'No regrets': Graham Alexander's 'reference point' and message to his senior players at Bradford City

It was back in April 2011, when in the colours of Burnley, that Bradford City's present-day manager became just the second outfield player in the country's football history to achieve that milestone, with the first being Tony Ford. Scott McLeish has since become a third.

Alexander's longevity owed plenty to being an ultra-consistent player, but also a model professional and one who looked after himself off the pitch and changed his outlook on fitness when hitting his 30s.

In terms of the playing group he manages at Bradford, there are some senior professionals who are currently in their early to mid-thirties.

Captain Richie Smallwood and talismanic striker Andy Cook both turn 34 before the year is out and the professionalism of both has already been name-checked by Alexander so far this season.

The notion that, given their ages, they are firmly in the winters of their careers, is something that the City manager feels is not necessarily true either, with his own experience showing that you can challenge perceptions - and play a fair bit longer.

If you do things properly, that is.

Alexander, who played on until he was 40 – his assistant Chris Lucketti hung up his boots at 37 - said: “I do use that (my playing career) as a reference point as my best years were in my thirties.

"Miles better - my best years were from 35 onwards, I’ll be honest, at the highest level.

"I have to use that as a motivational tool for players because when you get to 30, everyone starts writing you off and chipping away at you. If you let it, they will and they’ll win.

"I go the opposite way and try to give the benefit of that experience to my players and say: ‘no, there’s a load of years left in you if you do the right things day in day out.

"I’ve spoken about Andy Cook and Richie Smallwood is another brilliant example.

"I used both those players as an example to one of my young players (last week). You look at the amount of games they have played and haven’t missed a minute of training and they are out there every day.

"They have been doing this for ten years. That’s the example and they help me do my job with other players."

In terms of his playing career, Alexander can look back and say he gave it everything. His hope is that all the seasoned professionals he is working with will do the same when they bow out.

The City boss, whose side host Carlisle United in the league on Saturday, added: "I want these players to have fulfilling careers where they look back and have great numbers and great experience and have absolutely 'maxxed' out.

"So that when they eventually leave the game, they go: ‘I gave it my best shot, that’s it.’

"The only thing you regret is to go: ‘I should have just done this or that.’

"So we try and make them understand there’s good times ahead as well and they aren’t all in the mirror."