Bradford City v Oldham Athletic – Self-belief will help Stuart McCall repay Bantams’ faith in him

New chief executive Ryan Spark’s first act was to give manager McCall and assistant Kenny Black one-year contract extensions until the summer of 2022.

The timing was surprising as the Bantams are 20th in League Two, two points above the relegation zone, albeit with a game in hand on many of the teams above. But the Valley Parade legend says the club’s support has been mirrored by many fans.

This afternoon offers respite from League Two, with an FA Cup second-round tie at home to Oldham Athletic.

“Management’s tough at the best of times,” said a defiant McCall. “It’s even tougher with what we’re going through at the moment, and even tougher because of the results. That’s when you need a bit of character and I think the club have shown that.

“Have they taken a gamble? Maybe they’ve looked at the fact that last time I left the football club I left with the highest win percentage in 37 years. Maybe they’ve looked at the fact that when I was up at Motherwell, in four years I had there, I left with the most successful win-rate of any Motherwell manager.

“Has it been a bold decision by the club? Yeah, but for all the people on social media I had three people come down to the training ground this week prior to this news to wish me well.

“I had somebody drive up to Barrow before the game to wish me well. I’ve had letters, texts, emails, everything.

“I’ve got faith in myself and I’m determined to give it my best shot. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll walk away.

“You stand up, front it up, you get through tough times.

“Every club, every manager has tough times and not all come out the other side but what made me happy on Thursday was not my new deal, but to see (Lee) Novak, (Callum) Cooke, (Bryce) Hosannah, and (Kurtis) Guthrie back on the training field.

“With January coming up we’ve got a long-term plan.”

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