The optimism at Bradford City has been massively boosted in their hunt for promotion this season after the appointment of fan favourite Stuart McCall as the club’s manager, for the third time.

The Bantams had started the season looking to bounce back from their relegation to League Two with an immediate promotion straight back to the third tier but were hit with a very bumpy patch of form around the mid-point of the season.

Their downturn in form saw them part company with Gary Bowyer as they slipped out of the automatic promotion places and then the play-off places.

Stuart McCall’s appointment saw the club’s form turn around with two solid performances yielding four points to put them back to within touching distance of the top seven, however, a disappointing defeat to mid-table Cambridge United saw them stay a point outside the play-off places.

Their intentions still remain the same of them looking to clinch promotion and the squad might need strengthening if they are to avoid a similar fate to last season.

McCall will have to assess his squad in the summer about who stays and who leaves, so here are two players they should sell if they clinch promotion…

Hope Akpan

The former Blackburn Rovers midfielder has struggled for consistent form at the Utilita Energy Stadium and is falling further down the pecking order after a string of underwhelming showings in recent weeks.

A major indicator of his poor form was the stark difference between the side’s performance where Jake Reeves and the other midfielders are concerned and then when Akpan was present.

Against Grimsby Town earlier this month, Bradford looked set for a much-needed win in McCall’s first game in charge after Lee Novak’s opener but were dealt a blow as Luke Hendrie struck in added time and the away side nearly snatched a late winner.

The game changed upon Akpan’s introduction on the 85th-minute for the worst and saw the midfield overrun as he failed to track, while Reeves and his other team-mates were showing far more energy despite playing for the full game.

With his form not picking up at all in League Two, it wouldn’t be wise to place faith in him if they go up.

Can you name these Bradford players based on their former clubs?

Jermaine Anderson

Another midfielder on the list and it’s no surprise considering that Bradford have a glut of players in his position and ones that are playing a lot better than these two.

Anderson has managed just five league appearances this season with one goal to his name, showing that he isn’t making that much of an impact on the first-team.

Having struggled at Doncaster Rovers in League One previously, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Bradford strengthen in midfield, with more quality needed out wide and in a box-to-box capacity.

He certainly has the quality to play regularly in a League Two midfield but is surplus to requirements in West Yorkshire and needs a move away to get back on track.