Braford City v Crewe Alexandra: Mark Hughes confident Bantams will get back on track after Morecambe defeat

After two defeats in the opening four League Two matches – the worst of them at Morecambe last week – there will be a lot of Valley Parade eyes on how they perform against Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, not least the manager's.

Hughes comes across as a little bit exasperated by the hullaballoo, but confident of what he will get.

"I'm absolutely certain we'll get one," he replied when asked if he expected a reaction to last week.

"Whenever we have dipped in the past we've almost without fail picked up really strongly and recognised we needed to do certain things better. What we've got to avoid in the future is a situation where you have to react.

"You've just got to recognise what's going on and say as a group what can we do differently.

"Having that performance at this stage of the season is better than further in the season. I think it was just a one-off game and I fully expect us to be back to the level we expect to be at.

"I see them day in day out transferring what we talk about and want to do on the training pitch. I know what their ability allows them to do.

"It's a great opportunity to get back on track and calm everybody down."

And Hughes would really like that.

"There's a danger people get a little bit catastrophic when you have one result that's not expected and goodness me, everything's terrible and we're all going to hell in a handcart," he said.

"I think you've just got to see it as it is.

"Different lads are at different levels of fitness and form and I think it was a factor – it wasn't the factor.

"We'll get to a point where everybody's up to speed and we'll have no excuses."

The Bantams were boosted on Friday by the news the Football Associaiton have dropped historic betting charges against Harry Chapman, dating back to his time as a Middlesbrough player on loan at Blackburn Rovers in 2017.

Chapman continued to train with the club after the charges were laid in late June.