Exclusive:'A real pain for defenders' - Mark Bower provides inside track on Bradford City's new forward Jake Beesley
Mark Bower provides the inside track on Bradford City's new signing Jake Beesley
Few will have been happier to see Jake Beesley sign for Bradford City than his former manager Mark Bower.
Bower, a Bantams icon who spent over a decade in claret and amber as a player, was the man who first brought Beesley to the city nearly eight years ago.
The 46-year-old was in charge of non-league outfit Bradford (Park Avenue) when they lost their prolific talisman Adam Boyes to Spennymoor Town in July 2018. Beesley, then a raw and unproven 21-year-old on Salford City’s books, was signed on loan to fill the void.
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From Bradford (Park Avenue) to Bradford City
“We'd seen him play the previous season,” Bower told The Yorkshire Post. “He was on loan at Boston [United] and we'd played Boston quite late on and just liked his profile - good size, bit of pace about him.
“He just sort of ticked a lot of boxes and suited the way we played, with that lone striker, he had a really good work ethic about him. He didn't have a particularly great goalscoring record when he'd been at Boston, but we just saw a few bits that we liked in him.”
Beesley’s goal record was a modest one but any lingering doubts among Avenue supporters were quickly blown away. The frontman delivered a remarkable 20-goal haul in the National League North, firing the club into the sixth-tier play-offs.
Eight years later, after proving himself in the EFL across spells at Rochdale, Blackpool and Burton Albion, the 29-year-old is back in Bradford.
He has penned a two-year deal at Valley Parade, becoming the League One club’s first signing of the summer.
“He sort of honed some of his stuff,” said Bower. “I remember doing a lot of sessions with him, after a training session, banging a ball into his feet, getting hold of the ball and being a good platform for his team as well.
“He definitely had the tools and as we saw as the season went on, he became a little bit more composed. His finishing improved and his goalscoring record improved. That was just one of the early steps he took and he obviously progressed that on much further, as he improved over the coming years after that.”
The inside track on Bradford City’s new signing Jake Beesley
Bower now has the chance to watch a player he helped mould represent the club he holds dearest. The former Avenue and Guiseley manager commentates on Bradford City games for BBC Radio Leeds and co-hosts the BBC’s Bantams podcast ‘Take Me Home’.
Over the coming months, Bower will undoubtedly be inundated with questions concerning what the Bantams can expect from Beesley.
“There's not going to be too much pressure that he’s just going to come in and be this Andy Cook-type striker that's going to score a bucketload of goals,” said Bower. “I think the profile and the way the team play, the way they set up, I think that kind of the nine that he is, he’s one that will do a bit of everything.
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“I think because of his attributes - pace, good height and presence, bit of power - those kind of attributes always go down well.
“He can win headers, he can run channels, he can be a real pain for defenders. He'll run all day for you. I think that's the kind of profile that this team really needs in a number nine.
“To me, it looks like a really good signing. It's one that will improve the team, I think he'll fit in quite well. I think the Bradford City supporters take to players that will run through a brick wall for you. He'll certainly do that.”