Bradford City manager Stuart McCall wants “two or three” before new season

The coronavirus pandemic will inevitably lead to cutbacks at most if not all League Two clubs but in the Bantams’ case, manager McCall thinks it will be for the best, having inherited a “bloated” squad days after the January transfer window closed.

He has signed Levi Sutton, Elliot Watt and Billy Clarke, made Callum Cooke’s loan permanent and re-signed Richard O’Donnell and Dylan Mottley-Henry, whose contract expired earlier this summer.

“We had nine games left (when the season was abandoned because of Covid-19) and we were still assessing the squad,” said McCall, who welcomed his players back for non-contact pre-season training last week.

“We released 14 players including the loans and we’ve got three back and signed three.

“We were always going to reduce the squad.

“I still think we need two or three more additions but I’d rather go with a trimmer squad anyway. This is what me and Kenny (Black, his assistant) were after.

“Pre-season is when you can put your marker down with everyone about how we were going to play and what we want from them. This is invaluable time now for us.”

League Two Bradford do not have to go through the same rigorous protocols teams in the top two divisions and the play-offs had to for their return, but the restrictions are preventing him taking players on trial.

“Normally in pre-season you’re doing two sessions a day but for the first week we’ve got to do split sessions because you can’t have big groups, so some come in during the morning, some in the afternoon,” explained McCall, in his third spell as Valley Parade manager, having also had two as a player.

“We had our first (Covid) test on Monday so we can go into contact training tomorrow. We’re just waiting for those results.

“But it will be once more during pre-season (that players are tested), then one more before the season starts. It’s not as strict as when they first started because clubs at our level wouldn’t be able to afford it. I don’t think it would be viable or possible to do it like the Premier League and the Championship did.

“Normally in pre-season, especially with the numbers we’ve let go, you would take trialists in to have a look at them but it’s £100 for a test and they have to be tested.

“We’ve had people offer to come in on trial but we just can’t take them in. That makes it a little bit different.

“But having said that we’re only a couple away from what I wanted, a nice, trim, healthy squad. There might be a couple of loans, who knows?

“We’re happy with the recruitment we’ve done and I don’t think we’re a million miles off where we want to be.

“It’s a healthy group, a smaller group, and obviously you’ve got to be fortunate with injuries, but I’d rather that than a bloated squad like we had at the back end of last season. We had too many players.”

Last week McCall told a fans’ forum he wanted centre-forward James Vaughan to stay at the club despite being loaned to Tranmere Rovers in the second half of last season, and he does not anticipate losing anyone else either.

“I’m not expecting any outgoings but in football you never know what’s around the corner,” he said. “At this moment in time we’re happy with the squad we’ve got.”

Vaughan was made club captain after joining from Wigan Athletic last summer and was Bradford’s top-scorer when a fall-out with then-manager Gary Bowyer saw him join the Prenton Park club for the rest of the campaign. Bowyer was sacked days later, to be replaced by McCall, and Tranmere were controversially relegated on a points-per-game basis. They will be playing alongside Bradford in League Two next season.

The campaign starts on September 12, initially behind closed doors.

Bradford’s fixture list is still blank, with no pre-season friendlies organised yet, and a league schedule expected around August 21 if a decision can be reached as to whether Stevenage or Macclesfield Town will be relegated by then.

“We’re in touch with a couple of clubs now but we still need a definite date for when the cup competitions are going to start,” confirmed McCall. “We’re in the throes of organising some games but there’s nothing definite pencilled in as yet.

“I’m delighted Harrogate have come up (winning Sunday’s Conference play-off final) because I stay around there but we still need to find out what’s happening with Macclesfield and Stevenage.”

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