New Bradford City manager Stuart McCall has said he is delighted to be back following his return for a third spell as manager at the club. 

McCall returned to the club on Tuesday following Monday's dismissal of Gary Bowyer, with the Bantams sitting one point outside the League Two play-off places.

The 55-year-old embarks on his third spell as manager with the club, following stints from 2007-2010 and 2016-2018, where in the latter he guided the Bantams to League One play-off final.

McCall and his assistant Kenny Black will be in charge when the Bantams take on Grimsby Town on Saturday.

Speaking of his new squad, McCall told the club's media channels: "The faster we get to knowing all of them inside out, the better, we have a lot of players and a big squad with thankfully only two or three injuries, at the moment.

"I have seen very promising things so far in training and am excited to be working with them more to understand them as much as possible," McCall added.

Although acknowledging that City are in a poor run form, McCall does believe the squad can turn around the club's on field fortunes.

"We have a squad here which is capable of getting better results than they have proved, of late," continued McCall. "It is our job to get the best out of what we have here and I am extremely excited at the thought of doing so."

McCall will be keen for Bradford to get back to winning ways when they take on Grimsby, with the club looking for an immediate return to League One.

With only 15 games remaining in the campaign, this appointment could give City the boost they need for the remaining months of the campaign.

The Verdict

Some may not be surprised that McCall has returned to Bradford for a third stint, following the dismissal of Gary Bowyer on Monday.

The appointment on Tuesday was largely greeted with positivity, with some fans noting they were pleased that McCall is due to stay with the club until at least the end of next season.

McCall is right to acknowledge that the squad he has is capable of getting better results and, if anything, it is fair to say that City should be higher in the League Two table.

It will be interesting to see if McCall can go on to get the best out of this squad and guide Bradford to promotion this season.

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