New Bradford City striker Michael Mellon drawn in by Valley Parade - now it's about 'walking the walk' for Burnley loanee

The in-demand Burnley striker checked out the Bantams - and Valley Parade - for himself when he was in present for the hosts' 2-1 League Two win over Chesterfield on December 29. The Spireites were among the rivals who were also chasing Mellon's signature.

It was a second vibrant festive occasion in a row at BD8, following City's Boxing Day win over Port Vale.

Sometimes things speak for themselves and the fervent atmosphere planted a seed in the mind of Mellon, who joined earlier this week on loan.

Boss Graham Alexander said: "That was prior to us speaking to him, he wasn’t there as an invitation of ours.

“When I sat down with him, he talked about the atmosphere in the stadium that day and he wanted to be a part of it.

"He’s felt it from being up there (in the stand). That’s the positive side that Valley Parade can give to players.

"If you’re a neutral and you get excited about it, then you could be part of it by joining us.

"That’s what Michael has done but now he’s got to walk the walk."

Mellon, 21, whose father Micky manages Oldham Athletic, certainly has responsibility thrust upon his young shoulders, more especially given the season-ending knee injury sustained by City's talismanic striker Andy Cook.

In the final analysis, having the mentality to handle being a player in the fourth tier at City is part of the ticket.

Mellon's family background in football should have prepared him for that, at least.

On Mellon, ineligible for Tuesday's EFL Trophy trip to Aston Villa under-21s, but will be in the mix for a debut at Carlisle next weekend, Alexander added: "There is a character you need to be able to go and perform in front of that (crowd).

"It’s not just a hopeful crowd, it’s an expectant crowd and I think there’s a difference.

"When we speak to players and they speak to us and quite fancy the challenge, they do talk about the amount of support and the stadium as a positive.

"When you sign and come here, you can’t then turn it into a negative. It’s still got to be positive, you’ve still got to embrace that.

"It’s about making sure the players keep to that mindset. It’s not always going to be smooth, you are going to get criticised and that happens at every football club. But it’s just the volume of it at Valley Parade because of numbers."