BfB

City returned to the rigours of pre-season training with Paul McLaren conspicuous by his absence poorly and three trialists including Macclesfield’s Jordan Hadfield whom is targeted as a holding midfielder in the Dean Furman stylee. Winger Grant Smith and defender Steve Williams also join training.

New signing Simon Ramsden articulated the attitude towards the season suggesting that at his former club Rochdale promotion might have been fun but at City it was expected. Attempts to defuse such feelings after the famed slashed wage bill obviously having little effect.

Ramsden is right though most will expect a challenge for League One and rightly so. City have gone down to the financial notch everyone else in the league was at last year but not below and as such even the uncharitable would conclude we stand at least the same chance as everyone apart from Notts County and they stand a good chance of being this year’s Bradford City or Shrewsbury.

Much however depends on McLaren, Hadfield or whoever ends up in that fulcrum role in the side.