Bradford City boss Graham Alexander's message to goal-shy strikers amid recent barren streak

What cannot be denied is that in Andy Cook, Tyler Smith and Jake Young, City surely have the attacking armoury to get the club out of a bit of a rut on the scoring stakes.

Cook, last season’s Golden Boot winner in League Two with 28 goals, has netted just once since grabbing a brace in a 3-1 win at Yorkshire rivals Rovers on December 22. He was dropped from the starting line-up last weekend.

That game also represented the last time that Smith was on the scoresheet.

Graham Alexander does have additional options in the shape of Young - fitness permitting. He recently returned to action in a City jersey after his productive loan spell at Swindon, while recent signing Cal Kavanagh is also in the mix.

The City chief has been positive in his messages to his striking pool in his quest for them to hit the goals trail again. Equally, he feels that players must have broad shoulders to accept the scrutiny when the goals don’t come.

Alexander commented: "There’s a balance. I want to be honest in my appraisal after games and with the press and supporters.

"We give them (players) what they have been doing well and just say: ‘Look, we need to improve this’ as it just focuses the mind.

"I am honest in highlighting a fact which will then be scrutinised and highlighted even more. But if you want to play professional football and want to play for Bradford City, then pressure is something you have to handle.

"That’s normal. If you can respond to that pressure and engage with it and see it as a positive and in a position where pressure is on you, that’s because people expect of you. It’s a better place to be rather than ‘well, I don’t really think they will score, what’s the point?’

"I think if they expect of you, they must look at you and think you are a decent player or team. It’s how you control those thoughts, messages, information and feelings and push it into a positive.

"Loads of things come across you in life and football which test you. If you think with a negative mind, then you will have a negative outcome.

"If you think there’s an issue you can go ‘right, let’s find a solution for this issue’ and put in the practice to get the solution, train, practice and persevere, then it will come good."