Survival the only priority for Bradford City

Just five points separate the bottom seven sides in League Two and the Bantams’ presence at that end of the table has come as a surprise to many, given the expectations on them at the beginning of the campaign.

City have previously spent time in the drop zone this season. They fell to their worst league position since 1966 – when they had to apply for re-election into the Football League – following a 1-0 defeat to Carlisle United on December 5.

Things got worse before they got better for Bradford, as they suffered another defeat the following week which led to the dismissal of club legend Stuart McCall.

Conor Sellars and Mark Trueman were placed in temporary charge and guided City to a 1-1 draw at Crawley Town to put an end to a six-game losing run.

The pair earned 10 points from the next 12 on offer, a run of form which saw them being appointed as joint-interim managers.

Their only focus at the moment is moving City further away from the bottom two.

“The biggest one is to pull away from the relegation zone,” Sellars told The Yorkshire Post.

“It is so tight down there, points are crucial.

“Instead of thinking about any long-term goal at the moment, in every game we have got to make sure we are at our best.

“It is about picking up points and not looking too far ahead.

“We are mindful that it will not all be positive. We may get results we don’t want but we have got to make sure that what we are doing what we believe in and that it is right for this team.”

Previously academy coaches, Sellars and Trueman did not spend a lot of time with the first-team prior to McCall’s departure. It means they cannot conclusively say what changes they have implemented on the training ground but one thing they have focused on is spending more time in the analysis room.

“It is hard to say what we have changed on the training field because we didn’t really see Stuart work and it would be wrong for us to comment on what we are perhaps doing differently,” added Sellars.

“We have come in to try and look at the players we have got and put them into a shape and a system that we feel will get the best out of them. We also want to be fluid with that system so we can play different formations.

“We have been delivering a lot of analysis and educating them on our style of play and what our game model is and what we are after. We just want to build confidence and give players some clarity.”