consolidate their brilliant return to the English third tier, or ambitiously twist and flex their financial weight to keep pace with the automatic promotion race? Now at the conclusion, their position is most probably somewhere in the middle.

Pragmatism partnered with shrewd activity has long been the football club's approach to recruitment, the centrepin of last season's promotion and this season's impressive start.

Last summer, owner Stefan Rupp made it clear to BBC Radio Leeds he had the financial firepower to make Bradford City a Championship outfit and did not require further investment to reach such a level. That statement would be put to its first real test this window.

Stalwarts such as Andy Cook, Brad Halliday and Alex Pattison were all moved on, with fellow promotion winners Calum Kavanagh, Neill Byrne and Lewis Richards also leaving for pastures new. Their departures a timely reminder that evolution has no room for sentiment, but to lose such experience from the changing room could also pose potential risk.

Eight players departed in total, with Tommy Leigh joining League Two Bristol Rovers on loan and Tom McIntyre's loan from Portsmouth cut short early.

Replacing them, a flurry of loan additions - another consistent trend in manager Graham Alexander's pragmatic approach to mid-season squad bolstering.

Oxford United's Louie Sibley was the first to promptly arrive, with the versatile midfielder bringing a wealth of League One and Championship experience at still only 24 years of age. Newcastle United duo Joe White and Harrison Ashby shortly followed, offering competition to the forward line and right wing-back roles respectively.

However, in perfect storm-like conditions, injuries to forwards Will Swan and Antoni Sarcevic, along with a season-worst three straight defeats, saw supporter calls to bring in more striking reinforcements grow louder.

To the club's credit, they certainly responded. Out-of-favour Wrexham forward Paul Mullin was quickly whisked in on loan, with Bradford-born Kayden Jackson 'returning home' from Derby County on a two-and-a-half-year deal shortly after. Both made impactful performances on their debuts.

Deadline day delivered two more additions, with the much-anticipated loan move for young Manchester United forward Ethan Wheatley and then – deal sheets at the ready – the late addition of returning midfielder Lee Evans from Blackpool on a six-month contract.

January has certainly shown how far Bradford City has come in a short space of time, and their play-off position in the League One table has most likely accelerated their evolution from a once routine League Two club.

Only time will tell if this January's recruitment will keep them in the race for back-to-back promotion, against some of the division's financial heavyweights, but it certainly hasn't harmed their chances.

Image source, EFL

A new initiative highlighting the work of football club charities has been launched by the English Football League (EFL).

'Scan to Smile' will be rolled out in stadiums across the EFL from Friday until the end of January, with supporters invited to scan QR codes on posters displayed around grounds.

Each scan will unlock a short, uplifting story from a person whose life has been positively impacted by the support of their local club charity.

The subjects tackled include mental health support, combating loneliness, improving physical wellbeing, employability and confidence.

The EFL said it hoped the initiative would use "the reach and influence of football to offer fans a moment of positivity on matchday".

Trevor Birch, chief executive at the EFL, said: "Behind every club are people whose lives have been positively changed through the work and dedication of their local EFL club charity.

"This initiative gives supporters the chance to see that impact first-hand and reminds us that football truly is a force for good."

Bradford City are close to signing Manchester United striker Ethan Wheatley on loan for the rest of the season after the 20-year-old was recalled from Northampton Town last week. (Sky Sports), external

Want to read more EFL transfer news and rumours? Check out Thursday's gossip column in full here.