Who are ya?

Last updated : 08 July 2007 By Gary Moss

The Bantams were a Premiership club seven years ago but now they find themselves demoted to the depths of League Two.


Bradford
are on the slide but surely a club with their stature cannot sink any lower.


A twenty-second place finish saw them face relegation last season, four points

McCall...Midfield general to dynamic boss
adrift of safety, but with dynamic boss Stuart McCall now properly installed as manager, they will be confident of a swift return to League One.


The Bradford veteran enjoyed eleven seasons as a player at Valley Parade making an impressive 395 appearances and it will take equal loyalty as coach to lift the Bantams back to the glamorous end of English football.


This season looks set to be 'back to basics' for City as they go in search of promotion at the first time of asking.


McCall has snatched Wayne Jacob's from Halifax Town to act as his assistant and he's an able man for the job. His experience of the lower leagues should put them in good stead.


His recruitment comes at a price though as Bradford face a tribunal hearing to a compensation package for his services.


Meanwhile, 36-year-old David Wetherall has been re-instated as club skipper in an effort to bring back some stability.


The reliable centre-back is a seasoned star of the Football League and should provide the ideal backbone for success.


Bradford
fans will feel slightly aggrieved after glancing at the fixture list including trips to places like The Fraser Eagle, Spotland and Underhill.


But, such is football, it is what happens on the field that determines your future and quite frankly the Bantams were poor beyond belief last season.


They won only five games at Valley Parade all season and as a result suffered relegation to the fourth tier.


Home form is the key to both survival and promotion and if they wish their dreams of going up to materialise, this issue will need addressing from the outset.


Bradford's fate was finally sealed on the penultimate game of the season as 1,700 Bantam fans made the trip to Chesterfield.


An embarrassing 3-0 defeat confirmed their relegation and yet another drop

Windass...Did his departure spark relelgation?
down the football league ladder.


Former boss Colin Todd blames earlier follies for the demise of the club though.


He believes that sale of vital players earlier in the season doomed them to the drop.


Todd parted company with City in February, in sixteenth position and five points above the trap door. But, influential winger Jamie Johnson, Nathan Doyle and striker Dean Windass were all off-loaded in a bid to cure the cash strapped club.


From this point on, Bradford lacked creation and this soon drained their belief as they plummeted into the bottom four.


What's gone is gone, and although that will not be of any consolation to their loyal fans, it is time to look forward.


The new season is upon us and boss McCall has breathed fresh air into the club. Strike pair Peter Thorne and Barry Conlon are his only additions of summer so far as he seeks to form a settled side.


The experienced front pair look to have all the credentials to help City challenge at the top and they'll be hoping their goals lead for an instant return to League One. Automatic promotion will be a big ask with the expected strength of depth in the division, but you would expect them to be amongst the play-off places by May.