Paul Huntington lifts lid on move to Bradford City and winning Graham Alexander's trust
Paul Huntington has lifted the lid on his move to Bradford City and how he won the trust of manager Graham Alexander.
The retired defender joined the Bantams in November 2024, at the age of 37, after a spell on the free agent market.
He was not a particularly glamorous addition but boasted a wealth of experience accumulated across spells with the likes of Leeds United and Preston North End.
Huntington proved to be a useful addition to Alexander’s squad and helped the West Yorkshire club seal promotion to the League One.
Move to Bradford City
During an appearance on popular podcast Undr The Cosh, the 38-year-old said: "I'd written down a list of three or four teams in League Two. Obviously Bradford, the biggest club. Doable locations, because I didn't want to be a million miles away from home.
“I thought 'have they got chance of going up?'. Bradford came up and I didn't play a lot right away. I think he let me get fit.
“I don't think he liked the thought of me signing without seeing me play in a game. I said 'just trust me, I'll be able to manage'.”
Earning Graham Alexander’s trust
Vertu Trophy games, particularly in the early rounds, are not particularly high-profile affairs.
Huntington, however, believes it was his showing in the competition against Rotherham United in November 2024 that earned him Alexander’s trust.
He said: “Gradually I built up my training and got in. I played Rotherham. The way he wants to play, it's a lot of running for centre-halves. You think back three, cigar.
“He swings right round the back three, so there's a lot of running. That first game, obviously I was trying to impress, I must have ran about 11.5km. I don't think I've ever done that.
“I was like 'yeah not a problem for me that gaffer, that's just what I do!'. I was just overcovering and showing I had the legs. From then, I think he trusted me. I'd signed at this point but it was almost my audition really. Things went really well.”
The defender did not follow Bradford into League One and announced his retirement from playing back in November.